COMMUNICATION D.V. MAKES HISTORY IN PUNJAB
Dalits must burn Dasam Granth to save Sikhs from Brahminism
Balbir Singh, Chandigarh (address withheld)

I was present at your talk to the Sikh Students Federation at Punjab University on Jan.19, 2005. It was a very inspiring speech. The hall was packed with militant, hard-core Sikh youth ÑÊfollowers of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who died to save Sikhism from Brahminism.

This is the first time the upper caste Sikhs are inviting a Dalit leader for a face-to-face talk on their problem Ñ "Slow death of Sikhism". As a Dalit Sikh I could make out that your speech touched their hearts. I could also see some Dalits in the audience and DV family members. Sardar Gurnam Singh Muktsar, a noted Dalit Sikh scholar, was also present.

DV unites Sikhs & Dalits Punjab today is facing a many-pronged attack from Brahminism. It has not only divided the upper caste Sikhs but instigated the Dalits and Dalit Sikhs against upper caste Sikhs. A Dalit intellectual, Ronki Ram of Punjab University, Dept. of Politics, who spoke before you, dealt with this subject. What is much more alarming is, as you put it, Sikhism itself is "lying critical in the hospital ICU ÑÊfacing sure death". Your speech was extremely critical of the Sikhs. In normal course, no Sikh would have tolerated your speech. But the Sikhs at the function repeatedly cheered you. And this shows that you are the first person in the history of India to emotionally unite the Dalits and Sikhs because they remember how you suffered and sacrified for Sikhs.

I could see a number of Sikhs embracing you and thanking you for giving them confidence and courage.

Broken brotherhood I talked to Dalit Sikhs and Dalit leaders attending the meeting and they also expressed great satisfaction over the rebuilding of the broken brotherhood between the two.

I learn that after the university meeting, you had another round of talks with core members of the Sikh Students Federation and an equal number of Dalits and Dalit Sikhs at the Ambedkar Bhawan here. This meeting, I learnt, removed many of the existing doubts and suspicions between the two. I learnt that you announced that during the forthcoming Chandigarh DV readers meeting on March 11-13, 2005 the unity talks would continue.

The militant Sikh leadership was also very happy and agreed to attend your workshop in full strength.
Falsehood on Guru Gobind In this connection I have a suggestion as a devout Sikh and also an Ambedkarite. In your speech you referred to the Brahmins replacing the holy Guru Granth with the vaidik-manufactured fake Dasam Granth. The Sikh religious leadership itself has started propagating the falsehood that the Dasam Granth was written by Guru Gobind Singh himself. The Sikhs are not doing anything to refute this falsehood.

Brahminical subversion In your speech you have quoted several verses from the Guru Granth to prove the Dalit origin of Sikhism of which Namdev, Kabir, Sant Ravidass were the founding fathers. Dr. (Mrs). Sidhu's article in the Feb.1, DV (p.6) makes it very clear. We Dalit Sikhs are deeply hurt by this Brahminical subversion. They killed Budhism by using the same tactics. If Sikhism is destroyed in Punjab, "Brahminism will run riot and kill every protest movement", warns your Editorial of Feb.1, 2005 DV. Your prediction may come true. We can make out how deeply you are worried about Sikhism. I could make out this during my brief talk with you. The upper caste Sikhs, as you have rightly said in your speech, are no longer interested in Sikhism because they have all become prosperous. A rich man is interested only in his property. He has no ideology. He has no social concern.

Dalits launched Sikh revolution The only people who have the social concern in India are the Dalits. It is our Dalit forefathers who launched the Sikh revolution to liberate the Dalits. So Sikhism is our religion and that is why the Brahmins are breaking it to pieces. When you said in your speech that "Sikhism is a Dalit religion", the Sikhs were so happy and they simply cheered you. That means your speech has touched their hearts.

Naturally, we Dalits will be the worst affected by the death of Sikhism. Hence we should be the first to rise in revolt against this Brahminical counter-revolution (Weapons to Fight Counter-Revolution, DSA-2004).

