08 OPINION
CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 23 MARCH 2020
Women on the march in Pak
THE TRIBUNE established in 1881
Amid hostility, the initiative is raising the pitch for gender equality
Test, trace for corona
Ramp up steps to prevent spread of disease
E
TILAK DEVASHER
VEN as more and more people with a foreign travel history are
testing positive for Covid-19 throughout the country, the MEMBER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD
curve is spiking with a sharp northward trajectory. Stage 2 of
O
the epidemic is on us, with those affected by the virus having N March 8, ‘Aurat March’
passed on the infection to some of those whom they have come in was held in major cities in
contact with locally. This has necessitated the contact-tracing pro- Pakistan to observe the
gramme, which follows the chain of the virus from one person to the International Women’s
next and identifying and isolating those people before they can Day. Such a march was started in 2018
spread the virus further. This task is extremely challenging in a in Karachi and extended to other
country like ours where compliance with rules and advisories is not cities in 2019. The 15-point manifesto
a strong point. While it is bad enough that some people escaped the of the march revolved around khud-
screening at the airport arrivals, the battle against the onslaught of mukhtari (independence) of women.
Hence, the demands raised were equal
the virus has become tougher as some incoming patients have
rights, access to education, economic
exhibited irresponsible behaviour in these trying times. Instead of
subjecting themselves to self-quarantine and testing, they have
justice, inclusion, justice for violence
against women, ending of forced con-
been merrily socialising, oblivious to its dangers. versions etc. The women’s rights
The man who succumbed to coronavirus in Punjab recently is said to movement in Pakistan has come a
have interacted freely with many people after his return from Germany. long way from the days of General Zia-
While his contact-tracing has led to 150 of them across three districts ul-Haq when rape victims were often
being home-quarantined and tested for the flu, tracking down each of the jailed for adultery if they could not pro-
two lakh who attended the Anandpur Sahib Hola Mohalla festivities, duce four male witnesses.
which were also attended by him, is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. However, the slogan that became
As the fear of an explosion of infected clusters stares at us, the govern- the focus of the media attention and
ment has tightened the noose around the offenders. A UK-returned controversy was Mera jism, meri
famous singer has been booked in Lucknow for socialising in violation of marzi — my body, my choice. Accord-
rules after she was found suffering from Covid-19. A Bengaluru-based ing to the organisers, the slogan sim-
ply referred to women’s autonomy
government official whose son tested positive has been suspended for not
over their bodies in terms of reproduc-
disclosing his travel from Germany via Spain.
tive health and consent of marriage.
In a ramp-up measure that has, hopefully, not come too late, the Cen- The opponents thought otherwise.
tre has directed both private and public hospitals to admit suspected The march led to sustained hostility
patients and test all pneumonia cases for Covid-19. The South Korean and criticism from several quarters
and Singaporean models show that mass testing makes all the difference. since women demanding their rights
threatened male privilege. The organ-
isers faced online harassment,
accused of ‘being western agents try-
Safety net for pandemic ing to sabotage Pakistan’s culture’,
some were threatened and labelled
‘bad women’. The Pakistan Electron-
Need to rejig economy to tide over the crisis ic Media Regulatory Authority (PEM-
RA), issued an advisory to television
A
few days back, the European Central Bank launched a Pan- channels, warning them against airing
demic Emergency Purchase Programme to keep economies ‘unethical slogans, play cards (plac-
afloat amid the Covid outbreak that has seen many countries ards) with objectionable content.’
going for a lockdown, threatening livelihoods and shutting down Appeals for restrictions on the
businesses. Under the programme, the bank will buy government march were filed in the Islamabad
and company debt to soothe markets. The asset purchasing pro- High Court where the Chief Justice,
gramme is in keeping with the demand for economic stimulus in rejecting the petitions, held that
these countries. The demand made by the Punjab Chief Minister and
his MP wife for a comprehensive revival package to mitigate the
Bhagat Singh’s idea of non-violence
adverse effects of the Covid outbreak needs to be seen in this light.
