The Indian Panorama

Tag: Pro. Indrajit Saluja

  • HAPPY VAISAKHI AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KHALSA

    We congratulate our readers on the happy occasion of  Vaisakhi, the harvest festival of Punjab. We congratulate the Sikh community on the joyous, momentous and historic occasion of their birth.

    The Sikhs probably are the only religious community in the world to know their day of birth. Way back in 1699, on the day of Vaisakhi, the creator of the Khalsa, the Tenth Master of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, had put to a severe test the loyalty and faith of his followers and admirers, who had converged on Shri Anandpur Sahib from far and near at the invitation of the Guru.

    Guru Gobind Singh on that historic day created the Khalsa, the purified ones who would fight against injustice and tyranny and protect the poor and the oppressed. He gave to His followers a distinct identity and a moral code which distinguished them from other followers of the Guru.

    These followers of the Guru were to wage a struggle and march into the battlefield with the firm rock like faith and belief in their Guru, and in their resolve to win.

    Guru Gobind Singh is probably the only person in history to have sacrificed his whole family to protect others from tyranny- social, economic, political and human.

    Guru Gobind Singh’s father , Guru Tegh Bahadur martyred himself to save the Hindus from persecution at the hands of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed all his four sons for protecting dharma. His mother couldn’t bear to see her grandsons being bricked alive in Sirhind and bade goodbye to the mundane world.

    Guru Gobind Singh himself spent all his life fighting against the tyranny of the Mughals, and treachery, machinations, and intrigues of the neighboring Hill princes , who were jealous and apprehensive of the Guru’s growing popularity and power.

    Guru Gobind Singh brought to culmination the movement initiated by Guru Nanak, the First Master of the Sikhs, to encourage the oppressed to stand up against the perpetrators of oppression.

    “Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive”, famous English poet William Wordsworth said of the French Revolution.

    We are fortunate as was Wordsworth to have witnessed the French Revolution, to be watching the march of Guru ki Fauj- the Khalsa. It is time to recall the teachings of the Great Master. It is time to recall to mind the ideals he stood for. It is time to recall the cause he fought for, and remember with both pride and humility, the supreme sacrifices he made.

    Let his followers rededicate themselves to their Great Guru and resolve to follow the path shown by Him- a life of righteousness, relentless fight for human rights against tyranny, oppression, and injustice. Let them imbibe and respect the democratic ideals of equality, liberty, and fraternity of mankind. Let them remember that their Guru had enjoined upon them to be purified ones- the Khalsa.

    The Guru prays:
    “ Grant me this boon, O God,
    May I never refrain from righteous acts;

    May I fight without fear
    All foes in life’s battle,
    With confident courage
    Claiming the victory;

    May my highest ambition be
    To sing thy praises ,
    And may Thy Glory be
    Grained in my mind!

    When this mortal life
    Reaches its limits,
    May I die fighting
    With limitless courage.

    Happy birthday to Khalsa. Happy Vaisakhi to all our readers.

  • Ravi Batra’s advice to Gov Andrew Cuomo to “heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

    Ravi Batra’s advice to Gov Andrew Cuomo to “heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

    I.S. Saluja

    NEW YORK (TIP): Attorney Ravi Batra the other day sent a note to The Indian Panorama which clearly carried a friend’s concern for another in the wake of the latter’s tragic fall from grace in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

    Cuomo probably did not realize when the allegations flew into his face that he was no Donald Trump. At the same time, he also found, ironically, unlike Donald Trump, his conscience pricking him and finally compelling him to step down.

    Cuomo could have saved himself from the disgrace he encountered by stepping down the moment the smoke rose, but he allowed the smoke to choke him.

    Ravi Batra who is a friend to Cuomo decided to give him an open friendly advice.

    “Ranju& I know Andrew Cuomo as a dear friend when he was New York State Attorney General and supported him fully. I saw in him qualities of a President Teddy Roosevelt – and said so – to reporter Liz Benjamin. He is “blue-blood” to power, which to paraphrase Mark Twain in “The Prince and the Pauper,” Andrew is a Prince who would never use the great seal of New York “to crack walnuts.” But, unfortunately, that which made him American royalty or political aristocracy, was also his Achilles’ heel: as in a nation of laws, under-pinned by our exceptional “separation of powers” regime, no one can control government. Andrew amazingly did.

    Indeed, to avoid going to war with my friend, I quit the powerful New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) in September 2012, even as I was one of its founding commissioners warmly supported by my dear friend, the late great District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau Jr. I even sent him a letter, as both he and I are “blue-blooded” sons of great fathers. But he was surrounded by a tight circle of “yes” men and women, benefitting and roasting warmly in his power.

    His accumulation of extra-constitutional control permitted him to act – in public policy or private conduct – as if he was above the law. And just like a car without “brakes “and only an “accelerator,” a crash is inevitable as it is unavoidable. Andrew’s crash has been happening over 10 years, like a fine Opera taking time to build to a crescendo: a tragic end of Andrew the Great.