We can't leave this historic task of fighting the counter-revolution to upper caste Sikhs or even the Sikh Students Federation. We have to do it ourselves.

As a first step we can do it by publicly burning the hated Dasam Granth during your March 11-13 Chandigarh DV readers workshop where a large number of Dalits and Dalit Sikhs from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K will come down here.

If the Dasam Granth is burnt by Dalits, the Brahmins can do nothing as they dare not touch us.
Some friends say if Dalits burn the Dasam Granth, just as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manu Smriti, the Brahmins may not attack us directly but make the Jat Sikhs to attack us. Through their manuwadi media they may put out false reports saying that the Jat Sikhs have been "deeply hurt" by the Dalits "insulting" the "holy" Dasam Granth which they are told is authored by Guru Gobind Singh. As a majority of Sikhs have been convinced about the authorship of Guru Gobind Singh, they may attack Dalits.

Sikhs divided Brahmins have divided even the devout upper caste Sikhs. Some Sikhs feel that the entire Dasam Granth is the mischief of the vaidiks and hence it must be rejected wholesale. However, some other Sikhs like the Sikh Student Federation are not in favour of rejecting the entire Dasam Granth. They say a substantial portion of it is the work of Guru Gobind Singh and so they are not in favour of rejecting the Dasam Granth wholesale.

But we Dalits feel this is a Brahminical trap to divide the Sikhs and hence we should not fall into this trap. When Guru Gobind writings are in the Guru Granth why have the Dasam Granth whose authorship is fake?

Jat Sikh-Dalit clashes Theey fear that there may be clashes in the villages between Dalits and Jat Sikhs and the vaidiks will then fish in the troubled water. To some extent this may be true.
But my feeling is that the Brahminical people dare not antagonise the Dalits as they want to use our people against Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.

Even if there is a clash, it has to be welcomed because such a clash is bound to occur one day or other. As an expert in the Law of Contradictions, you know it better that clashes will lead to sharpening of contradictions which is a must in today's highly polluted waters of Punjab. Only such a clash and contradiction, leading to a brisk churning of the contaminated water, will clean the dirty pond that is Punjab. Instead of postponing the "evil day", better we have it early.

Praise for Bhindranwale Jat Sikhs have no courage to take any revolutionary step like the burning of the hated Dasam Granth. Only Dalits, as the original residents of Punjab and creators of Sikhism, have that courage and you are the right person to lead the Dalits.

Because if you burn the Dasam Granth, even the Sikhs will think twice before reacting as they have tremendous respect and regard for your sacrifices and services to Sikhism. Your praise for Sant Bhindranwale in your speech mightily pleased the Sikhs and they cheered you. They also know how you suffered jail sentence in Chandigarh for the sake of Sikhs.

As one more month is left for the Chandigarh workshop, I want my suggestion to be debated in Punjab and outside. I also want this article to be published in Punjabi DV and Brother Gurnam Singh Muktsar's journal and other papers like the Spokesman etc.

Let there be frank discussion of the pros and cons of the proposal to burn the Dasam Granth which alone will give a shock to the whole Brahminical people and the country outside.

Sikh militants in grief & pain
Gurnam Singh Muktsar, 2 - Bhagat Singh Nagar, B/h Bus Stand, Muktsar - 152 026

It was a historic meeting at Chandigarh on Jan.19 between two dedicated groups ÑÊSikh and Dalit missionaries ÑÊunder the presidentship of V.T. Rajshekar, president, Bharatiya Dalit Chintan Sahit Sangh. On one side, there were Jagdish Singh, S. Sewak Sing, P.B. Singh, Karamjit Singh and others. On the Dalit side were Brothers Kataria, Fateh Jang Singh, Dharam Veer, Subhash Musafir, Ram Parshad, Prof. Gurnam Singh Muktsar, Dr. K.K. Sidhu from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Delhi, Maharashtra, Chandigarh and Andhra Pradesh.