While Captain Amarinder Singh sought additional wheat for people
under the food security mission, Preneet Kaur demanded that the
Central government intervene in the form of temporary aid or
resource package for the poor and the daily-wage earners. Jupinderjit Singh
Countries across the globe have realised the need to rejig their
E
economy as the world is not quite prepared to deal with the worst. IGHTY-NINE years after
China faced criticism for acting late so that its economy would not Bhagat Singh attained mar-
get affected. PM Modi assured there would be enough supplies and tyrdom at the hands of
that the nationwide voluntary lockdown would last only a day. He India’s British rulers, his ideology
later announced the formation of a financial task force to support is even more relevant as Punjabis
sectors affected by the pandemic like aviation, tourism and servic- in general and the youth in particu-
es. Among the slew of measures proposed is the decision to give lar are mesmerised by gun culture
banks the flexibility to schedule EMIs and cut GST in case the and songs that glorify violence.
The man who shook the British
growth rate declines to below 4 per cent, besides ensuring adequate
Empire and took to the gallows
supplies of medical kits and medicines.
singing happily along with Rajguru
On Friday, Himachal Pradesh sent back about 600 vehicles carry- and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931, is
ing tourists from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Rail and bus services, remembered mostly through his
along with flights, have been suspended across the country. The con- pistol-toting image on T-shirts and
sequent loss of revenue could be colossal. The nation has to gear up stickers pasted on vehicles, as if his
to avoid slipping into the recession zone. killing of British police inspector
JP Saunders in Lahore on Decem-
ber 17, 1928, gave youngsters the
❝ ❞
thought for the day
I know now what countries do at summits has the power Janata Curfew
to help girls in Pakistan, Nigeria or Afghanistan. — Malala Yousafzai The observing of Janata Curfew
on Sunday, an idea of the Prime
Minister, was good in intent. Its
implementation will serve as a
on this day...100 years ago successful trial. More steps, simi-
lar to it should be taken to save
the people from falling prey to it.
The lockdown of sorts, without
officially declaring it to be so,
may also create some inconven-
lahore,tuesday, march 23, 1920
ience for the people, but one
hopes that this too shall pass.
The Khilafat Day. JS JASSAL, PATIALA
JUDGING from the accounts that have reached us so far, the celebration of
the Khilafat Day passed off with great enthusiasm, but without any hitch, all PM’s public message
over the country. Hartal, fasting and prayer were among the general features The PM wields great influence, but
of the celebration everywhere, while at most places, public meetings were it is a crucial time and he has to
held and resolutions passed, calling upon the British Government to do understand the urgency of the mat-
everything in their power to secure a settlement of the Turkish question in ter and could’ve done it on more
consonance with Muslim sentiments and ideals, and impressing upon them days rather than just on Sunday.
the seriousness of the situation that would arise in the event of the Obviously, very few go to the office
settlement of the Turkish question in consonance with Muslim sentiments on Sundays. Is it a strategy to make
and ideals, and impressing upon them the seriousness of the situation that it look like he really does care?
would arise in the event of the settlement not being satisfactory to Indian PADMA DOLMA, LEH
Muslims. At only a few places, besides Calcutta itself, was the Calcutta
resolution passed, while at a few other places, the resolution was passed in a Covid blues for singer
diluted form. In all cases, however, the strength, the genuineness and the Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor
unanimity of Muslim opinion and feeling in this matter were expressed in returned from London to Lucknow
language which left no room for misapprehension. This circumstance, as and was well aware of the safety
well as the customary signs of pubic mourning that attended the celebration protocols for coronavirus. With
in all parts of the country, are a sure indication of the intensity of Muslim developing symptoms of coron-
feeling and of the deep sympathy of non-Muslims with this feeling, and we avirus, she attended three parties,
feel certain that the Government of India will not fail to take due note of it. met a former Rajasthan CM, her
They have done much in this matter already, but more clearly remains to be son and mingled with a large num-
done, and we sincerely hope they will be unwearied in their effort, and will ber of people. Well aware of the sit-
not cease to represent the Mahomedan cause with fidelity as well as force
until that cause has won, as it is bound to win in the long run. Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com
LONG HAUL: Empowering women in Pakistan is tough for fear of conservative backlash.
