Sikh generals will find a place in Delhi
A largely forgotten chapter of Sikh history is soon going to be a permanent feature of New Delhi’s landscape. The Gwalior-based Prabhat Murti Kala Kendra has made the bronze statues of Baba Baghel Singh, Baba Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Baba Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, the trio that led the Sikh forces to a triumph over Mughal emperor Shah Alam-II in March 1783. The victors had conquered Delhi and hoisted the “Nishan Sahib” atop the Red Fort. The emperor had promptly come up with a peace treaty and accepted the terms laid down. Baba Baghel Singh was allowed to build gurdwaras, including Rakab Ganj Sahib and Bangla Sahib. The fauj returned to Punjab after construction work was completed. The statues have been ordered by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee which has been celebrating Delhi Fateh Diwas for the past four years. The Committee general secretary and Akali leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told The Sunday Guardian that the three sculptures, each 12 ft high and weighing 1,200-1,400 kg, will be installed in a park opposite Subhash Nagar Metro station and Najafgarh Road in west Delhi. “Most people are unaware of Delhi’s Sikh heritage. The Tis Hazari courts are named after Baba Baghel Singh’s army that camped at the site. Sikh soldiers used to distribute sweets among the public at Pul Mithai, while Mori Gate got its name after troops breached a wall to enter the Red Fort,” says Sirsa.
Jhalrapatan likes Maharani
In this round of Assembly elections, Rajasthan was considered to be the weakest for the Bharatiya Janata Party compared to the other two party ruled states, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Even the central BJP leadership had felt that they might lose Rajasthan “just because of unpopular and arrogant Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje”. Surprisingly, a few days before the elections in Rajasthan, there were reports that the BJP was making a fast recovery, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last minute fire-fighting, tearing into the “Congress family”. Confused, the Congress claimed that “these are BJP sponsored rumours”. The state has voted out a government every five years since 1998. “The problem with the Congress was that there was no clear leader. The Congress was like a marriage party without a groom. The problem with the BJP was the leader (Vasundhara).” This could be heard everywhere in Rajasthan. The Congress said, “There was only one election issue: Vasundhara Raje. Everyone hates this Maharani.” In her Jhalrapatan constituency, the Congress put out posters: “Swabhimaani ki ladai abhimaani se.” Recognising the massive anti-CM sentiment, the BJP top heads sought votes merely on the “BJP Phir Se” slogan. The BJP chief Amit Shah also felt the heat of anti-Raje sentiments at many places. On Wednesday, he cut short his interaction with the media in Jaipur abruptly, saying, “You people are asking manufactured questions.” Provoked by a query on the BJP claiming a victory on 180 seats, Shah stood up and left.
However, Vasundhara Raje’s Assembly segment Jhalrapatan thinks differently of the Maharani. Jhalrapatan locals told The Sunday Guardian that her Congress rival Manvendra Singh, son of the late BJP Union Minister Jaswant Singh, was in the wrong place and Raje, the Maharani of Dholpur, was their favourite. “No one can defeat Maharani-sa here. She has represented us for 30 years, while Manvendra is an outsider from Barmer. Even if Sonia Gandhi comes here, she cannot defeat Maharani-sa.” Raje came to Jhalrapatan in 1989. She belongs to the Gwalior royalty and was married into the Dholpur royalty.
In Jhalrapatan’s narrow streets, saffron flags dominated the landscape, with people more interested in Raje’s recent move to restore the local Sun Temple, which is considered second only to Odisha’s Konark Sun Temple in grandeur.
Joy Mukerji’s son turns filmmaker
Suujoy J. Mukerji, the 35-year-old son of actor and filmmaker Joy Mukerji, is the talk of the Hindi film industry these days. Suujoy’s debut directorial 27-minute short-film Ab Mujhe Udnaa Hai (Let Me Soar High) has won 12 national and international awards in various categories. Made in three days, it captures the triumph of a molestation victim and her family over stigma and agony. “Society needs to join in the effort to help victims of sexual abuse to regain their confidence and join the mainstream,” Suujoy told The Sunday Guardian. The film chronicles the life of a college girl, Devika, who musters the courage to erase the nightmarish experience and start afresh by resuming college studies and dance after the incident. The film delicately captures the crucial role played by Devika’s peers and dance trainer, a role essayed by actor Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay alias Mimoh. It also features veteran actor Kanwaljeet Singh.
Birthday gift to Sonia will have to wait
On Sonia Gandhi’s birthday today, 9 December, a well-wisher of the family, a lawyer who is currently keeping a low profile, was planning to engineer the defection of a popular BJP leader into the Congress. He chalked out this plan to showcase it as a birthday gift to Madam Sonia Gandhi. But the BJP leader, who is not in the good books of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, has decided to wait a little while before crossing over. He wants to see the results of the Assembly elections.