The meeting, though unexpected, proved historic. The discussion was all about socio-religious relationship between Sikhs and Dalits who originally come from the Moolvassi-Bahujans.

How Dalits turned anti-Sikhs Dalits of India and Punjab in particular have almost lost faith in Sikhs Ñ not because of the "Hindu mind" and media propaganda but because of the attitude of upper caste rural Sikhs and their treatment of Dalits ever since the death of the great Sikh, Banda Singh Bahadur, and Dalit Sardar, Baba Vir Singh.

During this meet we made it clear that Sikhism took birth out of the super intellectual brains of Dalit saints. Dalit warriors shed blood and died for Sikhism. They did not spare even Indira Gandhi for her attack on the Darbar of Sikhism. But the upper caste Sikhs, who had captured the Sikh religion after Banda Singh Bahadur and had followed the Brahmin varna-caste way of life of hate, committed all kinds atrocities on Dalit Sikhs.

We said the Sikh religion was a socio-cultural revolution against Brahminism and it did not sanction the caste system but it was to annihilate the caste system of hate and promote love, brotherhood and equality that Sikhism was born. Dr. Jagdish Singh, the Sikh ideologue, however, very tactfully avoided to go into these issues.

He admitted that upper caste Sikhs like him, who did not support such inhuman practices, were marginalised. Dalits should note their grief and pain. Sikhism itself was under threat from their Brahminical enemy. Both Dalits and Sikhs were facing a common enemy which was all-powerful. Dalits were fighting this enemy with their back against the wall. So the Dalits must understand how difficult it was for Sikhs to fight such a powerful enemy.

All Sikhs at the meeting wanted the Dalits and Sikhs to join hands and this was accepted by the Dalits but without compromising their honour and self-respect.

The Sikhs agreed to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dalit saints along with Dalits. They would even rush to such places where Dalits were subjected to humiliation or violence by upper caste Sikhs. They would also write and speak against all those upper castes who practised caste at their religious centres. It was stressed that Dalits must understand and appreciate the grief and pain in Sikh society. All Sikhs should not be blamed for the hateful deeds of some upper caste Sikhs, he said.

Sikhs not Hindu Dalits openly declared that they are not Hindu and were never Hindu. They were the only moolvasi who have been fighting Brahminism from the very beginning of history. That was why Dalits were born revolutionaries. But Sikhs have enjoyed Brahminism and its caste system.

Despite all the Hindu insults, killings, war and violence, the Sikhs never uttered the truth that they were not Hindu. A large number of Hindus declared that Sikhs were Hindu. But the Sikhs were silent.

Sikh religion did not belong to upper caste Sikhs. No doubt Sikhism is a religion but it is more a socio-cultural revolution for total emancipation of Dalits. The Sikh struggle was fought by Dalits, their sacrifices have been accepted and recorded by Guru Gobind Singh himself. So, how could the upper caste Sikhs segregate Dalits from the Sikh religion? Such a type of intellectual and thought-provoking meeting was held in a calm and brotherly atmosphere as both sides were sincere to each other.

Sikhs hate Muslims Editor V.T. Rajshekar's call that Sikh scholars should wash out the Sikh hate against Muslims was cheered. They were also advised to read the Quran in Punjabi to understand how Sikhism had developed out of Islam.

When the Sikh group asked the Dalits how they would come forward to support the Sikhs, it was decided to arrange more meetings to exchange views and finalise collective efforts.

V.T. Rajshekar admitted that it was a fruitful meeting between the "Broken people" to fight their common enemy.

MANU SMRITI BURNT
Marathas quit Hinduism & embrace Shiva Dharma
Dr. Jamanadas, "Shalimar", Main road, Chandrapur - 442 402

A gathering of about 1.50 lakhs assembled from all over the country, mostly from Maharashtra, and embraced the Shiva Dharma on Jan. 12, 2005 at Shindkhed Raja, taking oath of a new religion. The occasion was the 407th birth anniversary of Jeejau, their ideal and idol.
It was announced that the complete scripture of the new religion will be ready in three years. The historic ceremony took place in front of the old historical palace of King Lakhuji Jadhav, father of Jeejau, mother of Chatrapati Shivaji.

