Nijjar's Killing in Canada

 One summer evening in the month of June, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh, finished praying in a Gurudwara (sacred worship place of Sikhs) in Surrey, a suburb in Vancouver, Canada. No sooner he came out, two masked men pumped bullets on him from close range. Nijjar died from multiple gunshots. 

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was no small fry. He was a separatist leader, a supporter of  Khalistan, an independent Sikh nation  demanded by more Sikhs living abroad than in India to be carved out of its state of Punjab. In that context, Nijjar's death didn't come as a surprise, but I am pleasantly surprised that Indian agents have carried out a successful mission to eliminate a national threat. It looks like a classic RAW (India's Secret Service) hit, though India, as expected, has officially denied the allegation by Canada.

India has every right to take out any threat when it comes to its national security. Mossad, Israel's ruthless and deadly Secret Service assassinates its targets on regular basis deep inside other countries as far as Argentina, Dubai and Iran. Unlike India, they are more forthcoming - their official stance is they neither confirm or deny their hand in them. America goes one step further. It not only openly takes out its enemies, its politicians take full credit for killing terrorists. Examples are many, the best is the killing of Osama Bin Laden deep inside Pakistani territory which certainly helped Barack Obama politically. Did Canada ever complain then ? Then why now ? There can be no double standard for terrorism as there is no good and bad terrorists. They all are bad, no exception. 

What is the demand for Khalistan ? For the uninitiated, at one point of time in the 1980s when  terrorism was at its peak in Punjab, it seemed that "Khalistan Banta Hi Rahega" - it was just a time Khalistan will be formed. Mishandling by the Congress government catapulted Sant Bhindranwale, a Sikh with a flowing beard and aquiline nose from a small time preacher into a big time martyr. His speech in parts of Punjab, especially in the rural areas caught the imagination of the Sikh youth of the time. His simple slogan 'JO DARTA WOH SIKH NAHI AUR JO SIKH HAI WOH DARTA NAHI' (one who fears is not a Sikh, one who is a Sikh never fears) inspired many to take up gun and became terrorists. 

As Khushwant Singh mentioned in his autobiography, Giani Zail Singh, ex Home Minister and President of India famously described Bhindranwale as SADDE DANDA "our stick" to beat the Akalis with. Congress party wanted to use him as an useful idiot to settle score against opposition Akali Dal. Eventually the genie escaped from the bottle and the DANDA became a huge stick to cause pain to Congress and the nation's backside.  

It took another Congressman PV Narasimha Rao to clean up the mess left by his predecessors. Within months of becoming the Prime Minister, Rao called elections in Punjab and managed to conduct one amidst fireworks of bullets and bombs. As we say in Odia, "KANTA KU KANTA KADHE" - A nail is needed to take out another nail. The Congress government that followed gave a free hand to the Super Cop KPS Gill whose motto was very simple - "Kill a terrorist, earn a promotion". The Punjab police responded spectacularly by reaping bounties on the terrorist heads as bountiful as a successful Ravi crop harvest during the BAISAKHI (a popular festival in Punjab). By end of the year 1993, little more than two years after Rao taking office, terrorism in Punjab was a thing of past. 

But the dream of Khalistan was never dead. It lied dormant, though limited to few countries in the West. My Punjabi friend has seen the picture of Bhindranwale in a Gurudwara in North America not long ago. In that context, with many local Khalistani sympathizers around, it was prudent for Indian government to eliminate the cancer before it spreads and send a message. Prevention is always better than cure. We cannot afford another Bhindranwale, so it is a smart move to kill the snake before it grows big and start biting. Kudos to India, the protest from Canada not withstanding.

The Joy of Freedom

 During our Elementary (Primary School in our time) days there was a story from our SAHITYA  (literature) book in Class IV named, MUKTI RA ANANDA or "The joy of Freedom". A young man comes out of prison and goes to a local bird market. He purchases an entire cage of bird, only to release them to the bewilderment of the beholders. Long story short, the just jail released man wanted to extend his joy of freedom to the poor birds.

