Goovt. must implement real secularism and enforce labour laws which strike a balance between Management's rights and Workers' rights

I was introduced to religion by my mother and mainly
by my maternal grandmother's sister who was a widow
and lived in my maternal grandfather's house.  She was
a very religious lady but also had an angry and
abusive nature.  She would recite the name of "Rama"
with her rosary. However, I often observed that her
rosary would go on rotating even when she was abusing
some household servant.  She told me that the Rishi
(Great Saints) of the olden days used to get very
angry and many Rishis, particularly, Durbasha Rishi
would give such a curse to those who offended him that
the victim of the curse would have to spend many
births in getting rid of the curse.  To me, my
maternal grandaunt also seemed to be Durbasha Rishi.  

She had a very beautiful idol whom we all called
Thakurji (God).  She used to bathe that idol and put
Tilak (vermillion) on its forehead and then send us
all out of the room and feed the idol.  I also
developed a great respect for that idol.

My maternal grandaunt told me all the stories about
Ramayana and Mahabharta.  She told me how once when
Hanumanji (monkey God) was going over the sea, his
sweat fell into the mouth of a fish and she became
pregnant and gave birth to Hanumanji's child.  Now
this was rather hard for me to swallow but still I
believed my grandaunt.  She then told me about the
eternal love story of Lord Krishna and Radha.  She
also told me how Gandhari gave birth to one hundred
sons at the same time.  I found it rather strange but
believed her.

She also told me stories about the great Sikh gurus.
She told me how Jahangir Martyred the 5th Guru, Guru
Arjun Dev ji?  She also told me about the martyrdom of
Guru Tegh Bahadurji at the hands of Aurangzeb.  I told
her that both Jahangir and Aurangzeb must be wicked
fellows.  She told me that all the Muslim badshahs
were wicked.  I then asked her whether all Muslims
were wicked.  She told me that not all of them were
wicked.  There were good Muslims like Sain Mian Mir
who wanted to save Guru Arjun Dev ji and who laid the
foundation stone of Gurudwara Harmandir Sahib (Golden
Temple).  Then there was Baba Sheikh Farid ji whose
verses are recorded in Guru Granth Sahib.  She also
told me about Mardana who was a Muslim but always
accompanied Guru Nanak Dev ji during his visit to
various places.  She also told me that a Muslim threw
a huge stone at Guru Nanak Devji but Guru Nanak Devji
stopped that stone with his hand.  The impression of
Guru Nanak Devji's hands is still imprinted on that
stone and a Gurudwara has been built at that place
which is called "Punja Sahib" and is now in Pakistan.

I had earlier lived in my town Banga which was in
Jullundur District.  I had not seen a Muslim there and
also had not seen any lady wearing Burqa because all
the Muslims of our Town had left for Pakistan to save
themselves from angry Hindu and Sikh mobs.  However,
at the age of about nine, I had come to my maternal
grandfather's house at Nabha.  There, one day, my
mother took me to a Muslim tailor.  I gave a very
careful look to him.  He just seemed like any other
Hindu and appeared to be a thorough gentleman.  After
leaving the tailor's shop, I asked my mother as to how
he managed to remain in Nabha.  My mother told me that
this Muslim tailor was a very nice tailor and a
thorough gentleman.  So, his neighbours helped him to
escape to the nearby Muslim princely state of
Malerkotla and that was how he managed to survive. 
She told me that many Muslims of Nabha had managed to
escape to Malerkotla and then come back to Nabha when
things had cooled down.  Then, my mother asked me
whether I knew about the Nawab of Malerkotla.  I told
her that I did not know anything about the Nawab.

She told me that when Governor of Sirhind was going to
martyr the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh who were
just children at that time by erecting walls around
them, Nawab of Malerkotla told Governor of Sirhind not
to act like a coward and kill helpless children.  He
told the Governor of Sirhind that if he really had
guts then he should fight their father, Guru Gobind
Singh in an open battle. However, the Governor of
Sirhind did not listen to the sane advice of the Nawab
of Malerkotla and got both the children martyred. 
Then my mother heaved a sigh and told me that God had
since then always favoured the Nawab of Malerkotla and
his descendants.  She told me that Nawab of Malerkotla
must have gone to heaven while Jahangir and Aurangzeb
and Governor of Sirhind would all have gone to hell. 
It was rather a simple calculation on the part of my
mother as I recall the incident now.

My maternal grandfather engaged a Muslim mason for
building his kitchen.  My grandmother was very angry
and told my grandfather that she did not want her
kitchen to become unholy place.  My grandfather told
her that the Muslim mason was the best mason in Nabha
and that the kitchen would be got purified by washing
it with Gangajal (water from holy river, the
Ganges)and reciting Japji Sahib (a collection of holy
verses of the Sikhs).  So, reluctantly, my grandmother
agreed.

