Showing posts with label sikhism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sikhism. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 October 2020

He who has the gold, makes the rules!

Feathered Cocaine: The Story of Money, Terrorism and Falconry (2010)

Is not interesting that fifteen years after the apprehension and killing of Osama bin Laden, this documentary is making its round. Perhaps, it is the flavour of the month as the US Elections are just around the corner. Probably because Joe Biden is associated with the old administration, it is a subtle reminder of the evil deeds of the past Government.

Watching this Tribeca Film Festival screened a documentary about falconry, it gave a kind of a deja vu feeling. It reminded me of the many so-called altruistic non-governmental organisation working on humanitarian cause getting a free pass into third world countries and starting to dictate how the host country should be run. Think Red Cross and the Bolshevik Revolution, think IMF and the 1997 economic crisis, think missionaries and the Nicaragua Contra rebels.


Here, in 2010 documentary, Alan Howell Parrot tells the story of his life. Becoming obsessed with falcons, at the age of 18 years, he bought himself a one-way ticket to Teheran. He left his serene life in the lush of Maine, New England to train professionally in falconry in the naked deserts of Iran. Here, he got a revelation of sorts. He realised the high status that falcons commanded in this region. A visit to the Golden Sikh Temple and the last Sikh Guru's, Guru Govind Singh's fascination with falcon made him assume a Sikh identity in appearance and way of living. Historically falcons played essential roles in international diplomacies. Even in Europe, falcons were gifted between kingdom to sweeten business transactions and shipping passage.

He returned to Cornell to study and returned halfway through his studies to the Middle East to legally catch, breed and sell wild Icelandic Falcons (Jer Falcons) to the filthy wealthy Arabs at up to $1 million per bird. Parrot (ironic) found himself mixing with the who's who of the upper echelon of the ruling class of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran as well as the infamous fugitive, Osama Bin Laden. The falcons were such priceless commodities, even more, valuable than cocaine. There was a massive demand in the black-market, but surprisingly most Governments are relaxed about curbing this illegal trade. In fact, many countries turn a blind eye to it as it is done in high places. 

Alan Parrot @ Hari Har Singh Khalsa

Many makeshift camps are built in the middle of nowhere in the desert terrains of Afghanistan and Pakistan called Falcon Hunting Camps. Here, Islamic radicals like Al-Qaida meet Arab royalties, and many deals are made. Obscene amounts of cash are given by the opulent royalties to the terrorist group as zakat as an atonement. Osama is known to have presented exquisite purebred falcons as gifts to the members of the Arab royalties. The 9-11 attack was allegedly agreed upon in one of these camps.

At the heights of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, he was a guest of the Iran government. Parrot and US intelligence were aware of his whereabouts. Despite repeated contact with the US authorities, the message somehow got lost in a bureaucratic maze. Or did it?

Parrot and his agents believe that there is a general malaise to stop this type of clandestine dealings. The black market of falcons has led to corruption against military leaders, political murder, and international terrorism. What is stopping them is money.  There is an apparent shady connection between this falcon trade and royal dynasties, the CIA and KGB, the oil industry, American government, and Al-Qaeda. Even the enforcement officials have to line their pockets during the short tenure of their earning life. 

" Ultimately, the message that Feathered Cocaine wants to deliver to its audience is not strictly about falcon smuggling or the uncovering of evil plots conceived for ideological reasons. It is by far more pessimistic than that. Feathered Cocaine is one of many untimely records of corruption and greed. Untimely, but at the same time well-rooted in our turbulent globalized age. Power is one and the same anywhere, and terrorism is not but an excuse and a disguise to put the public opinion under pressure. All mechanisms are in favor of the profit of few. Escalation of terror is not going to stop, because involved interests are increasing their magnitude every day. Evidence of this trend is what happened in recent times, with tragedies whose connotations are still unknown to common people; facts like 9/11 are bound to happen again and again, because nobody among those holding power — not only the governments, but the lobbies and the organizations connecting them all — is at this point different in pursuing his main interests. And of course, this interest can be summed up with one name only: Money."

https://icelandchronicles.com/2011/01/feathered-cocaine-review/

Follow

Follow

Follow

Saturday, 15 June 2019

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.

Wednesday, 15 August 2018

Something mightier than the sword and the pen?

Operation Blue Star, The True Story.
Author: Lt. Gen. K. S. Brar

Sometimes one cannot help but wonder if this whole business of God, His Divine Grace, His Omnipresence, His Omnipotence and His Omniscience is just that. A business. His symbolic representation here on Earth may just be a figment of our imaginations and our complicated way to justify our ignorances, faux pas and errors of judgment. We use His name to hoodwink our flock to commit atrocities against our kind and to qualify for a 'get-out-of-jail' free card. We evoke the divine forces for one's solace and to pacify our ego. Is there indeed a force out there that governs the balance and metes justice to ensure equilibrium in the grander scheme of things?

This is crystal clear from the events surrounding the events that led to and occurred after the siege of the revered shrine of the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar back in June 1984. The account of circumstances of the unfortunate event was penned from the lenses of the Commanding Officer of the mission to purge militant holy men off the premises of what is considered as the most sacred shrine amongst the practitioners of the Sikh religion. 

The first salvo was shot when the State turned a blind eye towards the happenings in the temple compound and its committee. Economic downturn made people more in sync with the temple. Radical political leaders with criminal records went on to hold important posts. Nothing was done as they blinded the public with their in-depth knowledge of religion. Rumours of criminal activities and storage of firearms were rife. Still, nothing was done. Religion was their shield and scriptures were ammunition. Even the Government went limp. I guess religion has that effect on people.

In the meantime, rhetorics of 'we' against 'them' (Sikhs vs no-Sikhs) went on full throttle. Bhindranwale, the mastermind behind the whole imbroglio, had achieved near demi-god status. He started hailing for a separate state of Khalistan. Even Pakistan, once their nemesis, bent over backwards to support their course, unsurprisingly, in the name of a common enemy.


Lt. Col. Kuldip Singh Brar
freepressjournal.in
Even though the militants were the first to smear the sanctity of the temple by bringing firearms into its premises and occupying the sacred areas of the premises, it was always the firing by the army personnel and their entrance in full army fatigue and boots that lingered unceremoniously in the people's minds. It was the pockmarks supposedly made by the Army is highlighted. It was as if they were the aggressors. Many half-truths about brutality started flying. Bhindrawale's purported unearthly mystical powers and mysterious escape to Pakistan surfaced too. The Army's careful planning and loss of soldiers' lives were conveniently swept under the proverbial carpet. Even the temple priests and committee members were on the side of the renegades.

Even though the Government of the day tried to blank all news coming out of Punjab during that time and foreign correspondents were banned, news, nevertheless, did leak out and on top that became easy for half-baked information to become believable.

The post hostage era did not end well evidenced by the widespread riots around the country and the subsequent assassination of Indra Gandhi four months later.

Are we just kidding ourselves into thinking that there is indeed a Higher Entity that scrutinises our every move, assesses and judges to mete out the most of compassionate and just decision for the lesser beings which were crafted in his own image and were left to wander and wonder in this vast ever expanding Universe?



Thursday, 15 March 2018

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

“Be afraid. Be very afraid.”*