    I knew his Dad, Hon. Mario Cuomo, albeit, not as well as Andrew. Still, he was the happy personification of the American Dream, and an orator Mark Anthony would applaud. There is no joy in seeing my old friend Andrew self-destruct like Lazarus flying too close to the sun. In time, his private conduct will have met a full measure of justice, but history will always weep for what he would and could have wrought, as a sensible centrist Democrat worthy of being president of the United States and keeping us all safe from enemies foreign and domestic. I wish Andrew to heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

  • “In death, Fr. Stan Swamy’s voice is even stronger’ – Father Noby Ayyaneth

    “In death, Fr. Stan Swamy’s voice is even stronger’ – Father Noby Ayyaneth

    Mohinder Singh Gilzian, Father Noby Ayyaneth, Dr. Surinder Malhotra, George Abraham
    Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Varghese Abraham, Leela Maret

    NEW YORK (TIP): “Living Stan was a nobleman, but the departed Stan is unstoppable and his voice on behalf of the poor and the downtrodden is even stronger and will resonate it throughout history,” said Father Noby Ayyaneth of the Malankara Catholic Diocese of North America condoling the death of Father Stan Swamy at a remembrance meeting organized under the banner of Indo-US Democracy Foundation in Floral Park, New York. Jesus Christ was a master humanitarian, and Fr. Stan was following in his master’s footsteps. For him, suffering was not a tragedy in the face of injustice and as he could not be a silent spectator”.

    Mr. George Abraham, Executive Director of the India-US Democracy Foundation, welcomed the gathering and stated ‘it is a dark day for democracy in India and Father Stan Swamy’s detention, treatment in prison and death is a blot on the nation’s consciousness and a travesty of justice. He expressed his disappointment that in today’s India, the presumption of innocence is becoming a thing of the past. India is about to celebrate its 75th Independence Day, and our founding fathers built democratic institutions that stood the test of time and protected democracy, freedom, individual liberty, and equal justice under law. However, these institutions are increasingly under attack and are being diminished. Today, anyone who dares to criticize the authorities is in danger of being termed anti-national.

    Professor Indrajit Saluja, Publisher of Indian Panorama Newspaper, said Father Stan Swamy was a frail and weak man physically but strong morally and spiritually to carry on with his work on behalf of the weaker sections of society. As Indian Americans, we must demand our politicos to speak out when authorities target the poor and downtrodden in India. UAPA is a draconian law that the Supreme Court should have reviewed, and it is a shame that an innocent man had to pay with his life this way.

    Pastor Wilson Jose, Pastor of the Grace International Church in Mineola, said while we have gathered here to celebrate Father Stan’s life, we would like to express our indignation as Pravasis, the way the political leaders and the judiciary treated him in India. Father Stan represented Christ’s teachings to its core and did his best to uplift the neglected ones by a caste system that is in place over centuries. Jesus said, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, and Fr. Stan’s life exemplified those principles. During the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi was jailed many times by the British authorities. However, they respected his ideals and made sure no harm happened to him. Sadly today, the Government of India lacks even that basic level of humanity in the treatment of its own citizens!

    Father John Thomas of Orthodox Church pondered what it would be like if any one of us would be in Fr. Stan’s shoes. Will we get intimidated or pull back? Father Stan’s life is a testament to all of us and should inspire us to stand up and fight for what is right.

    Father P.M. Thomas, Vicar-in-charge of Marthoma Church in Queens Village, said Father Stan’s passing had created a big void, and each of us has a role to play in continuing his work. He asked not to be discouraged but to continue the fight until the truth is revealed.

    Mr. Amir Rashid, Director at NYPD who hails from Bihar, described the hardships the marginalized people suffer at the powerful hands in States like Jharkhand. Father Stan Swamy was the voice for the voiceless, and as long as this same power structure exists, these injustices will continue to be tolerated.

    Pastor Babu Thomas of IPC Hebron in Queens Village reiterated the old saying that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Father Stan Swamy was not a terrorist. The government knew that. His only crime was he loved the poor and served them. Unless we stand up and fight for our freedom and rights, our world will be a diminished place to live.

    Dr. Surinder Malhotra, former President of the Indian Overseas Congress described the pathetic situation in India as far as caste and religion is concerned. Unlike the United States, even for a job application, they want to know your religion. Even in our Diaspora here, they tend to ask whether he is a Hindu or a Christian, north Indian or south Indian, and such intolerance is so evident and has become part of our mindset. He condoled the death of a man who dedicated his entire life to doing good but ended up dying in custody.

    Mr. Mohinder Singh Gilzian, President of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA, said it is outrageous that a man who is working on behalf of the poor dies in Government custody. The people who are responsible for foisting false charges to imprison him should be held accountable. The UAPA act is being misused and used against people for political reasons.

    Dr. Anna George, President of the Indian Nurses’ Association in New York, called Father Stan Swamy’s imprisonment and death cruel and unusual punishment. She asked for raising our collective voices to stop this from happening again.

    Mr. Koshy Thomas, who ran for the NYC Council from District 23, expressed his sorrow, and asked authorities to protect  activists such as Father Stan while respecting the human rights of every citizen in India regardless of their religion or caste.

    Mr. John Joseph, the Vice-President of the Indian overseas Congress, urged not to be silent on these ongoing atrocities by the authorities. Is India a real democracy? He asked the participants to be more vigilant in guarding against these Human Rights abuses.

    Mr. Shaji Karackal, National news coordinator, Harvest TV said ‘forgive us father, I am guilty and many of us are for not seeing the truth on time to come to your defense”. Father Stan Swamy will be remembered as a nobleman who stood up for the poor and marginalized.

    Mr. George Chacko also spoke. Mr. Varhgese Abraham thanked everyone for their attendance and paid tribute to the memory of this great soul, Father Stan Swamy. Mr. Shaji Ennasseril (solidactionstudio.com) provided the logistics.

    (Based on a press release)