ANTI-BRAHMIN RELIGION
Dr. A.H. Salunkhe presided over the main function of Dharma Diksha. Verses from Sant Tukaram were recited. Manu Smruti and Matsya Purana were burnt.
Netaji Gore, the world convener of Shiva Dharma, and Ms. Sunandatai Jogdand, the state president of Jeejau Brigade, read the oath of conversion. The mammoth gathering adopted the oath.
Gore explained the stand of Shiva Dharma thus
During 400th birth anniversary of Jeejau in 1998 a need for religious power was expressed for the all-round upliftment of the human beings. We have been busy since then in creating awareness through various brain storming programmes to create a religion which connects us with the Harappan civilization and divorcing itself from Brahminic culture and establish a society free of all exploitation.

BLOODY REVOLUTION
Founder of Maratha Seva Sangh Purushottam Khedekar said this day was a landmark in the process of ending the intellectual, religious, mental and cultural slavery of the Bahujans. He stressed that those who were away from the Shiva Dharma have tattooed the stamp of slavery on their brains, and therefore, he warned that even bloody revolution might be necessary. He stressed that this religion would be free from all caste and subcastes, all rituals, all blind faiths and would fulfil all the needs of modern society of Bahujans of 21st century.

No planets in the sky would do any harm to them and their children would step on these planets. Henceforth no Waman would be able to kill Emperor Bali by treachery and no Dronacharya would get the thumb of any Ekalavya. The Bahujans to die and Brahmins to feed on the spoils would no longer be tolerated. They would construct their deities in their own way and rewrite their own history, he said. While focussing on religious power, political ambitions were also there and in future, Shiva Dharmis would create their own chief minister and our own prime minister.

4,000 YEARS OF SLAVERY
Dr. A.H. Salunkhe said the presence of so many people was itself a glorious event. They were grateful to those who criticized them. The step of Shiva Dharma is taken after proper consideration and understanding. "For thousands of years, our forefathers could not understand the hammering they got, they thought that was the religion. Now our children are understanding its meaning and so the anger. But let us use this anger as energy for new creation", he said.
Dalit leader Ramdas Athawale, RPI MP, was present.

HINDU ROTTEN RELIGION
Working president of the Jeejau Brigade Ms. Mamata Ingole expressed the pleasure that the Shiva Dharma would break the fetters of slavery put on the women by the Manu Smriti and scriptures of Puranas. Sambhaji Brigade president of Amravati, Prashant Bule, said Shiva Dharma would take the Bahujans to 21st century. "Once it is decided to renounce the Hindu religion which rotted our brains, we are not bothered about the trivia", he said.
DV Nov.16, 2004 p. 4 "Marathas quit Hinduism on Jan.12 DV members to attend historic event".
DV Aug.16, 2004 p. 23 "Marathas must first finish Thackeray to win over Dalits & Muslims" & "Shivaji was never anti-Muslim".
DV Aug.1, 2004 p.26 "Marathas must take Bhavani ÑÊnot the shattered Shiva".
DV July 16, 2004 p.20 "Marathas & Shiva Dharma Plenty of contradictions" & p.27 "Did Shivaji fight Brahmins?"
DV July 1, 2004 p.9 "Shivaji's empire wrecked by Brahminism".
DV June 1, 2004 p.22 "DV to unite Shiva & Basava Dharma leaders". & p. 23 "Brahmins may co-opt Shiv Dharma". p. 24 "Sambhaji brigade demands Bhat-free society" & "Muslims support Marathas".

MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Kofi Annan's tears on poverty but silence on growing inequality
Dr. Bharat jhunjhunwala, 732-Modern Society, Sector-15, Rohini, Delhi - 110 085

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in eight areas poverty, primary education, women's equality, child mortality, maternal health, disease, environment and a global partnership for development. In his report of September 2004, Annan has expressed satisfaction "In four short years, the MDG derived from the Millenium Declaration have transformed the face of global development cooperation". He gives statistics to show that substantial progress has been made on the first seven goals. He has asked for increased financial assistance from the rich countries to take the mission forward.

