For your edification
One of my readers, Mai, has put together a great post about how her family was treated in 1984, early 1985, simply because they're Sikhs. Please take the time to read it.
From the film Running Mates: When will we stop killing each other just because we disagree?
Thank you Mai.
*From Sikhiwiki.com: In the Sikh tradition, Amrit is not some magical potion that would confer upon the consumer an unending span of life or bring about automatic release from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The term is however retained figuratively to signify what leads to such release. In this sense, Amrit is not something external to man "but is within him and is received by God`s grace" (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1056,1238). Historically, amrit in the Sikh tradition refers to the baptismal water Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Nanak, Nanak X, created for the initiatory rites promulgated in supersession of charanamrit at the time of the creation of the Khalsa brotherhood. This is called Khande da Pahul or nectar touched with the doubleedged sword.
(read more)
We all knew that if our house was targeted, we would all probably be killed. Since everyone knew we were Sikh, we knew we would be targeted. The boys, Balbir and Sandeep, both insisted that if they were to be martyred as Sikhs, they had the right and obligation to take Amrit*. After some discussion, mostly with Mani, who was our leader, it was agreed. We had everything necessary, so the ceremony went ahead. It should have been a happier occasion, but it was really a sweet sadness for all of us.
From the film Running Mates: When will we stop killing each other just because we disagree?
Thank you Mai.
*From Sikhiwiki.com: In the Sikh tradition, Amrit is not some magical potion that would confer upon the consumer an unending span of life or bring about automatic release from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The term is however retained figuratively to signify what leads to such release. In this sense, Amrit is not something external to man "but is within him and is received by God`s grace" (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1056,1238). Historically, amrit in the Sikh tradition refers to the baptismal water Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Nanak, Nanak X, created for the initiatory rites promulgated in supersession of charanamrit at the time of the creation of the Khalsa brotherhood. This is called Khande da Pahul or nectar touched with the doubleedged sword.
(read more)
posted by SPIIDERWEB™ at 8/21/2007 09:13:00 AM
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2 Comments:
You're welcome.
And thank you so much. We really feel these stories need to be told, not because we were exceptional, but because India has managed to keep this genocidal violence pretty much hushed up.
Writing these was difficult for all three of us because to write is to relive, but we felt that the hurt to us would be worth it, if people could actually see and understand what happened.
And thanks for the explanation of amrit. The term usually used is 'baptism,' but I object to that as a Christian term. 'Initiation' comes much closer, as it is the initiation into the Khalsa.
Again, thanks.
Mai, Suni and Vini
And if I may impose on you a bit more, this next post in the blog has stories from othe survivors. The first link by Amrit from his blog, the Writing Cave is especially personal, graphic and moving.
http://mai-sometimes.blogspot.com/2007/08/other-survivors-stories.html
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