My friends, a wonderful couple and cat lovers adopted a stray cat left as a kitten by someone near their doorway. They adopted him, fed him well providing him with all comforts. But once the cat grew up, he left their home and their street not to be found again to taste his new found freedom. He was a feral cat who cherished the outside world was reluctant to stay bound to the comforts of home.

The quest for freedom is not just limited to birds and animals. It has been commonly observed that domestic helps in many houses strive to get out of the owner's homes, once they are into their teens. In many cases they simply vanish overnight, though they are treated excellently by their ever compassionate employers who feed, cloth and pay them handsomely, share their best toiletries and tip them on festive occasions. Yet they itch to get out to freely explore the world, to know more about the unknowns beyond the four walls of life. This desire is propelled by the quest for freedom, which often makes them sacrifice their prior abode of comfort and luxury.

I have encountered many Chinese and ex-Soviet Republic immigrants in USA, who unlike us immigrants of Indian origin hardly ever visit their motherland. Many forget that there is a country called China or Russia. Things are lot better now, especially in China. Yet growing up in a milieu minus the basic freedom, they are simply afraid and insecure about visiting the MiddleKingdom, lest they will lose their hard earned liberty. Many of them are fascinated by our frequent trips to India. They feel calling their folks back home every other month is more than enough. It's not unusual for them to take an American spouse by hook or crook to cement their stay in USA by getting American citizenship without any qualms about forgetting their roots.

Years back, an Odia officer from IFS (Indian Foreign Services) was posted in America. Per Foreign ministry rules, he was entitled to bring a Domestic help from India - an euphemism for a servant. He brought a semi-educated young man from his village in Cuttack, thinking him the last and the least likely one to escape. Or so he thought.

The officer, a bachelor, spent long days and evenings at work, often eating outside. Having nothing to do at home and getting bored watching TV in those days sans Cell phones and Social media, his "helping hand", popularly known as "CHAKARA TOKA" in Odia or NAUKAR in Hindi, helped himself by going around the city.

Slowly he started getting a taste of American life. One fine morning he decided to abscond without informing his employer. Our IFS Babu (Officer) anticipated that his fellow Odia must have melted away in Chicago, gobbled by the gargantuan city as an undocumented illegal immigrant doing some menial job.

Soon his suspicion turned out to be true. One evening he was in an Indian Restaurant where he saw his ex-helping hand mopping the floor. No sooner their eyes met than the later turned and ran away. Our Odia Officer bro chased him for a while, calling his name at top of his voice, that he is going to forgive him and his folks back home in India are now a worried lot. 

It had no effect on the guy as he melted into the labyrinth of vehicles. If the officer wanted he could have followed up with the local authorities to trace him out. But he let him go, allowing the man from his village pursue his American dream. He returned back gasping like the Cheetah on National Geographic Channel after a failed attempt to catch its pray.  

USA is known as "The Land of Freedom" as many of the forefathers of its inhabitants landed in America fleeing Europe to escape persecution. They were no doubt adventurous - for you need to be brave enough in order to migrate to a different corner of the world at a time when you don't know what's in store of you in a new world not connected by telephone, internet or social media. Yet, the call for freedom trumps all hurdles which can motivate humans to get adventurous, go above and beyond.

Such is the taste of freedom ! Like the proverbial man eating tiger who stops eating other animals once it tastes human flesh, the fragrance of freedom is unique and the desire to retain it is irreversible. Love the motto of the state of New Hampshire in US - "LIVE FREE OR DIE". It's certainly worth it.

 In the early 1980s Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India. A minister in her cabinet, Basant Sathe was mulling a Presidential form of government in India by floating the idea as a trial balloon.  

It made perfect sense for Congress Party then as Indira Gandhi was the undisputed leader of Congress and India. There was nobody, neither in her party nor outside close to her stature. All the opposition parties unitedly pooh-poohed the idea opposing it tooth and nail for the obvious reason. Not a single leader then was in a position to be a counterweight to Indira at nation level. The idea remained stillborn.  

Congress must be breathing easy now as the concept of a Presidential form of government never saw the day, remaining a non-starter. Now I wonder if the constitution ever changed to that effect then BJP would be reaping the benefits now. Vajpayee could have won in 2004 rather than losing it if India had a Presidential form of government. 