During the days of Gen Zia, rape victims were often jailed
for adultery if they could not produce 4 male witnesses.
words used in Aurat March slogans
‘should not be given meanings
according to the mind-set of a cer-
tain section of society... contrary to
the explanation given by the propo-
nents of the march.’ In the Lahore
High Court, the petition claimed
that the march was ‘anti-state’ and
an ‘un-Islamic’ activity, against
‘the very norms of Islam’ spread-
ing vulgarity and hatred and the slo-
gans intended to mislead women.
The right-wing religious parties
came out strongly in opposition,
accusing women activists of spread-
ing ‘obscenity’ and ‘vulgarity’.
According to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-
Fazl (JUI-F), calling for women’s
autonomy over their bodies was in
opposition to the essence of Islam
and thereby unacceptable in an
Islamic republic. Its leader, Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, openly threatened
participants and exhorted his sup-
porters to stop the march regardless
of any ‘sacrifice’ that this might
entail. The Jamia Hafsa, a women’s
madrasa affiliated with Islamabad’s
infamous Lal Masjid, defaced a
mural in Islamabad designed in con-
nection with the rally and organised
their own Haya march.
licence to embrace the gun craze.
They are the ones who are provid-
ing millions of views/downloads to
Punjabi singers hailing violence
and guns in their songs. The under-
lining problem is that today’s
youth have failed to read the mar-
tyr’s mind on violence. True, he
killed Saunders, but the after-
events showed the revolutionary ’ s
insight into violence and the ideol-
ogy behind it. Posters by revolu-
tionaries appeared in Lahore a day
after Saunders’ murder, explain-
ing the path of violence. The Hin-
dustan Socialist Republican Army
(HSRA) declared: “We are sorry to
have killed a man. But this man was
part of a cruel, despicable and unjust
system and killing him was a neces-
letters to the editor
uation, it was her duty to get diag-
nosed and quarantine herself. This
insouciant behaviour from a liter-
ate person was ironical and may
lead to more cases of Covid-19.
RAJINDER SHARMA, CHANDIGARH
Check coronavirus
In view of the alert over the spread of a
disease like coronavirus, which has
ambiguous symptoms and practically
no known method of treatment, one
should take precautionary measures
to prevent from falling prey to it and
also to stop it from spreading. Adhere
strictly to the dos and don’ts. Stay
home if you can and avoid gatherings.
Practise social distancing by keeping a
distance of about six feet from others,
if you must go out in public. Call your
doctor for medical advice if you think
you have developed symptoms.
RITIKA CHUGH, SIRSA
Just deserts
Asha Devi, the mother of Nirbhaya,
the December 2012 gangrape vic-
tim, saying ‘Justice at last’ (March
20) indicates a kind of satisfaction
on the hanging of the four convicts
— so eagerly awaited by her all
these years. Yes, the perpetrators of
the fiendish crime got what they
deserved. The sad end of the evil,
however, reminds us of our social
mores. A woman is deemed to be
To its credit, the Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) announced complete
support for the march with no strings
attached. Subsequently, the govern-
ment and the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) also came
out in support for the march with the
caveat that the honour and dignity of
the country should not be harmed.
Legally, Pakistan has enacted sever-
al laws to bolster women’s rights.
These include the National Policy for
Development and Empowerment of
Women, Protection against Harass-
ment of Women at Workplace Act,
Gender Equality Policy Frameworks
and Women Empowerment Packages
and Initiatives. Pakistan also has a
National Commission on the Status of
Women to monitor the state’s
response to the progress of women.
Despite the legal framework, there
continues to be a huge gap between
laws and their implementation.
The World Economic Forum (WEF)
has ranked Pakistan 151st out of 153
countries with 56 per cent gender gap
on the Global Gender Gap Index
report of 2020, compared to 112th out
of 115 in 2006. The WEF placed Pak-
istan at 150th in economic participa-
tion and opportunities, 143rd in edu-
sity… We aim to bring about a revo-
lution which would end all exploita-
tion of man by man.”
He was livid when the British gov-
ernment branded him and other revo-
lutionaries as dacoits. It is then that
the idea of throwing a non-lethal
smoke bomb at Delhi Assembly to
ignite the fire of revolution was taken
up. The pamphlets thrown immedi-
ately after explained it all: “It takes a
loud voice to make the deaf hear...”
