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Pardhan Ji, eminently forgotten!
 In
the sleepy village called 'Tohra', on September 24, a small
gathering had gotten together to remember a man many had said no one
will forget in a hurry. The news items did not make it to the front
pages in even a single newspaper. Parkash Singh Badal was busy
congratulating the Indian team for some victory in a cricket match,
and any time left was spent on making arrangements for celebration
of Shaheed Bhagat Singh's centenary. A frail looking Sardarni
Joginder Kaur had the consolation of having by her side on the stage
Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, virtually sidelined from the
panthic debates by powers that be of the Akali Dal, Prem Singh
Chandumajra, a loser in many senses of the term, and Cabinet
minister Hira Singh Gabria, who was privileged enough to be the last
one to take the oath of office. From the SGPC was present Sukhdev
Singh Bhaur, clearly not the most powerful of the men in the
dispensation.
The Akali Dal
forgot to put in an ad in any paper and the government machinery,
which moves only if Sukhbir Singh Badal winks at it, remained
static.
But why was
September 24 and the function at Tohra village important? Because
they were not considered important at all. That's why. Only a few
years ago, Parkash Singh Badal was ready to crawl on his knees to
seek unity with the man everyone called 'Pardhan Sahib' even when
every single candidate fielded by Tohra Sahib had lost. Then came
the historic 'unity'. The 'Chotte Sarkar' Sukhbir Singh Badal
metamorphosed from 'Kaka Ji' to 'Pardhan Sahib', and poor old tall
man of Sikh poltics, Sardar Gurcharan Singh Tohra was not even
considered important enough to have inspired the government or the
party to put ion an ad in a paper.
Not many years
ago, when Sardar Tohra had died, the then Chief Minister Amarinder
Singh and Sardar Parkash Singh Badal were present at the stage
together and were telling the Sikh community that the village 'Tohra'
had become the axis around which the entire thought of the panth
will always revolve. Today, the village as wll as the man 'Tohra'
has been relegated to the margins.
This is
history's verdict on many a men who buckled at crtitical moments.
Well wishers of the panth are still debating whether Jathedar Tohra
had done the right thing by opting for unity when Badal needed it
most. Sant Jarnail Singh did not opt for unity with the tallest of
the Akali names because he was clear on their reality. That is why
his name and memory lives on, and his posters vie with the posters
of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Punjab at every mela. Have you ever seen
a poster of a Badal or a Tohra at any mela?
When the
community is passing through tough times, it is necessary from time
to time to check out over our shoulder where did we go wrong.
Loyalists of Sardar Tohra, particularly those who had pushed and
forced him towards unity, would do better if they introspect even at
this stage. If Hira Singh Gabria jumps up at the sight of Sukhbir
Singh Badal, there is a lesson in it. Those who have seen every Akal
leader jump up at the sight of the Sant in the early 80’s would also
do well to introspect.
In the sleepy
village called 'Tohra', on September 24, a small gathering had
gotten together to remember a man many had said no one will forget
in a hurry. The news items did not make it to the front pages in
even a single newspaper. Parkash Singh Badal was busy congratulating
the Indian team for some victory in a cricket match, and any time
left was spent on making arrangements for celebration of Shaheed
Bhagat Singh's centenary. A frail looking Sardarni Joginder Kaur had
the consolation of having by her side on the stage Jathedar Balwant
Singh Nandgarh, virtually sidelined from the panthic debates by
powers that be of the Akali Dal, Prem Singh Chandumajra, a loser in
many senses of the term, and Cabinet minister Hira Singh Gabria, who
was privileged enough to be the last one to take the oath of office.
From the SGPC was present Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, clearly not the most
powerful of the men in the dispensation.
The Akali Dal
forgot to put in an ad in any paper and the government machinery,
which moves only if Sukhbir Singh Badal winks at it, remained
static.
But why was
September 24 and the function at Tohra village important? Because
they were not considered important at all. That's why. Only a few
years ago, Parkash Singh Badal was ready to crawl on his knees to
seek unity with the man everyone called 'Pardhan Sahib' even when
every single candidate fielded by Tohra Sahib had lost. Then came
the historic 'unity'. The 'Chotte Sarkar' Sukhbir Singh Badal
metamorphosed from 'Kaka Ji' to 'Pardhan Sahib', and poor old tall
man of Sikh poltics, Sardar Gurcharan Singh Tohra was not even
considered important enough to have inspired the government or the
party to put ion an ad in a paper.
Not many years
ago, when Sardar Tohra had died, the then Chief Minister Amarinder
Singh and Sardar Parkash Singh Badal were present at the stage
together and were telling the Sikh community that the village 'Tohra'
had become the axis around which the entire thought of the panth
will always revolve. Today, the village as wll as the man 'Tohra'
has been relegated to the margins.
This is
history's verdict on many a men who buckled at crtitical moments.
Well wishers of the panth are still debating whether Jathedar Tohra
had done the rigth thing by opting for unity when Badal needed it
most. Sant Jarnail Singh did not opt for unity with the tallest of
the Akali names because he was clear on their reality. That is why
his name and memory lives on, and his posters vie with the posters
of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in Punjab at every mela. Have you ever seen
a poster of a Badal or a Tohra at any mela?
When the
community is passing through tough times, it is necessary from time
to time to check out over our shoulder where did we go wrong.
Loyalists of Sardar Tohra, particularly those who had pushed and
forced him towards unity, would do better if they introspect even at
this stage. If Hira Singh Gabria jumps up at the sight of Sukhbir
Singh Badal, there is a lesson in it. Those who have seen every Akal
leader jump up at the sight of the Sant in the early 80’s would also
do well to introspect.
26
September, 2007
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