The mason was thirsty.  So, he asked for some water to
drink.  I took a glass and was going to give him water
from the pitcher. My grandmother quickly took the
glass from my hand and then placed it on the right
place.  She then went to a corner of the kitchen and
gave me a glass and told me to give water to the mason
from the handpump which was outside the kitchen.  Then
she told me in a rather slow voice that seprate
utensils are kept for Muslims as we do not eat or
drink with them.

My mother then told me that I was not in Banga but in
Nabha and might have to stay here for a year or so. 
There are some Muslims in Nabha.  So, if a Muslim
student is there in my class, I should not eat or
drink with him.  I asked her as to why I should not
eat or drink with them.  She told me that while we eat
meat where the animal is killed instantly, the Muslims
kill the animal slowly reciting Kalma, which is their
holy verse.  She also warned me never to recite Kalma
or otherwise I would become a Muslim.  

My grandfather and my grandmother alongwith my mother
often went to Gurudwara and I used to accompany them. 
Once when the proceedings in the Gurudwara were in
progress, some Akali leader rose and started 
criticising the Congress Government for its anti-Sikh
policies. My grandfather immediately got up and left
the Gurudwara.  I followed him and asked him the
reason for leaving the Gurudwara.  He told me that
Gurudwara is meant only for religious purpose and not
for raising political issues.  Moreover, he told me
that he was a Congressman at heart although during the
British times being in Police, he never expressed his
pro-Congress feelings openly.  He told me that he had
to look after six of his own children and four of the
children of his elder brother who had died.  So, he
had to carry on in the British Police to earn a
living.  Of course, we, Indian Officers, of the
British Police knew that the British treated us with
contempt but what could we do as we had to feed our
families. 

He then told me that religion and politics should not
be mixed up.  Your grandmother and all these ladies
are just fools.  I had many Muslim colleagues in the
Police and we used to eat together except that I never
took the meat prepared by them nor did they take the
meat prepared by me.  However, partition separated me
from my Muslim colleagues.  My best friend was Haque
Abdul Nawaz Khan Tiwana but after partition, I never
wrote a letter to him nor did he write a letter to me.
I asked him why did he not write to his friend in
Pakistan.  He told me that once a half witted Sikh boy
wrote to Pakistani High Commission for a copy of Koran
in Punjabi.  The High Commission did send a copy of
Koran in Punjabi to the boy but then the local police
came to conduct an inquiry.  After that, the Special
Police Squad came to conduct another inquiry.  Then
followed the State CID and then IB.  The boy was
questioned so many times that he became a mental
wreck.

Then my grandfather told me that if I ever wanted a
copy of Koran in Punjabi, I should write to Qadianis
Headquarters in Qadian which in Gurdaspur District of
India.  I asked my grandfather as to who are Qadianis.
He told me that they are also a sort of Muslims who
believed in Mirza Ghulam Ahmed as their last prophet. 
As according to Islam, Prophet Muhammad is the last
prophet, Qadianis are not considered Muslims by other
Muslims.

My father came to my maternal grandfather's house in a
highly inebriated state.  On arrival, he started
abusing my mother and giving her a bag which contained
goat's meat asked her to prepare lunch for him.  My
mother asked him as to from which shop he had bought
the meat.  He told her to shut up but when she
insisted, he told her that he had purchased the meat
from the shop at the corner of the street.  Since that
shop belonged to a Muslim, my mother asked me to throw
away the meat in the dustbin.  I obliged her and my
father left the house in great anger and took his
lunch in some hotel.

My father was, of course, very amiable man when he was
not drunk.  He told me that he drank to forget old
wounds.  All great men drank to get rid of old
memories so that they could live fresh lives.  Take
the case of Omar Khayyam.  He was a great philosopher
and Persian poet.  His poetry had been translated into
English by Fitzerald.  You must read this translation.
I remember one of his rubai which is sort of short
poem.  "Come fill the cup and in the fire of spring,
let the winter garment of repentance fling.  The bird
of time has a little while to fly and lo, the bird is
on the wings."  Then my father asked me, "Have you
heard of Sir Mohd. Iqbal."  When I replied in the
negative, my father got annoyed.  He told me that Sir
Mohd. Iqbal was a great poet and philosopher.  He had
written, "Rehmat Pe Teri Mere Gunahon Ko Naaz Hai. 
Banda Hoon Jaanta Hoon Ke Tun Banda Nawaz Hai."  (I
commit sins because I know that you are full of mercy
and you will pardon me). Then my father told me that
Ghalib, Sahir Ludhianvi, Jigar Muradabadi and all such
famous poets and philosophers drink to wash away their
sins and to forget old wounds.  The best way to live
is by remaining drunk.  I then gathered courage to ask
my father whether I could also drink.  He looked at me
with a hard stare and told me that he could not afford
my drinks and that I could drink when I started
earning.  Then he asked me to bring him a quarter of
wine.  Now this always made me irritated because the
wine shop was located at the outskirt of the town to
dissuade drunkards from getting drunk but it did not
work that way.  It only made me get tired.  However, I
brought the drink for my father who just uncorked the
quarter and without mixing any water or soda gulped
down the whole quarter.  Soon, he was out of his
senses and abusing everybody.

