1984 Anti-Sikh Pogrom From Children To Adults - 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

From Children to Adults - 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims

From Children to Adults-1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims - a set on Flickr


68 photographs by professional photographer Sanjay Austa, along with brief stories of children whose parent/s were killed in the 1985 antiSikh Pogrom.

"They were in their mothers stomach, just delivered, toddlers or school going children in 1984 when their fathers, uncles or siblings were butchered in the anti-sikh riots in Delhi which left almost 3000 sikhs dead. These children were suddenly wrenched out from their cosy family life and hurled into the world of neglect, apathy and abuse. They grew up in the shadow of the riots, struggling between going to school and making a living. Their fathers were killed and their mothers either remarried or were so busy working to eek out a living that the kids were virtually forgotten. 25 years on they have grown up into young men. Some wayward due to the neglect , others unemployed due to lack education, and yet few others transformed their lives by sheer grit and determination. These are their stories."

 

[Vikram singh]

Re: From Children to Adults-1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:<img src=" http:="" www.sikhphilosophy.net="" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype> I can't believe 25 years have passed and still no justice! Our community has not mobilized collectively to seek justice, nor has proper action been taken to help these widows or their children. Of course, children when denied opportunity and dealing with trauma and being raised by a parent who may have been dealing with their own emotional issues (and rightfully so), would then turn to numbing agents such as narcotics or alcohol. I don't understand why the community has not funded a multi-disciplinary team going to <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> to help these women and children deal with the trauma inflicted on them and at least help them find alternatives so that they can cope with their trauma and grief. This is what dissapoints me. These people need help further than just having them seek justice - justice will bring healing, but it will not guarantee that they deal with their trauma. Furthermore, the strong possibility is that justice will not be doled out, so how can we help these individuals gain the strength to try to live their lives in a meaningful way? we boast about 10,000 membership,but it is of any use to sikhs who need your help<o></o>[/FONT]

 

[spnadmin]

Re: From Children to Adults-1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims

vikram ji

One way that our forum helps is by broadcasting information. It is the main purpose of any forum -- to raise the level of communication by hosting information and dialog, so that more people, both members and visitors, are better educated.

Activism has many levels. Getting the information "out into the public domain" is one of those levels. People have to know before they can decide whether they can take action.

So that is our contribution. SPN is engaged in this way. We can trigger consciousness in the unconscious, and we can provide information and insight for those who are already conscious and want to know more.

The next levels of advocacy - actively working toward change on the ground is more difficult for any forum to implement - not impossible - but certainly more difficult and often impossible given the resources at hand to do so. The best way to become ineffective is to try to do everything for everyone and in so doing get nothing accomplished. We have to decide what we can do well and do it well. We have to use our existing resources for realistic goals.

It seems to me that what we can do is "host" discussions on a variety of difficult themes. And we do. We could do more. We could organize and energize action committees in cyber-space. But we have to realize that we are a cyber-community, and people on the ground have to take the next steps after we inform, host, discuss and organize.

 

[Mai Harinder Kaur]

Re: From Children to Adults-1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victims

Vikram ji,

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:<img src=" http:="" www.sikhphilosophy.net="" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg"></o:smarttagtype> I can't believe 25 years have passed and still no justice! Our community has not mobilized collectively to seek justice, nor has proper action been taken to help these widows or their children. Of course, children when denied opportunity and dealing with trauma and being raised by a parent who may have been dealing with their own emotional issues (and rightfully so), would then turn to numbing agents such as narcotics or alcohol. I don't understand why the community has not funded a multi-disciplinary team going to <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> to help these women and children deal with the trauma inflicted on them and at least help them find alternatives so that they can cope with their trauma and grief. This is what dissapoints me. These people need help further than just having them seek justice - justice will bring healing, but it will not guarantee that they deal with their trauma. Furthermore, the strong possibility is that justice will not be doled out, so how can we help these individuals gain the strength to try to live their lives in a meaningful way? we boast about 10,000 membership,but it is of any use to sikhs who need your help<o></o>[/FONT]

One purpose of SPN is to inspire its members to take action!

Each member can ask him/herself, what have I done personally? Have you inspired your gurudwara to have a fundraising event to send aid to these survivors? Perhaps they could "adopt" a family and give them necessary support, physical as well as spiritual. Use your imagination. Do you know those in your gurudwara whose family members achieved shaheedi during those days? What have you done for them? They also probably have contacts in "that country" who could help find individuals you could help.

When any of us visit "that country" do we make a detour from Punjab to visit Delhi? Do we get personally involved? I know that the caring and concern of individuals can make a big difference in a survivor's chardi kala level.

I personally think the SGPC should get off their filthy behinds and use some of the crores of rupees they're sitting on to address the families of our shaheeds. I have sent numerous letters, e-mails to them (politely worded, of course) to no avail. It a hundred, a thousand, even more started demanding action, perhaps it would be taken.

It has been 25 years. An entire generation has been born, grown up in despair. Our job is difficult. But with the kirpaa of Vaheguru and our own chardi kala, we can tackle this problem and conquer the evils of the past. But we need to get off our duffs and do it!

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” (Edward Everett Hale)

I don't know who he is, but he's right.