All kinds of everything reminds us of our past!

If a genie would suddenly pop up in front of me today and want to grant me three wishes and asked me what would it be, I would probably ask for an alternative life where I have the luxury of travelling to small towns. That decision would be made, of course, after considering the merits of knowing whatever happened to Flight #MH370.

In my alternative life, I would take a long slow leisurely ride (or drive) along the coastal and interior roads of Peninsular Malaysia. Since time is expandable, I would stop at every small town that I would come across, spend a few days there, mingle with the local populace to learn about the little things that unique is about them and write all about it. Just for the kick of it. Indeed there are many unexplored gems around. Now did you know that there is a Customs Museum in Jelebu District in the State of Negeri Sembilan? Customs not as Customs and Excise but traditional customs.

Talking about Jelebu, during one of our long rides to Kuala Klawang in Jelebu, our team happened to meet an unassuming gentleman who turned out to be a team member's friend's father. After the customary greetings and small talks, he insisted on showing us a 'museum'. Not fully understanding what he was saying but at the same time not wanting to offend, we just followed him. 

The mentioned museum was actually his personal collections of memorabilia of the generation of Indian immigrants used in early Malaya, at a time when she was a land of natives waiting to be cultured. His family has been here for over five generations. That is much more than many of bigoted national leaders who label non-Malays as newcomers.

Our gentleman proudly has rubber-sheet pressing machines, ancient weighing scales, kitchen utensils, the legendary woven 'Sikh' bed and many more day to day items. 

The family tree

Above all the guidance of the Divine Forces

Protection

Not Grimm Reaper's weapon of choice, Scythe

How the two-wheeler had evolved?

That is his little way of reminding the generation after him how the country benefited from everyone who dared to sail the rough seas and decide to settle in this wild country. Their taming of the land was no walk in the park but involved sweat, tears, dysentery and malaria. The concerted effort by all our forefathers, irrespective of their race, creed and religious convictions brought the name Malaysia to be known at the international arena for all the right reasons. Let us not destroy all that and propel us back to a time when only savages dwelled here.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

He was no Maharajah!

The Black Prince (2017)


Punjab has the dubious honour of being one of the last states in India to stand steadfast against the might of the British. Even when it finally crumbled, the state was the site of one of the first resistance to the rule of the British Raj.

We are all too familiar with the prowess of the one-eyed Maharajah Ranjit Singh, who remains the only person that managed to conquer Afghanistan. Even the mighty Alexander the Great was blocked at the borders by King Porus with a little unceremonious help of the Anopheles mosquito. The 1919 Jallianwala Bhag massacre ignited the fire of nationalism.

On one hand, the Sikh can walk proudly with their heads held high knowing very well they had a few 'firsts'. However, as boastful as they may be of their feats, they would also bow their heads in shame for the treasonous acts of many their kind. 

On 13th April 1919, which happened to be the day the Sikhs celebrated their holy day of Vaisakhi, the Christian ushered in Palm Sunday. If Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday before the countdown, Colonel Dyers marched into Jillian Bhag for a meltdown. Even though history may suggest Dyer's miscalculations as the primary cause of the tragedy, the villainous misdeeds of fellow Sikhs cannot be understated. The heroes/martyrs and villains were both Sikhs. The whole episode illustrates the skilful mastery of the colonial masters at subjugating their subjects as well as to extricate themselves from misgivings. The villains continue performing their mercenary sepoy deeds through Independence all the way till the present. These turncoats remain critical of anything Indian but are still hearty with their praises of anything Western.

Duleep Singh

This film narrates the aftermath of the Sikh Empire with the demise of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Dying without a succession plan proved costly. Infighting amongst stepbrothers led numerous assassinations probably orchestrated by the East Indian Company with the cooperation of fellow Sikhs with an eye on the throne or the wealth of the kingdom. A five-year-old Duleep Singh, the youngest son of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, was placed as a figurehead King, with his mother ruling on his behalf.

The British were fearful of the uprising of the Indians with Duleep Singh as the central unifying icon. Citing his mother's unstable mental condition as a reason, Ranjit Singh was kidnapped and brought to the UK. Ranjit grows up to be a confused adult. Having an existential crisis quite early in life, he ponders on his past, his religion and the glory of his race.

Even though with the benefit of artistic licence, the film tries to place Duleep Singh as one who makes a feeble attempt at regaining his throne with the cooperation of the French, Russians and the enemies of the British Crown, such a plot never actually happened. He lived his lavish life mostly as a convert Christian. His attempts at re-embracing Sikhism met a premature death. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

My word, look at the similarities!