Aat the age of fourteen, I joined college at Banga and
came in close contact with my uncle (elder brother of
my father) who was a man with strange views as he had
studied in England and done Ph.D in Agricultural
Engineering.  He told me that drinking is indeed best
way to become truthful and forget old wounds but there
is a way of drinking.  He told me that my father just
did not know how to drink.  Drinking should be done
slowly and slowly in the company of others, side by
side taking a lot of meat and eggs and salad etc. 
Then it does not harm a man's body and mind and he
does not become abusive.  

My uncle then told me that my parents and grandparents
have not given me proper education.  He told me that
just by passing examinations, you do not get educated.
Now your mother had given you various lectures on
religion but I may tell you that religion is not a
good thing.  It is the worst enemy of mankind.  It has
killed more people than all the diseases in the world
had killed.  Just read the history of mankind.  Bloody
Mary needlessly killed so many protestants.  But let
us take the recent case of partition of the country. 
Millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were killed in
the name of religion and I would also add, politics
because religion was combined with politics.  Women
were raped and paraded naked all in the name of
religion. I suggest that you read Marx, George Bernard
Shaw, Ibsen and Bertrand Russel etc. to know how the
society is untruthful and corrupt and how religion and
politics mislead people and incite them to commit
horrible crimes.  So, I started reading Marx, George
Bernard Shaw etc. and failed in my examination because
actually I was doing inter in Science and my subjects
were Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.  My father
was greatly annoyed.  He found out that I was reading
Marx, George Bernard Shaw, Ibsen and Bertrand Russel
etc. He told me that these people were all eccentric
people and they were not going to provide me with any
job.  For getting a job, one has to become at least a
Graduate in Science.  And reading of such heavy
material puts strain on the brain.  You can never
understand Marx and what George Bernard Shaw writes is
all impractical.  As for Ibsen, he himself became mad.
So, you conentrate on your studies and for relaxing
read detective novels by Erle Stanley Gardner, Edgar
Wallace, Agatha Christie etc.  So, I started reading
detective novels and again failed.  Then my father
told me that he would really beat me if I did not
improve.  So, finally, I improved and passed my B.SC.

To end the story, I repeat what
my uncle told me,"Those people are generally religious
who are cowards and afraid to die.  In the words of
Mohd. Iqbal, "Bahdur Kab Dara Kartein Afate-Hawadis
Se.  Woh Bujhdil Hain Bani Mushkil Pe Jo Fariad Karte
Hain."  (Brave men are never afraid of fearsome
situations in life.  Those people are cowards who pray
at the time of difficulties).  Other religious people
are those who want to exploit the poor and helpless
people in the name of religion.  Similarly, the
politicians also want to exploit the poor people by
giving the false assurances.  My father also told me
that as a Deputy General Secretary of the Labour Union
of Bakhra Dam, he has seen that the Management and the
Government want to exploit the labour to get maximum
work done by paying minimum wages while the labour
wants to exploit the Management and the Government by
doing minimum work and getting maximum wages and this
struggle would continue.  The real patriotism lies in
avoiding religion and particularly mixing of religion
with politics and finding a middle path where the
management and the workers can strike a balance. 

 

When I joined Government service, I found that my colleagues

really wanted to exploit the Government by doing minimum and

demanding over time for the work which they really did. They advised

me also not to work so hard but I did not listen to them. So, the

Govt. continued to be exploited till the economic reforms were

implemented.

 

When I retired my son joined a private company and the company

exploited him like anything.   He was made to do job for

long hours without payment of any over-time and even asked

to come on holidays to do the job because there are no

labour laws in India which strike a balance between the

right of employers and employees.

 

To sum up, I request the Govt. to practise real secularism

and avoid appeasement of Muslims or any other religious

group for Vote Bank Purposes.  It is imperative to enforce

Uniform Civil Code so that the country could be truly secular

there being total separation of State from religion.  It must be 

ensured that the State does not patronise any religion and no

sops are offered to the minorities. In fact, the Ministry of

Minority Affairs may be wound up. Similarly,

Govt. must enforce proper labour laws to strike a balance between

Management's rights and Workers' rights. 

Satbir Singh Bedi