In his statement to the court, Bha-
gat Singh argued, “We hold human
life sacred beyond words. Our prac-
tical protest was against the institu-
tion…It is not the cult of the bomb
and the pistol…”
He famously said, “Bombs and
pistols do not make (a) revolution.
safe only when accompanied by
male members of her family or
close acquaintances. Otherwise, a
woman fails to get enough respect,
so necessary for her safety. Sufi
saint Muhammad Bakhsh had said:
Dushman maray te khushi na
kariye, sajan ne bhi mar jana ein;
Deegar te din gaya Muhammad,
har ghadeech dub jaana aei. It
means that death is death, it should
be respected, not celebrated!
KL NOATAY, BY MAIL
Rape under-reported
The public rage and revulsion that
followed the Nirbhaya gangrape
was unprecedented. It has taken
more than seven years for the death
sentence to be carried out- seen as
an exemplary punishment for an
extraordinary crime. However, rape
remains a terrifyingly widespread
crime in India. NCRB data show
33,356 cases of rape reported in
2018 — roughly 91 a day. This is
despite the fact that it is grossly
under-reported. Victims are dis-
couraged by the hostile investiga-
tive system and tardy judicial
process, and immense social sham-
ing. It requires reform, for the
police and courts to switch their
defaults and keep the victim's
interests first and foremost.
SANJAY CHOPRA, MOHALI
THE TRIBUNE
cational attainment, 149th in health
and survival and 93rd in political
empowerment. According to a for-
mer central bank governor, only 7
per cent of women in Pakistan had
access to financial inclusion servic-
es and just 1 per cent of the total
economic empowerment pro-
grammes in Pakistan were for
women. Less than half of the
women are literate compared with
70 per cent men. Over 70 rape cases
were reported in the first 60 days of
2020 in Lahore alone.
Against this backdrop, empowering
women in Pakistan is clearly a long
haul. It would perhaps be optimisitc
to view the march as creating aware-
ness among women regarding their
rights as well as providing a platform
to garner international attention for
their struggle. Likewise, it is unlike-
ly that a march on one day in a year
would change much.
As The News put it editorially: “We
have talked many times of the intense
hypocrisy of a society that does not
speak out when a little girl is raped, a
woman killed for so-called ‘honour’
or a young girl’s face burnt with acid
— but which has a huge issue every
time women try to assert their rights.
That a woman’s right to have control
over herself, her body and her soul can
lead to such violent thoughts and
reactions from those who fancy them-
selves their saviours should be cause
for immense concern.”
However, the march is gradually
becoming the new face of the women’s
movement in Pakistan. This is huge
considering the conservative society
that Pakistan is. The strong backlash
against the movement is precisely
because it mirrored the prevalant prej-
udices against women in society.
The fact that within just three
years, the march has attracted such
hostility would suggest that it has
touched a raw nerve of its opponents.
If it continues to gather momentum
in the years ahead, the Aurat March
has the potential of becoming a
strong vehicle for the outpouring of
the demand for justice and equality
for women in Pakistan.
Views are personal
That is not our understanding. The
sword of revolution is sharpened on
the whetting stone of ideas.”
Bhagat Singh, in his last letter to
the youth of the country dated Feb-
ruary 2, 1931, said, “Let me
announce with all my strength, that
I am not a terrorist and I never was,
except perhaps at the beginning of
my revolutionary career. And I am
convinced that we cannot gain any-
thing through methods (a reference
to violence)…I do not mean that
bombs and pistols are useless,
rather the contrary. But I mean to
say that mere bomb-throwing is not
only harmless but sometimes
harmful... it should back the politi-
cal work of the party. It cannot and
should not work independently.”
Flak for Gogoi
What a pity that the Chief Justice of
India, who is ranked sixth in the
warrant of precedence and admin-
isters the oath of office to the Pres-
ident of India, had no qualms in
accepting the Rajya Sabha seat.
When Ranjan Gogoi stood up to
take oath, Members of the House
shouted ‘shame, shame’. As a mat-
ter of fact, he cannot justify his
position. As Arun Jaitley had
advised, members of the judiciary
should avoid accepting offers that
might smack of a quid pro quo.