Cancer patient Certainly there has been improvement in parameters such as that of poverty. It has to be examined, however, whether this improvement comes along with solution of the fundamental problem of poverty. The cancer patient certainly gets relief by taking analgesic. But his true treatment lies in radiotherapy. Administering analgesics without radiotherapy can lull him into believing that treatment is afoot, dissuade him from taking the right treatment and worsen his situation.

Rich becoming richer The developing countries hold 80% of the world's resources but their share in the world income is only 20%. The prices of goods produced by them are declining due to competition among them. On the other hand the prices of the goods produced by the rich countries are increasing behind the protective wall of patents laws. The price of coffee, tea, rubber and cotton are declining but Bill Gates is selling his Windows software at high prices.

Annan recognizes the problem. "The long term downward trend and volatality in non-fuel commodity prices continue to pose a major challenge to the exporting countries", he says and asks that the "international community should renew its efforts to alleviate these problems by improving existing mechanism and considering new approaches". But Annan is spectacularly silent on what these new approaches may be. The result is that this crucial problem is relegated to cold storage.

Clearly, he is disinterested in the solution of the basic problem of poverty of the developing countries and busy in administering analgesics.

Truly, the basic problems are getting worse. Proof of the same is available in Annan's report. There has been an increase in unemployment in all developing regions except for a marginal improvement in Africa since the MDG were accepted. The unemployment rate of young people aged 15-24 years in Latin American increased from 12.4% in 1993 to 16.6% in 2003. The same story is repeated in Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, Western Asia, Oceania and Commonwealth of independent states. Interestingly the situation in rich countries shows improvement with unemployment down from 16.7% to 14.6%.

Politics of inequality It is clear that the economics of the developing countries are worsening while that of the rich countries is improving. Another indicator of this worsening is that the percentage of goods admitted free of duty by the rich countries from developing countries has declined from 62% in 2000 to 57% in 2002.

Annan does not discuss in his report why inequality among the developing and rich countries is increasing.

He repeatedly stresses that there has been improvement in the Millenium goals in the areas of poverty, education etc. Grahame Thompson of the Open University explains the politics of this approach thus
" The emphasis on 'poverty' allows the issue of 'inequality' to be backgrounded. There has been a desperate flurry of activity to bolster the 'we have all benefited from globalisation' thesis with a display of evidence that absolute poverty has been reduced internationally (or not got worse). But international inequalities are a somewhat different matter and here the evidence is much less sure footed. Indeed, it looks as though the trend in international inequalities has worsened during this period of globalization".
The silence of Annan as well as the MDG on the question of inequality is inexcusable.

Stop purchasing dollars Annan, moreover, leaves the crucial economic issues at the mercy of the rich countries. The rich countries are presently dependent on India, China and oil producing countries. These three countries are purchasing currencies of the North American and European countries to the tune of $100 billion-plus every year. The strength of the dollar and Euro rests on this purchase. Annan does not draw our attention to using this money for improvement of poverty, education etc. Without saying so, he wants that we should continue to deposit our $100 billion with the rich countries and place our attention on demanding an increase in aid of $50 billion per year. The reason is that if we

stop purchasing dollars and euros, the economies of the rich countries will come under pressure.
The developing countries should ignore the advice of Annan to place themselves at the will and mercy of the rich countries.

Their agenda should be as follows
(1) Make OPEC-like cartels of their goods being imported by the rich countries to increase their incomes; (2) challenge the patent laws within the WTO and if necessary, walk out of that institution; (3) place limitations on large domestic and foreign companies that use job-eating production technologies; and (4) withdraw forex reserves from the dollar and euro and place them in currencies of other developing countries.
Developing countries should consider throwing out all UN agencies like UNICEF and UNDP which distract us from adopting the above measures to solve our basic problem of poverty. If we listen to Annan we shall remain in servitude through the next millenium. The people of the developing countries may be more educated and healthy but they will remain poor.

