[Reader-list] A Day in the Life of a Sikh Prejudice (for Kafila.org)

[Pukhraj Singh]

'A Day in the Life of a Sikh Prejudice'

http://kafila.org/2012/12/29/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-sikh-prejudice-pukhraj-singh/

Since 2012, we have been working on an investigative sub-project
called the 'Punjab's Map of Shame'
(http://abroo.in/punjabs-map-of-shame/), recording serious cases of
caste atrocities, religious discrimination and communal segregation in
villages and gurdwaras. The bizarre sequence of events transpiring at
village Dhotian, covered in this piece, becomes the centerpiece of our
activism.

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As the year comes to a close, we would also like to use this
opportunity to share some of our achievements and vision.

Deviating from the mass-produced histories, the sanitized narratives
and the politically-correct opinions supported by the pliant
establishment, the maudlin media, the overly-objective academia and
the inert intelligentsia in general, we have adopted a slightly
contrarian disposition that pricks the big, fat underbelly of Punjabi
society. Stridently believing in the fact that all the epoch-making
events originate from the very lore and the subtle or subliminal
shifts in consciousness going unnoticed, we pluck the virgin
counter-narratives directly from the source—unabashedly subjective,
like a ‘fly in the ointment’. The conversation itself becomes the
message as well the medium. That helps to regain focus on issues
slipping through the cracks of a facetious and prejudiced mainstream
discourse.

It is with this vision that we have successfully made crucial
interventions into the caste situation and the public policy of Punjab
(http://abroo.in/blog/dossier-a-two-pronged-strategy-for-reinvigorating-the-opposition-in-punjab/,
http://abroo.in/blog/inside-the-media-mafia-of-punjab/).

Bound to be tagged as “biased”, we would like to point out that our
approach towards consensus building can veritably and proudly be
attributed to the ‘Kanshi Ram school of realpolitik’, emphasizing on
political action and positive subversion. With the depravity that has
gripped the religious institutions and the media, originally meant to
imbue social equity, the pleadings of the marginalized should instead
be redirected to the temples of democracy, and such a post-partisan,
trans-ideological commitment can only reinforce the cause.

Having set the foundations for this endeavour in the last two years,
we will be expanding considerably in 2013, if not institutionally then
intellectually. There are some exciting projects in the pipeline,
including the second Punjabi Subaltern Summit and some initiatives on
the 2014 elections! This quick note would not end with the typical
call asking you to donate money—though we are as resource-starved as
any non-profit would be—we would rather seek your goodwill and
blessings, turning this winter of discontent into one of hope.

Here are some miscellaneous resources and commentaries from this
year's archive of Abroo that might interest you:

Videos of the Punjabi Subaltern Summit – 2012, Chandigarh
(http://abroo.in/punjabi-subaltern-summit-chandigarh/)

Punjab’s Map of Shame (http://abroo.in/punjabs-map-of-shame/)

Dossier: A Two-pronged Strategy for Reinvigorating the Opposition in
Punjab (http://abroo.in/blog/dossier-a-two-pronged-strategy-for-reinvigorating-the-opposition-in-punjab/)

Inside the Media Mafia of Punjab
(http://abroo.in/blog/inside-the-media-mafia-of-punjab/)

Fear and Loathing in Dera Sach Khand, Ballan
(http://abroo.in/blog/fear-and-loathing-in-dera-sach-khand-ballan/)

ਸਿਖ ਧਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਦਲਿਤਾਂ ਦਾ ਹਾਲ: ਡੇਰਾ ਸਚਖੰਡ ਬੱਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਇਕ ਰਿਪੋਰਟ
(http://abroo.in/blog/dera-ballan-report-in-punjabi/)

Lala Ruchi Ram Sahni: A Counter-Narrative to Sikh Revisionism?
(http://abroo.in/subalternsummit-discussions/lala-ruchi-ram-sahni-a-counter-narrative-to-sikh-revisionism/)

Freemasonry and Sikhism
(http://abroo.in/subalternsummit-discussions/freemasonry-and-sikhism/)

Best,
Pukhraj Singh
Founder, Abroo (ਆਬਰੂ) — www.abroo.in
Convener, Punjabi Subaltern Summit — www.subaltern.in

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