SUBHASH C TANEJA, GURUGRAM
Public concern over ex-CJI
This refers to the editorial ‘Cries of
shame’ (March 21); all said and done,
only ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi surrender-
ing his Rajya Sabha membership
can redeem the lost ground. Surely,
being a public-spirited individual, he
cannot remain oblivious of the vox
populi. To nip all future controver-
sies, the retirement age of judges in
the superior courts should be
raised to 70 with no appointments
funded from public purse permissi-
ble thereafter to pre-empt the
notion that pre-retirement judg-
ments can be influenced by desire
for post-retirement assignments.
LALIT BHARADWAJ, PANCHKULA
THE TRIBUNE
CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 23 MARCH 2020 OPED 09

Politics of border-crossing in times of corona

SHELLEY WALIA
PROFESSOR AND FELLOW, ENGLISH AND
CULTURAL STUDIES, PANJAB UNIVERSITY
but come together against the wrath and the novel coronavirus, now the face of the speed of the spread of
of a stubborn antagonist.’ It is a his- known as SARS-CoV-2. It is the the enemy that is unheard of in the
torical fact that this strategy is also humans who remain outdone and history of modern combat warfare.
salient to nations where different mortified with their superciliousness Deeply ideological and aesthetic
religious and ethnic groups come flattened by the indomitable forces of questions arise from such a belliger-
together to throw the aggressor out. nature. Brought to its knees by a pow- ence. One thing is loud and clear; the
The anti-colonial wars are a striking er unheard of before, it struggles to ethics of war are apparently missing in
example of the diverse forces unit- wage a fight against an enemy it can- the history of our civilisation except in
ing against the aggressor. The not see. The target is there on the the Hellenic period. If humanity has no
fences, thus, stand symbolically dis- screen, but no bullet is there in our ethics in confronting its enemies, why
mantled. And yet, though you want arsenal, lethal enough against its should the Covid-19? Maybe, it is a les-
to be together, you fixate on self- invincibility. It remains as unde- son at this juncture to change the ways

I
N a world ridden with sectarian
violence, uncontrolled terrorist
killings and widespread dema-
goguery, a moral abyss, dark and
deep, emerges in which pervasive
repression and an upsurge of lawless-
ness against those considered dispos-
able become the defining feature of
our times. We realise that we have
entered an age of uncertainty, and
uncertainty breeds fear. There is an
alarm of decline, alarm of the
unknown, a kind of fear of strangers,
fear of adjustment that is wearing
away the trust and interdependence
on which civil society rests. The spec-
tre of terrorism, climate change and
ruthless economics haunts people
around the globe. Open societies rap-
idly take precautions against people
on the move by closing their borders,
sacrificing freedom and security. But
what about the scourge of Covid-19,
the unassailable invader?
In a world split by religion and hate
crimes against ethnic minorities, the
only reason that unites nations is the
collective battle against one common
enemy: the virus on the rampage. The
civilisational aphorism is apparent:
‘Exterminate in the name of religion,
quarantine or non-contact in human
relations, which is your only
defence at this dark moment.
Interestingly, the anger of the oppo-
nent’s ‘bigotry’ or ‘racism’ is against
the entire human race, irrespective of
race, gender or class. The microorgan-
ism respects no boundaries or reli-
gions, treating the world as one
nation. Like the predatory forces of
capitalism, it is everywhere. It has a
single adversary which calls itself
‘humans’ but that stands divided
unnaturally into varied nations and
religions. Using Machiavellian tactics
of remaining latent and deceptive for
days, as in the parallel of the Greek
myth of the Trojan Horse, the virus
silently spreads its snake-like venom
into the enemy camp deceived by its
oblivious existence within.
Like the Trojan Horse computer
virus, it maliciously damages and
inflicts paralysis on the humans. Ini-
tially seeming mild, it surreptitiously
turns lethal, ready to mutate to keep
the epidemiologists on tenterhooks.
Labs around the globe scramble to
meet the insurmountable challenge
and virologists set to work to develop
diagnostic tests for the new enemy.
tectable as the US bombers, cold-
bloodedly targeting their enemies on
their computer screens from 30,000
feet above the earth. A face-to-face
confrontation, as in the times of Home-
ric wars, is indeed, unheard of in
advanced technological warfare that
looks more of a masquerade than a war.