In this context, though not a big fan of BJP, I still like the idea of "One Nation, One Election" brought by the Modi led BJP government at the center. Yes, the motive isn't entirely altruistic. Yes, BJP sees political advantage in it as though India isn't a Presidential form of government, it has a single popular leader in Narendra Modi who runs more like an American Presidential candidate leaving his closest rival Rahul Gandhi far behind. It thinks as divided opposition is trying to unite now, by advancing the elections to winter of this year will put the nascent opposition unity on backfoot. 

But if you think without any bias or malice to anyone holding both Parliament and Assembly Elections together has some long term benefits. Here is why. 

Firstly, it is economically viable to do both  together at one time. It saves a lot of tax player's money, time and energy. In one shot get done with both and don't bother until next 5 years. 

Secondly, as being suggested it the "One Election" is planned between the months of November to February when the weather is salubrious in most parts of the country. Although it is winter in North India they would prefer to campaign and toil to vote in December than toil in 45 degrees heat of May. 

A multi party committee has been formed to look into this. Let's see how it goes. 

The old widow's curse of leprosy

 Recently I came across a news about several cases of leprosy in America. Though a tropical disease more prevalent in South Asia, Central and Latin American countries, every year 200 odd cases are reported in USA, 80% of them from the state of Florida. Though completely curable, there is invariably a stigma tied to it as a leper is regarded as an untouchable. That's probably origin of the phrase "being treated leper".

During my childhood I was visiting my ancestral village near Puri during summer vacation. One hot afternoon when the village slept into siesta, my cousin and I stole some cucumbers from the neighborhood yard of a widow, who typical of a resident from the Brahmin dominated "SASAN" villages near Puri was quite vocal at delivering choicest of abuses in her mother tongue. Annoyed at the sight of missing cucumbers she started yelling at top of her voice cursing the cucumber thieves - "MO BADI RU JIE KASI KAKUDI KHAICHI SIE BADI RE JIBA, TAKU KUSTA ROGA HABA", "he who has stolen cucumbers from my yard is destined to die from Cholera, but not before getting infected with leprosy".

I didn't care much about Cholera as it was no longer a scourge since I was already vaccinated at school. The memory of getting the Cholera shot (injection) is unforgettable. By evening I had fever and could barely lift my arm. My grandma gave me "LUNA PODA SEKA" - gently sponging with a pad of heated salt wrapped in a piece of cloth applied to the vicinity of the visible tiny orifice mark left on my arm stuck by the thick needle. The pain subsided after couple of days. A piece of paper called "Inoculation Certificate" was all I got after bearing this agony.

Little I knew that this Certificate will come handy a few months down the road when I was on the road to Puri days before the famous Lord Jagannath RATH YATRA. On the outskirts of the city near Chandanpur, the bus was stopped by a battalion of health officials armed with syringes on hand and eagerly waiting for their targets. It was time to give cholera shots. I proudly brandished my inoculation certificate as they spared me.

Those who didn't have inoculation certificates meekly disembarked and lined up for the shots. A few who tried to flee were immediately chased down by the officials. Some escaped by wading over the paddy fields, melting away behind the coconut groves. Those not so lucky were grabbed by their collars and a DAMPHANA (the Odia term for thick needles used to sew jute sacks) sized needle was stabbed on their bottom with great force. They grimaced and screamed in pain, limping back to bus in full view of passengers peeping through the window, too stunned to laugh. I was watching the Wild Wild West enacted on the east coast of India. 

Though dismissive of the Cholera threat, the old woman's curse forever reminded me of leprosy. I lived in Calcutta during mid 1990s. One day I happened to see a leper near the Howrah Station whose almost entire torso was covered in wound, filled with pus. Flies swarmed around, murmuring and feasting on it. Too scared to stare, soon I turned my head and back to this helpless person. Still engraved in memory, that abominable sight refuses to go away. I feel short of kudos for the likes of Mother Teresa who shelter them and nurse their wound. 

Leprosy was very common in India before independence. Mahatma Gandhi and his team once took a PADAYATRA (March on foot) in Odisha. Midway through the journey came across a leper and donated his hand spun KHADADA (crude cotton cloth) to the destitute. No more a scourge, now a days this disease is perfectly curable with rounds of antibiotics treatments. 