Plato, in the book Republic, suggested that the state should be ruled by philosophers. But he also mentioned about groups of people attuned to different classes to do different duties for the upkeep of the nation. In modern times, these ideas may not be politically correct as it is not good virtues that spins the modern world, but rather, stashes of money. In the 21st century, conformity of the majority to the whims of the 1% goes a long way in keeping order but not peace and definitely not law. Creation of just wars seems to the calling of the century whilst the powerful maintain their stronghold on the hapless majority.

Harimandhir Sahib, was given the golden feel to the pre-existing temple by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. He has the honour of being the only power defeating the Afghanis. He created Punjab, ruled over Kashmir and Afghanistan. His royal regalia included the coveted Koh-i-Noor diamond which was snatched from the Persians who had looted it from Andhra Pradesh. The priceless gem was allegedly 'gifted' to Queen Victoria. The Brtish monarchy since had been shamelessly exhibiting their loot on their crown. The top tier of the temple is of solid gold, the middle tier is gold plated and the bottom is made highest quality marble. ©FG

These were some of the things that went through my mind as I was walking around the holiest shrine of professors of the Sikh faith. What started as a discontent to the discriminatory practices of the Hindus, Guru Nanak and his band of followers went wandering in search of the meaning of life. Through his journeys to the valleys of knowledge and meetings with mystic figures, with the help of poems and music, they attempted to put in words, perhaps how life should be lived. He and the holy men after him strived to find the reason for our existence.

The one-eyed warrior.

Maharajah Ranjit lost the vision of his left eye due to infancy

smallpox. His mother was behind many of his successes. ©FG

For a certain time, things were hunky dory. The invaders of the continent were inclusive in their outlook and engaged in finding commonalities amongst religions rather than exclusivity. Mishap befell this idyllic region. As the national coffers dried up with over-indulgence into extravagance, new taxes reared its ugly head. Division along religious line cracked open. Jiziya was justified on non-believers.

There was a need to protect the Sikh way of life which made a lot of sense to the people who believed in it; simplicity, equality, service, humanity, humility. compassion and servitude to mankind. The majority reeled behind faithfully under the banner of religion. They started identifying each other in an exclusive club which fell on five visible symbols. (5Ks- Kaccha, Kirpan, Kara, Kanga, Kesh).

The full splendour of the grandiosity of the aureum-hued building is visible at night. A sight to behold. The energy of gold and the positive energies of worshippers who throng with the purest of thoughts is set to awe believers and non-believers alike. Sadly, the cleanliness, orderliness and law-abiding spirit stop short within the perimeter of the pantheon. ©FG

The temple which fets the Grant Sahib, the key to the secrets of life floats in a pool of nectar. Legend has it that the wonder of the lake was discovered when many patients with skin diseases, including leprosy, had miraculous recoveries. Another tale tells of Amritsar being the place where one of Lord Rama's twins was injured by Lakshmana's arrows. Nectar (Amrit) was used to nurse him to health, hence the name. ©FG

The word, the knowledge, the wisdom is echoed in many religions as the divine entity called God.

(John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.)

For a brand new start? Perhaps it unchains the guilt of their past wrong-doings? Is the stain of the soul permanent? ©FG

The guardian of the faith ©FG

No one needs to be hungry! ©FG

No easy feat, the promise of feeding round the clock. ©EsKaySK

Courtesy of the utter of the strong Punjab cows and the fertile plains. ©FG

Humbling service to mankind is the tenet of Sikhism. Whenever malady befalls, langgar (kitchen) is there. Earthquake, fire, tsunami, care of the homeless, you named it. Ironic that Britain, which can be squarely blamed for the many famines and death in India during their heartless rule, has mobile kitchens set up by British citizens of Sikh faith to feed its many homeless citizens. ©Bob Mann

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson

Job well done, smoking 'em out of their foxholes?

Job well done smoking 'em out of their foxholes? 

Wow, I just realised that my friends are getting just as twisted as me. I guess that is why they say that friends with the same mental illness flock together. When a naturalised Sikh Canadian gets elevated to the rank of Minister of Defence, normally the whole world would sing praises of equality, of globalisation and acceptance of multiculturalism. That the world is everyone's oyster and all one has to do is show allegiance to a flag, bravery and the zest to fight for the Truth against the tyranny of Evil forces. There are two forces in this world, the Good and Evil. The Evil one is hellbent on crushing something good that the rest of the world (i.e. Good) is trying to propagate.