COVID-19: The only reason that unites nations is the collective battle against the virus. Jean Baudrillard, the French sociolo-
gist, had similarly argued in his book
If humanity has no ethics in confronting its enemies, why The Gulf War did not take place that the
Iraq war was conducted as a media
should Covid-19? Maybe, it’s a lesson at this juncture to spectacle. The real violence was sys-
change the ways in which the other is looked upon, the way tematically overwritten by a video
game or an electronic narrative of sim-
we turn away the homeless exiles from our borders and the ulation far from being an ethical war.
Correspondingly, the creepy-crawly
way we engage in merciless violence, leaving many in pain remains evasive and imperceptible,
for their lost dear ones. Moreover, when the virus has attacking its victims on the sly, and
without a war cry. And we humans on
struck in the ‘wet markets’ of meat-eating people, the the receiving end remain helpless and
frail in the face of a fully-programmed
question of the ethics of animal rights foregrounds not only assault. Donald Trump’s nuclear arse-
the value of animals, but also of what it is to be human. nal, or the armoured vehicles of the
Revolutionary Islamic Guard in Iran
carrying the banners declaring ‘Oper-
The triumph of modern medical loss, with no sophisticated fighter ation Crackdown on the Coronavirus’,
science that the human race has planes or nuclear missiles potent or PM Narendra Modi’s ‘56-inch
been so arrogant about now embar- enough to obliterate it. Though this chest’ are of no consequence. The
rassingly flounders. time around, there are again seeming- dominant nations of the world are
The united armies of nations are at a ly only two superpowers: the humans indeed caught flatfooted for once in
in which the other is looked upon, the
way we turn away the homeless exiles
from our borders and the way we so
heartlessly engage in merciless vio-
lence, leaving many in pain for their
lost dear ones. Moreover, when the
virus has struck in the ‘wet markets’
of meat-eating people, the question of
the ethics of animal rights foregrounds
not only the value of animals, but also
of what it is to be human.
Thanks to this Armageddon, we
urgently need to strategise continual-
ly to defend ourselves through some
semblance of principled behaviour
towards those we inhumanly consider
our enemies. Maybe, we need to learn
to keep our environment clean with
absolute respect for nature as well as
for human and animal rights. The
human crisis we face should some-
what blunt our racist or carnivorous
appetite, a manifestation of our apa-
thetic concern for the world we live
in. Our nemesis lies in our assault not
only on nature, but also on our very
own species. For too long we have
considered the scales enormously on
our side, allowing great harm to the
world around us for the sake of bene-
fits. It is now payback time.

Bhagat Singh martyrdom day reduced to a ritual

E
VERY March 23, leaders of the
nation pay homage to the three
supreme martyrs of the free-
dom struggle: Bhagat Singh,
Rajguru and Sukhdev. Eighty-nine
years after their martyrdom, Bhagat
Singh, who became an icon of the rev-
olutionary movement even during his
CHAMAN LAL
lifetime, continues to be one of the
HONORARY ADVISER, BHAGAT SINGH ARCHIVES most popular icons of the nation, along
& RESOURCE CENTRE, NEW DELHI
with Mahatma Gandhi and, perhaps,
Subhas Chandra Bose. But has the
nation really honoured Bhagat Singh
in the 73 years of Independence or just
Tribal revolutionaries made it ritualistic by paying lip service
to the martyred ones?
Birsa Munda, Sidhu-Kanhu Since Bhagat Singh is the most pop-
and Tilka Manjhi have ular youth icon, has any university
been named after him? Have his
universities named after thoughts and beliefs — in the form of
his writings — been made part of
them. There is none that school/college/university syllabuses?
carries Bhagat Singh’s Even the youth day of the country is
not named after him. Swami
name. States mostly have Vivekananda’s birth anniversary —
January 12 — was declared the Nation-
universities named after al Youth Day in 1984 by the Govern-
their local heroes or saints. ment of India. Would the Punjab Gov-
ernment dare to declare September 28
Bhagat Singh’s name was as the Punjab Youth Day, especially in
the light of its drug-infected youth who
not thought of by Punjab or could look towards the alternative in
Left-ruled states like the inspiring vision of Bhagat Singh?