Childhood memories die hard. Armadillo the scaled, ant eater animal prevalent in southern part of the United States are known to carry leprosy. I see lot of them around here snooping around in my yard, especially during night time. I always make it a point to stay away from them. As I pluck cucumbers from my backyard, somewhere in the back of my mind I am apprehensive that one day the "SASAN" Brahmin widow's curse might come true. She could have already taken rebirth as an Armadillo lurking just around the corner, bidding her time for vengeance.

My top 10 English movies

 My 10 best English movies. A tough choice to make amongst so many greats. 

1. FORREST GUMP - Tom Hanks playing the simple, hardworking Southerner American who never stops running since he threw his clutches to run away from getting bullied. Dejected for being naive and slow witted, trying hard to get his girlfriend's love - his innocuous "Why don't you love me Jenny" would moisten anyone's eyes. Jenny finally comes to him, but not for love but out of compulsion. 

2. GODFATHER - Vito Corleone played by Marlon Brando arrives as a child in New York when his family is wiped out by a mafia Don back home in Sicily. He takes the opportunity of the land of opportunity to build his underworld empire in "Big Apple", New York as his son Mike Corleone ruthlessly kills his rivals to consolidate father's empire. It's sequel GODFATHER II was great too which catapulted Robert De Niro to the limelight. 

3. GOOD, BAD AND UGLY - A movie watchable multiple times. It is Clint Eastwood all the way. Can't forget its epic whistling music during crucial scenes in the movie. One of the best monologues I have ever heard comes from this iconic Western classic - "If you want to shoot, shoot. Don't talk". 

4. SCENT OF A WOMAN - It was all the way the one man movie from iconic Al Pacino which earned him his 2nd Oscar in 1993 for this stellar performance. The way he blinks his eyes and walks with his walking stick makes you feel he is really blind, not acting. 

5. SIXTH SENSE - M Night Syamalan's first and probably the only masterpiece which grossed over $600 million worldwide. The scene of the little boy who could see dead people whizzing past him prevented many from visiting bathroom in the middle of night at that time, including me. In another scene in a cemetery, the boy says hi to an woman standing in the crowd. She smiles back at the boy only to vanish into the thin air the next moment. Simple yet profound but scaringly eerie - the trade mark of M Night Shyamalan, an American of Indian origin. 

6. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - Dr. Lector, Hannibal the Cannibal can send chill down your spine. Jodi Foster as usual has done a stupendous role. Watching the movie can make you have the feel of a psycho just lurking beind you. The final scene is nail biting gripping. 

7. THE INSIDER - Denzel Washington, a New York cop tries to negotiate a Bank hold up by Clive Owen, where Jodi Foster plays a consultant appointed by the Bank owner with a Nazi past. In one scene Clive Owens says - After this is over, I will be sipping pina colada cocktail in a remore island, to which Denzel responds - "This is what I think. After this is over, you will be standing in the shower in New York jail in between two big guys Jamal and Joseph, the thing you will be sipping won't taste like pina colada". 

8. THE BRIDGE OVER RIVER KWAI - A historical drama from the year 1957 when a bunch of British POWs captured by the Japanese in Burma during the World War II were building a bridge over the river. I thought of ignoring the movie but couldn't get up after starting, sitting through the end. A must for those who like old classics. 

9. COLLATERAL - In this movie from 2004 Tom Cruize, playing the role of a ruthless contract killer, goes around killing people in LA and Jamie Fox is his cab driver. The later won the Best Supporting Actor for his role in that movie, gracefully playing the role of a cab driver who is scared but still keeping his nerve and trying to save himself from his cold blooded killer passenger. The talented Mark Ruffalo plays a cop. Tom Cruize kills his first victim who lands up on hapless Jamie Fox's cab. A baffled Jamie Fox asks Tom Cruize "Did you kill him ?", to which the later gave a nonchalant but techically correct answer "No. I just shot him. The bullet and the fall killed him". 

10. AIRPLANE - This farce of non stop nonsense will make you laugh till your stomach aches. Loved the way Leslie Nielson barges into cockpit to wish the best and his "Don't call me Shirley".

