The politicisation of Operation Blue Star is not in the interest of anyone, writes Balkar Singh
Operation Blue Star that took place in June, 1984,
still festers in the Sikh psyche. The politics surrounding Punjabiyat and Sikhism have almost damaged the sensitive and progressive elements of both identities. When a serious issue like politics is dealt with irresponsibility, everything is trivialised. In such circumstances analysing such a tragedy often creates more misunderstanding than understanding of sensitive issues surrounding it.
The time that I belong to has been witness to this tragic mishap: if we push sentimentality aside and try to think rationally, it becomes evident that any such tragedy which is not translated into art or literature is condemned to fester forever. From the standpoint of literature, not much has been written about Operation Blue Star and what has been written on related issues is far from satisfactory. Even though one cannot see the dividing line between Punjabiyat and Sikhism in this literature, yet there is a need to move forward.
The space created by Operation Bluestar is falling victim to increasing politicisation. The reason for this is that to a Punjabi living in any far-flung corner of the globe, this Operation is always going to be a subject of curiosity. Often the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 are taken as a fall-out of this unfortunate event. The politics surrounding this tragedy is tragic indeed. One section of the Sikhs considers the Operation as a blow to the self-esteem of the Sikhs and it has also been a subject of political controversy between the hardliners and the moderates. An issue in which lies the strength as well as the limitation of a people is often exploited politically. So it has been with the Operation Blue Star as it was with miri-piri (close relationship between the temporal and the spiritual or the political and the religious) in Sikh concept.
Those who know the least seem to be debating the loudest. There is a method in creating a balance between miri-piri, but the Sikhs have yet to establish it in context. It will suffice if we try and understand that at the time of the establishment of Sikhism the accepted relationship of politics and religion in contemporary society gave the right to rule to the politician and religion was just a support.
The first departure from this accepted mode was made after the martyrdom of the fifth Guru Arjun Dev by his successor Guru Hargobind Singh. It was a momentary decision taken in reaction. This decision had a far reaching effect on the followers, so there has been a need to express it as a Sikh concept. Although this concept has been politicised in present times yet it is not as strong in the Sikh memory as it once was.
This disregard is something from which no Sikh can escape because by being in silent witness, it is impossible to reach the truth. Operation Blue Star was born in the womb of politics and it climbed on political shoulders to reach out to the people. To understand this we have to see that after 1947, a contradiction appeared in Akali politics, that of creating a nation before Independence and after it gaining power. Also, the Sikh community is no longer as united as it was in 1920 at the time of the formation of the Akali Dal.
The post-Independence Akali Dal has linked its struggle for power by raising slogans of danger to the faith. One cannot describe the pain of Operation Blue Star without understanding the psychology of the common folk. Thus the politicisation of Operation Blue Star is not in the interest of anyone, not even politicians.
Operation Blue Star that took place in June, 1984,
still festers in the Sikh psyche. The politics surrounding Punjabiyat and Sikhism have almost damaged the sensitive and progressive elements of both identities. When a serious issue like politics is dealt with irresponsibility, everything is trivialised. In such circumstances analysing such a tragedy often creates more misunderstanding than understanding of sensitive issues surrounding it.The time that I belong to has been witness to this tragic mishap: if we push sentimentality aside and try to think rationally, it becomes evident that any such tragedy which is not translated into art or literature is condemned to fester forever. From the standpoint of literature, not much has been written about Operation Blue Star and what has been written on related issues is far from satisfactory. Even though one cannot see the dividing line between Punjabiyat and Sikhism in this literature, yet there is a need to move forward.
The space created by Operation Bluestar is falling victim to increasing politicisation. The reason for this is that to a Punjabi living in any far-flung corner of the globe, this Operation is always going to be a subject of curiosity. Often the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 are taken as a fall-out of this unfortunate event. The politics surrounding this tragedy is tragic indeed. One section of the Sikhs considers the Operation as a blow to the self-esteem of the Sikhs and it has also been a subject of political controversy between the hardliners and the moderates. An issue in which lies the strength as well as the limitation of a people is often exploited politically. So it has been with the Operation Blue Star as it was with miri-piri (close relationship between the temporal and the spiritual or the political and the religious) in Sikh concept.
Those who know the least seem to be debating the loudest. There is a method in creating a balance between miri-piri, but the Sikhs have yet to establish it in context. It will suffice if we try and understand that at the time of the establishment of Sikhism the accepted relationship of politics and religion in contemporary society gave the right to rule to the politician and religion was just a support.
The first departure from this accepted mode was made after the martyrdom of the fifth Guru Arjun Dev by his successor Guru Hargobind Singh. It was a momentary decision taken in reaction. This decision had a far reaching effect on the followers, so there has been a need to express it as a Sikh concept. Although this concept has been politicised in present times yet it is not as strong in the Sikh memory as it once was.
This disregard is something from which no Sikh can escape because by being in silent witness, it is impossible to reach the truth. Operation Blue Star was born in the womb of politics and it climbed on political shoulders to reach out to the people. To understand this we have to see that after 1947, a contradiction appeared in Akali politics, that of creating a nation before Independence and after it gaining power. Also, the Sikh community is no longer as united as it was in 1920 at the time of the formation of the Akali Dal.
The post-Independence Akali Dal has linked its struggle for power by raising slogans of danger to the faith. One cannot describe the pain of Operation Blue Star without understanding the psychology of the common folk. Thus the politicisation of Operation Blue Star is not in the interest of anyone, not even politicians.