This very powerful icon of the free-
Kerala, West Bengal and dom struggle does not even find a place
in the gallery of portraits in the Central
Tripura, which own him as Hall of Parliament, where even lesser
the icon of their youth and known revolutionaries, like martyr
Hemu Kalani, find a place. Since Hemu
student organisations. Kalani was from Sindh, then Deputy
PM LK Advani saw to it that his portrait
is displayed in the Central Hall’s por-
trait gallery. Bhagat Singh’s statue has
been put up along with those of Mahat-
YOUTH ICON: Ironically, Bhagat Singh’s writings are missing from curricula.
ma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose and others outside Parliament.
However, their portraits are also dis-
played in the gallery, but not that of
Bhagat Singh. Ironically, the portrait of
VD Savarkar, accused in the Mahatma
Gandhi murder case, is displayed right
opposite Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait!
There are scores of colleges in India
and hundreds of schools and youth
clubs named after Bhagat Singh not
only in Punjab but also throughout
India. But why not a university? The
University Grants Commission (UGC)
website shows a number of universities
are named after freedom fighters. As on
February 1 this year, the UGC has listed
935 universities in the country. These
include 50 Central universities, 409 state
universities and 127 deemed-to-be uni-
versities. Then there is a spurt in private
universities — 349 at present — and
their numbers are increasing rapidly.
A lot many universities are named
after the states or cities where they
were set up, like Delhi University, Cal-
cutta University, or Panjab University,
and after eminent national leaders or
scholars. A perusal of only Central and
state universities shows interesting
data. The maximum number of public
sector universities is named after BR
Ambedkar — 14 in total. And exactly
half — seven — are named after
Mahatma Gandhi. The most vilified
national leader in the present regime
— Jawaharlal Nehru — also has seven
named after him, whereas his daugh-
ter Indira Gandhi has six, and Indira
Gandhi’s son Rajiv Gandhi has eight
universities in his name! Netaji Sub-
has Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel
have three each named after them.
The fast-growing name is that of
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, who already
has four universities in his name and
may cross the mark of Gandhi and
Nehru soon. Even APJ Abdul Kalam
has four universities in his name,
while Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the
first Education Minister of India, has
just one. Four universities are named
after Swami Vivekananda. One pleas-
ant surprise is that of scientist CV
Raman, who has three universities in
his name. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and
Rabindranath Tagore have two each.
Among the revolutionaries, Birsa
Munda, Sidhu-Kanhu — tribal revolu-
tionaries — have two universities in
their names. Tilka Manjhi, another
tribal revolutionary, has one. Of all the
well-known revolutionary icons, only
one university — in Kanpur — is
named after Chandra Shekhar Azad.
There is none named after Bhagat
Singh or any other well-known revolu-
tionary, like Master Surya Sen.
States mostly have universities
named after their local heroes or
saints. Bhagat Singh’s name was not
thought of either by Punjab or Left-
ruled states like Kerala, West Bengal
and Tripura that own Bhagat Singh as
the icon of their youth and student
organisations. When the Central Uni-
versity of Punjab (CUP) was set up in
Bathinda in 2009, I wrote to the then
HRD Minister, Arjun Singh, and his
successor Kapil Sibal to name it after
Bhagat Singh, but I received no
response. Punjab MPs in Parliament
should pressure the Central govern-
ment to rename the Central University
at Bathinda after Bhagat Singh. If the
Central University of Arunachal
Pradesh in Itanagar can be named
after Rajiv Gandhi, why can the CUP
not be named after Bhagat Singh?
Despite Bhagat Singh’s 130 writings
being now fully available in many lan-
guages — Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English
and Marathi — and in lesser numbers in
many more languages, despite his seri-
ous and relevant political writings, like
Religion and our freedom struggle, Com-
munalism and its resolution, The prob-
lem of untouchability, Letter to young
political workers and Why I am an athe-
ist, no state or Central university or
school board of any state has included
his writings in its curricula.