RIP Sushama Nani

 She was my father's younger sister. Sushama Nani, as we addressed her was a cherubic, affectionate lady not just towards her own, her love and compassion extended to all. It broke my heart when I came to know that she passed at the young age of 69 yesterday evening in India. She could have lived at least a decade more but for the terminal cancer which has been consuming her for last the few months.

I had many golden childhood memories associate her. Being the oldest kid in our family, I was the apple of everyone's eyes including Sushama Nani. Whenever she used to be at our home, every morning she would shower me, apply a liberal dosage of "Rashi Tela" (cold pressed black sesame oil) on my head as that oil was supposed to keep the hair healthy and head cool. Then she would put Kaajal (Kohl) under my eyes to keep my pair of eyes in good health and increase its sharpness, followed by putting a layer of Ponds talcolm powder on my face. Just before leaving for my elementary school she would put a little black dot slightly above my forehead to save me from the Evil Eyes (As we say in Odia Kahara Drusti Na Lagu, or in Hindi - Kisi Ki Nazar Na Lag Jae". Her unbridled love for me and my sisters was unfathomable.

I would come back home sad from the Elementary (primary) school, embarrassed and bit humiliated by my schoolmates poking fun at me for getting groomed like a girl. Sushama Nani would dismiss them - "They are just jealous of you. What they know of a Piusi's (father's sister) love ?" She was a glib talker who spoke extremely fluent Odia who could captivated the audience on any topic with her communication skills. She also had an artistic hand who once created a Taj Mahal using multicolored strings of wool, not to mention she knitted several woolen garments with her bare hands when winter months used to be around the corner.

I had a restless mind and would rarely take a nap during hot afternoons during my childhood days. She would narrate me several stories trying to make me sleep and would never get angry at her ever disobedient nephew. I used to remember a lot of hit songs from the contemporary Odia movies "Mana Akasha" and "Mamata" and entertainment her and her friends (she had many) with the popular Odia songs of the days - "Dekhi Se Bana Malli", "Re Bana Jharana" etc. I still remember a neighborhood girl of her age with whom she could never get along. Shushama Nani instructed me to sing this song from movie "Mana Akasha" in front of this neighborhood girl with the intention of irritating her -

"MANE MANE BHABU TU BHARI SUNDARA,
AEENA DEKHU TU HAZARE THARA.
TO RUPA KU KIE, PACHARE KI HAI...".

Roughly Transliterated,

"You think you are very pretty,
Thousands time you look at the mirror,
Who cares about your looks which is shitty".

After bombarded by the song several times the victim once asked me - "Who told you to sing this song" ? The innocent 7 year old me replied to her - "Sushama Nani told me to sing this song for you". Not to mention, our neighborhood girl of my Piusi's age was hardly amused, but couldn't tell anything about a child singing this song. Sushama Nani effectively passed on the message to her. The year was 1976. The next year she got married.

During our childhood days we used to spend long summer and Durga Puja vacations in our ancestral village near Puri. Almost every afternoon Sushama Nani cooked "Chuda Bhaja" (Parched rice fry), made Mudhi (puffed rice) blend laced with mustard oil with grated coconut which grew aplenty in our village thrown into the mixture. Occasionally she would instruct me to procured cheap mixture from the village stores or nearby Gabakund Haat (flea market) which would be procured to enhance the flavor of these home made afternoon snacks. Those were the days.

Couple of days ago when I got this sad message about her being almost near, I immefiately made a video call to my cousin's number in India where she lied on her death bed. The Piusi Nani whom I remembered as a young, energetic, bubbly lady was looking a pale shadow of herself. Something inside me snapped when I saw her as a living skeleton, giving a blank stare into the sky, looking towards heaven to where she rightly belonged to, ready to fly into the greener pastures of a promised land of another world, another life. My eyes mostined as I couldn't look any further. The eyeglasses started getting foggy as gravity pulled couple of drops of tears down on my cheek. But there was no talcolm powder on my cheeks to dry it off. A la the Rashi oil, it stayed stuck as a sweet, past memory. Rest in Peace, Sushama Nani amongst angels.