But, no! My friend looks at it as a betrayal to Sikh community.

The Sikhs have always had a special place in the heart of the people of the world. Before the Partition, Sikhs were the minority in the state of Punjab, overpowered in numbers by the Hindus and Muslims. But still, in Malaysia and most parts of the world, people are under the impression that Punjabis and Sikhs are one. That is speaking much of the charisma of the Sikhs.

At one time, the Malaysian wing of the Standard Chartered Bank used a Sikh security guard as their icon to denote their mammoth structure, steadfastness, strength and cordiality. Some time ago, I saw a public service announcement from India. A young demure girl walks along a deserted street in Chennai. She notices a few mean looking good-for-nothing punks on dirt bikes looking lustfully at this maiden. Thinking of the worst, with many unsavoury scenes of Kollywood and Bollywood flashing through her mind, she hastens her pace. She lets a sigh of relief when she sees another biker in front of her. The silhouette of the burly chap with a turban gives her hope. Hope that she has found a dependable soul to rest her woes. The motorcycle trotting punks, upon seeing their nemesis scoots off in no time.

Turbaned Tornado

So, the rest of the community looked at the Sikhs with awe, respect and confidence. What more, they, a small community, have done well. A Sikh in any part of the world is instantly recognised. These qualities must have used by the learned minister to garner accolades in the army. His CV includes the ability to infiltrate enemy territories to garner vital information to turn the outcome of the Gulf War to the side of self-proclaimed Protectors of the world.

Now, the trust is gone. He has put his whole community in danger. Until now, the Sikhs have not been targets of terrorist activities. Dumb actions by naive Americans who mistook Sikhs as Taliban do not count. The frustrated fundamentalists would now have another area to create mayhem. After all, it would mean to them that the Sikhs had turned over to the 'Other Side'!

Just food for thought...

Who would be your Doppelgänger*?

Dadah is Death (1988, Australian)

I decided to give this film a go after discovering it in Karpal's book by Tim Donoghue. It mentioned his famous case involving 2 Australian citizens who eventually went to the gallows in Malaysia. Their case became an international sensation in the 80s as they were the first Caucasians to be hanged under drug related charges. It even created a riff in bilateral relation between nations.

I was fascinated to read that the prolific international actor, Victor Banerjee, was chosen to portray the Tiger of Jelutong a.k.a. Karpal Singh. In the cast was also Sarah Jessica Parker of 'Sex and the City' before she was famous.

The film was made to illustrate the barbaric nature of the Malaysian drug laws, the corrupt officials, the dungeon like accommodation in our prisons, the blatant abuse of prisoners by wardens, vice activities in jail and generally looking at the Malaysian way of doing thing through eyes above the uppity stiff upper lip of an Australian. Well, the way our civil service is heading these days, it seems not too far from the truth.

It is the ranting of a helpless mother trying all possible avenues to rescue an apparently doomed son. Karpal is introduced as a lawyer/cowboy who lives dangerously having frequent brush with the government and a struggling political career.

Kevin Barlow, a rolling stone, with proper career prospects, gets into a spin when his girlfriend who has a miscarriage breaks up with him. His financial situation hits the dumps when he is involved in an accident and his car is repossessed after he lapse on installments.

Tiger of Jelutong

Geoffrey Chambers, an experienced drug smuggler, ropes Barlow for an assignment in Malaysia. This starts the cascades of events that finally land both them on the wrong side of the law. At a time when drug menace was reaching dizzying heights and many Malaysian Chinese were incarcerated under the strict Malaysian Drug Laws, sending the Australians to the gallows seem to appear to be the logical thing to do.

All the king's horses and all the king's men could not reverse the court decision. The famous Melbourne  attorney, Frank Galbally, was called in to assists Karpal but only ended in bad blood. Appeals to the Goverment of Australia and the Queen proved futile. Even the Australian public showed lukewarm support to rally behind a grieving mother to save her wayward son.

V.B. as Karpal

The film depicted some nostalgic scenery of old KL.Unfortunately, some of the scenes were deceptively made to portray Penang when it was actually Singapore as evidenced by the taxi number plates! The emotions shown by the lead character, Barbara Barlow (Julie Christie) failed to depict the helplessness of her situation or garner any sympathy from my part. Even Victor Banerjee appeared too docile for the larger than life role of the Tiger!
Just wondering, which actor would you like to choose to act out your role if ever anyone thought that you were important enough to have a movie made about?

*  Doppelgänger - German; a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.