The naming of the Chandigarh inter-
national airport after Shaheed Bhagat
Singh is being held up indefinitely,
despite the Punjab and Haryana
Assemblies passing resolutions to this
effect in 2009-10. On the other hand,
there is a spree of naming railway sta-
tions/airports/universities in the name
of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
Mass organisations of workers, peas-
ants, students, youth and employees
love to have Bhagat Singh’s photo-
graphs, songs and slogans as part of
their mass struggle/processions, as is
visible in the Shaheen Bagh dharna
and other protests all over the country.
Bhagat Singh’s favourite slogan
Inquilab Zindabad reverberates in all
Shaheen Bagh dharnas and in strug-
gles of mass organisations. They are,
thus, honouring Bhagat Singh at a
non-official level.
Meanwhile, in the time of the coron-
avirus lockdown, when even temples,
gurdwaras, masjids and churches are
being closed for the public, the words of
Bhagat Singh from his classic essay
Why I am an Atheist come to mind: He
poses the question — I ask why your
omnipotent God; Why did he not kill
warlords or the fury of war in them and
thus avoid the catastrophe hurled down
on the head of humanity by the Great
War? Perhaps, he would have posed this
question today: Why does he (God) not
kill coronavirus, which is causing such
a catastrophe in the whole world that
even his places of worship are closed?

quick crossword su do ku calendar forecast

ACROSS MARCH 23, 2020, MONDAY SUNSET: MONDAY 18:36 HRS
1 Equivocal and unclear (9)
8 Abnormally fat (5)
2 5 ■ Vikrami Samvat 2076 SUNRISE: TUESDAY 06:21 HRS
■ Shaka Samvat 1942
9 Grant of public money (7)
10 Hostility (6)
11 Stock of wine (6)
4 6 ■ Chaitra Shaka

■ Chaitra Parvishte 10
3 Sunny Partly Cloudy Cloudy
CITY MAX
Rainy
MIN
Foggy

12 Breed of retriever (8) ■ Hijari 1441

7 9 4 1
Chandigarh 28 16
15 Advance (8) ■ Krishna Paksha Tithi 14, up to 12.31 pm New Delhi 31 17
18 Go (6)
■ Shubha Yoga up to 1:51 pm Amritsar 24 15
20 Smother (6)
21 To baffle (7) 2 6 5 7 ■ Puvabhadrapad Nakshatra up to 1:02 am

■ Moon enters Pisces sign 6:37 pm.

Bathinda 27 17
22 Part of horse’s harness (5) Jalandhar 25 15
23 Rendered powerless (9) Ludhiana 28 15
4 5 9 1 SATURDAY’S SOLUTION Bhiwani 27 17
DOWN
5 7 2 4 8 1 9 6 3 Hisar 28 17
2 Small rodent (5)
3 Offensive remark (6) 9 5 6 8 6 4 1 9 7 3 8 5 2 Sirsa 29 17
4 Be basis of (8) Dharamsala 17 08
8 3 9 5 6 2 4 1 7
Manali 14 01
6 1 8 4
5 In preference (6)
6 West Atlantic islands 4 6 5 8 3 7 2 9 1 Shimla 18 07
group (7) Srinagar 17 06
3 2 8 1 9 6 5 7 4
3 7
7 Unhurried (9) Jammu 26 15
11 Self-possession (9) 1 9 7 2 4 5 3 8 6
Kargil 05 --01
SATURDAY ’ S SOLUTION 13 Unfounded (8)
2 5 3 7 1 9 6 4 8 Leh 11 --03
Across: 1 Hapless, 4 Pound, 7 Mean, 8 Sporadic, 10 Referendum, 12 Former, 13 Asylum,
15 Hoitytoity, 18 Initiate, 19 Warm, 20 Gaffe, 21 Concern.
14 Supplement to a will (7)
16 Enjoy (6) 5 7 7 8 6 3 5 4 1 2 9 Dehradun 29 11
Down: 1 Homer, 2 Platform, 3 Supine, 4 Perquisite, 5 Undo, 6 Decorum, 9 True to 17 Mood (6) Mussoorie 18 08
9 1 4 6 2 8 7 3 5
life, 11 Ultimate, 12 Fawning, 14 Static, 16 Yemen, 17 Tiff. 19 Inexperienced (5) MEDIUM TEMPERATURE IN OC