The Editor of India's most famous Dalit journal pours out his heart in this booklet which should melt even the most hardened criminal. It reflects the inner-most thoughts of an honest intellectual on his 25 years of struggle as Editor of Dalit Voice Ñ the turmoil and the turbulence facing the country.
Price Rs. 20 US $ 3 (outside India)
Dalit Sahitya Akademy
No. 109, 7th Cross, Palace Lower Orchards
Bangalore - 560 003, INDIA.
Email vtr@ndf.vsnl.net.in

South Asia is the only large region of the world with unsettled frontiers. It is not because there are is no principles or agreements in existence to resolve disputes and underpin stability, it is because the largest country in the region - India - just does not honour its promises to its people or its agreements with its neighbours. This book is an account of broken promises and the wars and mayhem that they have caused. The irony is that in the case of India the voice of its victims is so thoroughly suppressed or ignored that it appears the victims are the one to blame. This is perhaps the first book where the victims speak out and make their case. It is very different to the hundreds of books that are churned out by India and its friends to blame the dead for being murdered, the women for their rape, the youth for being young - 'potential militants' taken by the soldiers from their homes and killed in fake encounters.

Apartheid in India Every one has heard of insurrection in Kashmir and Punjab (Khalistan) and the humiliation of apartheid and Untouchability that its native peoples of India suffer because of the Hindu 'caste system' but very few know how the real truth. This is a 'must read' book for any one wanting to see the true face of India. The chapters of this book are written by the top leader of Kashmir, and of the Sikh and Dalit (Untouchables) struggling for freedom and by scholars/soldiers of Pakistan, Kashmir and Khalistan - the victims of India's imperial ambitions and the subversion and genocide of Sikhs and Muslims that follow. The 'freedom struggle' of Bangladesh is reviewed by an East Pakistani scholar and an Afghan veteran and journalist articulates his proposal to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

The authors and the themes of the chapters written by them - as on the back page of the book - are as under

Authors of Chapters
Syed Ali Geelani, Chairman, All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), Srinagar. "In 1989, the Kashmiris decided they do not want sympathy for the barbarity they put up with; they want support for their freedom struggle. They want to be known for their resolve not their misfortune".

V.T. Rajshekar, Editor, Dalit Voice, India Bangalore. "The Bahujan, the native people of India, do not have a national agenda; their outlook is not imperialist while the glitter of Brahminism lies in its imperialist ambitions and its fascist agenda. The Bahujans must stand by the weak and the oppressed everywhere; after all, they have been the victims of the longest repression in entire human history".

Brig. Usman Khalid, Director London Institute of South Asia. "The Muslims were the only people who had developed a 'national personality' by 1947 but they were not the only nation. Every nation in India is bound to seek sovereignty as it crystallises its national personality and has a birthright to do so".

Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President Council of Khalistan. "India spreads the myth there is no support for Khalistan. It says the assault by the Indian Army on the Golden Temple in June 1984 crushed their movement for independence. They could not be more wrong. The Sikh nation has been crushed at least twice before in its history and it emerged triumphant every time it was pronounced dead".

Dr. M. Abdul Mu'mim Chowdhury, former Professor at Dhaka University. "The view that the creation of Bangladesh represents the fulfillment of the Lahore resolution is drawn from a false claim that the resolution envisaged two separate independent states and had set out the extent of provincial autonomy within them".

Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon, Editor, International Journal of Sikhs. "The Sikhs will not compromise on Khalistan, however long it takes. The fact is that India would be more secure with Khalistan as a buffer state between itself and Pakistan. Threats of war and sabre rattling do not provide basis for peace or stability; accepting the principle of national self-determination does".

Abidullah Jan, an Afghan Journalist based in Canada. "All those working in the name of the Durrani Empire, Pashtun solidarity or Islamic solidarity complement each other. The dynamics are more important than policies of powers with influence. The Union of Pakistan and Afghanistan is the destiny of both, the policy of neither."

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