Gems galore!

Thanks to RS for this collection of pictures starting from a time more than 150 years ago...

Sikh Cavalry Officers, British India Army, attending Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1873 in London, England.

circa 1919..

Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes (1888-1973), India, North West Frontier,

Indian army camel corp in Miran shah..

From an album, of 74 photographs compiled by Neville John Gordon Cameron, 

1st Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.

A British officer with his family, 1877, Mooltan.

Five Indian soldiers near Miranshah, Tochi Valley, Waziristan, 1898

Military encampment in the Razmak,1898

Indian soldiers and elephants, Multan, 1898

British and Indian soldiers with elephants, Multan, 1899

Hyderabad contingent regtl center band in Toochi..1895..

Churchill introduced to Sikh VCOs in Shillong,1945..

4th Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. Group portrait of the Sikh officers and British captains of the 14th Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. Multan, Punjab, India (Pakistan), 1919.

Guest: Son of Duke of Connaught.

1st Estab of Indian troops in out skirts of Nowshera (probably present day Risalpur),1907.

Payments by QM to COOLIE CORPS in Jamrood,1877.

The mutineers of 1857 were killed being tied to a cannon and blasted..these nations now teach us HUMAN RIGHTS and Geneva convention.

Abbottabad,1892..BUILDING????

Peshawar Punjab 1870

Photograph of Peshawar, with a view across the cantonment towards St John's Church and the distant mountains of the Khyber Pass, taken in 1878 by John Burke. John Burke accompanied the Peshawar Valley Field Force, one of three British Anglo-Indian army columns deployed in the Second Afghan War (1878-80), despite being rejected for the role of official photographer. He financed his trip by advance sales of his photographs 'illustrating the advance from Attock to Jellalabad'.

Football match 1903..(surprisingly RACE COURSE MURREE).

Officers of the 2nd Batallion, Worcestershire Regiment, Waziristan, British India, 1940. The vehicle is a Crossley "Indian Pattern" armoured car. These were developed in the interwar period for internal security duties in Northern India, based on a Crossley truck chassis. Substantial British and Indian Army forces were occupied in internal security in India during WW2, as the possibility of insurgency (encouraged by the proximity of Japanese forces from 1942) was a substantial concerrn. "Indian Pattern" armoured cars remained in service until Indian and Pakistani independence in 1947. The model here (like most others) was reconditioned in 1939, in the course of which the worn-out Crossley chassis was replaced with a Chevrolet truck chassis. Best regards, JR.

5th Sikh in Mardan,1895..after an operation in Tirah valley..

5th Sikh Regt in Mardan..1895..

Toochi,1895..

Punjab frontier cavalry,1878..D I KHAN..

Gurkha band in Quetta,1902

1/66 Punjabi's band in Abbottabad,1895..

Deputy Commissioner Camblepore with his tamed cheetah..1895.

Peshawar..???

Nicholson monument 1903..

Armoured corps boys wings barracks,Cherat,1930s..now HQ SSG..

Commander in Chief of India Gen. Monro + staff inspecting barracks Gharial, nr. Murree India 1917..General Monro served as C-in-C India from 1916 through 1920, and was in charge during the 3rd Afghan War of 1919. His career was tarnished by the Amritsar Massacre..

Indo-afghan border 1898..

1879..

Inside attock bridge,,

1902..

Military hospital Nowshera,1888,the largest and last major hospital during the AFGHAN campaign..1878..

Queen mother inspecting Indian troops Delhi,1903..during DEHLI DARBAR.

No.11 Light Battery (RFA) drawn up on a parade ground in marching order with full equipment. in quetta,1930..

Scenes with a marching column on Kohat-Tall road,the North West Frontier of India: Crossley (India pattern) armoured cars and crews parked-up during the march. All crewmen are wearing Royal Tank Corps issue overalls.

Scenes with a marching column on the North West Frontier: Men of a British infantry piquet in a sangar during a break for tea (in army slang having 'a brew and a wad') at mohmmand..

Military Service 1914 - 1939: Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomery, Commanding Officer of the 17th (Empire) Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, with his officers outside a Bierstube in Durren during the occupation of the Ruhr.,from here he moved to command and staff college quetta as a DS,,

Military Service 1914 - 1939: Captain Bernard Montgomery DSO with a fellow officer of 104 Infantry Brigade, 35 Division, with which he served from January 1915 until early 1917. He was awarded the DSO for conspicuous gallantry on 13 October 1914 during the Battle of the Aisne in which he was wounded.