Samaduni song

 This Odia song "ALO SAMADUNI" from the late 1970s might ring a bell to many. SAMADUNI is the way the mother-in-laws in Odisha, i.e. the moms of the married couples address each other. They are supposed to be jocular to one another in a friendly way, but often notoriously known not to get along with one another. They taunt each other with one upmanship under the guise of friendly banters wrapped in a cloak of hypocrisy. This song from decades back aptly depicts it.

In this popular duet of the time each SAMADUNI tries to outsmart the other by proudly proclaiming how her counterpart is lucky enough to be her "co-mother-in-law".

One SAMADUNI boasts in from of the other - 

PUA MORA BADA OFFISARA,

MASAKU DARAMA PAANCHA HAZARA. 

"My son is a big officer,

 Earns 5,000 a month for sure". 

A salary of Rs.5000 ($60) per month was no doubt big money those days. A government official earning this  remuneration would make a champion son-in-law. She continues to sing - "MO PUARA UPURI KETE PRAKARA" (my son also has extra incomes of various kinds, an euphemism for under the table black money). Corruption wasn't in epidemic proportion those days, but still prevalent enough for the son's mom to boast about it. The desire for that extra buck called UPURI and a tendency to brag about it was obviously there. 

Fast forward to the mid point of the year 2023. The Officer in the song can be substituted for a person working in the private sector, an Entrepreneur or whoever making good bucks these days. But Government jobs have always been the dream job for many Indians in general and Odias in particular. The craze hasn't died down.

Recently saw a few posts on social media eulogizing several NIT, Rourkela Alumnis who qualified for Odisha Administration Services. During our time the NIT pass outs targeted Indian Civil Services and IES (Indian Engineering Services) but not OAS. Looks like we are living in changing times where in spite of the rise in entrepreneurship and globalization the lure for government jobs has gone up. There must be a reason behind it. 

Those days government was a monolithic, behemoth entity - the largest employer, encroaching every aspect of human life. Following the kicking out of Coca Cola and IBM by the legendary socialist George Fernandez in 1977, the assumption was that it is just a matter of time the all encroaching government will swallow the rest.

In government jobs, you can rub Ghee (clarified butter) on your moustache (NISA RE GHIA MARI in Odia, meaning with utmost confidence) and work till you retire with minimal accountability. Not a single SALA (means brother-in-law, but used in a derogatory sense as someone whose sister is up for public seduction) can touch you - not to mention there is always that UPURI or extra income lurking around the corner. 

Not to be outflanked or outsmarted, the other SAMADUNI, the girl's mom comes her impromptu, melodious response in that song :

JHIA MORA DAKTKARA, 

MASAKU DARAMA TINI HAZARA.

(My daughter is a doctor,

 Monthly 3000 is remuneration of her)

Her boasting continues - 

ALO SAMADUNI, 

SE TA PAISA NAUCHI CHHANI..

roughly transliterated 

"Oh my co-mom-in-law lady, 

She is minting money steady". 

No mention about how much UPURI or extra income contributed to her money minting.

Over the years, the combo of Congress and left leaning political parties had created and cemented a freebie culture, making people unaccountable, churning out an Army of KARMA KODHIA or KAAMCHOR (escapist from work). The current BJP led government at the center hasn't done anything tangible to the curb this menace beyond some perfunctory rhetorics. Come elections, every party throws freebies.

Government may be the choice of the most as career, it is also the carrier of social diseases of which people are symptomatic. Folks fondly call the government as MAI BAAP KA SARKAR (care like parents), providing support from cradle to grave. At least politicians are accountable every 5 years, but government officials have little or no accountability till they retire at the age of 60. It perhaps explains the sporadic news of long lines of applicants for Peon's post. Scattered agitations across the nation demanding to convert temporary government jobs into permanent ones aren't uncommon. 

Nothing is permanent in life, perhaps with the exception of the job security of the government jobs in India. No one on earth can guarantee a more guaranteed form of employment, a sense of entitlement, easy money and a few UPURI (extra money from top) as the icing on the cake, explaining why it's still a driving force. It is a pity that our NIT pass outs are opting for OAS jobs, restricting themselves to this remnant of British Raj and accentuating it.