ICJ for Kulbhushan Jadhav. Good.

Why not for Capt Saurabh Kalia?

That was his first posting and the very first assignment…and no mean one! Brimming with courage, suffused with patriotic fervour, this, barely-past-his-teens Braveheart was in fact on his maiden though challenging mission on that ill-fated day of 14 May 1999. He was leading a batch of 5 jawans climbing the icy Kargil heights as a patrol party on a recce to verify and ascertain stray, casual reports about the enemy intrusion into our territory that had trickled in. Not anticipating any big mischief, if at all any, the party was however taken by rude surprise; for, while India slept, the enemy infiltration had gone on on a massive scale on the sly. He and his party were ambushed. They fought till the last bullet but were subsequently overpowered and captured by the enemy. What happened in the 22-odd days that followed is the blood-curdling story of barbarism, brutality, beastliness that is too terrible and horrendous even to imagine: something that will always remain an ugly stain on the face of humanity. Those young men were subjected to such extreme, slow, protracted, spine-chilling torture that even the words to pen it shiver, shudder and turn bloody. This small party was none other than the one that had at its head one of Palampur’s Kargil heroes: Capt Saurabh Kalia.

This sad saga is known to us all. But what makes this story sadder still, as also annoying and disgusting, is the shameful silence of the governments in power. This inhuman treatment meted out to Captain Saurabh and his team by the Pakistan army was a brazen, blatant violation of human rights and was indubitably a case of a gross war crime. Captain Saurabh’s anguished parents have fought long and hard and tried all means (including a petition to PM Modi through change.org) to move the government(s) at the centre to take the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ); to hold the perpetrators of this torture accountable and ensure deterrent punishment.  They have even knocked at the Supreme Court’s door but in view of government’s apathy and dillydallying, they haven’t been able to make much headway as yet.

But now the Kulbhushan Jadhav case has made the present government shed its old, habitual pusillanimity, lethargy and lassitude and jolted it into moving the ICJ.  The positive results are there for all to see.

Quite justifiably therefore, there are some voices asking that Saurabh Kalia case too should likewise  be taken to the ICJ by the Modi government without any more delay. Major Vijai Singh Mankotia has rightly asked for it and the HP’s ex-servicemen too have joined hands with pleas to help make it happen.

It is indeed a just, noble and a fitting cause and we all must support it whole-heartedly and do our bit in building up the momentum for it. It has already suffered inordinate delay at the hands of weak-kneed politicians. “We have already lost the edge because of this delay,” says Vaibhav Kalia, the martyr’s suave brother. Therefore any more procrastination would only weaken it further before the ICJ. Nothing would please the countrymen more than if those insane wolves in men’s clothing are exposed before the world and brought to justice. That would be some consolation at least to the grieving parents and family members of Capt Saurabh and his team who all nurse the pain and sadness deep in their hearts. In fact the world will laud and applaud the government for bringing to light this dastardly act of torture by the Pakistan army and the nether depths to which they can stoop and sink; the limits they can cross. It will be a resounding slap on the face of Pakistan army and as Vaibhav says so rightly, “A timely action at the ICJ level in the Saurabh Kalia case would have served as a deterrent against subsequent inhuman transgressions by the Pak army such as the frequent cases of beheadings of our men." In a broader context it will be a victory of the intrinsic goodness of humankind against the evil of vile demons who masquerade as humans.

Can’t we make it a mass movement? Let’s do it.

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A delightful read indeed

Another book I finished reading two weeks ago was ‘My Mountain and My Valley’ by Parmananda Sharma. It is a slim, 141-page autobiographical account by this erudite scholar of our own Kangra valley. He, as many of you might know, retired as Principal of Government College at Dharamsala and lives in the sylvan environs of its suburb, Shamnagar.

The book is an engaging story of Prof Sharma’s life’s journey from a village in Punjab right up to the present day. There are interesting details of his struggles, his highs and lows in life, the subtle workings of destiny, and his encounters with some of the great leaders including those who were engaged in the freedom struggle. He delves at quite a length into his spiritual forays and his deep and abiding association with Sai Baba and his other religious/spiritual experiences. His long and rewarding association with His Holiness the Dalai Lama is also a part of this narrative and makes for a rewarding read. A scholar that he is, he has translated many great religious Tibetan texts into English.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Prof P N Sharma more than two decades back and found him self-effacing and unassuming. His scholarship and  mastery over the English language as also his accomplishments as a writer sit lightly on his shoulders. I have since that day adored him and held him in high respect.

It was therefore a greater pleasure to read his autobiography in this backdrop. But if I were to wear a critic’s hat then I dare say that the account of religious and spiritual dimension of his life running into very many pages - no doubt mostly quite enlightening - proved to be a bit of an overdose for a poor agnostic like me. I would instead have loved to read some more intimate details and anecdotes relating to other aspects of his personal life. But on the whole, a wholesome, absorbing read.

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Quotes of the week

Ultimately the aim of human existence, as His Holiness always emphasises, is to become a good human being with a good heart, to be compassionate, to be loving with a sense of universal responsibility
                                - P N Sharma in 'My mountain and my valley'

When man fails you God helps
                                 - As above

The Dhaludhar is my mountain and the Kangra valley is my valley
                                 - As above

"Be your own lamps" (atta deepo vihartha) 
                               - Buddha's  words quoted by P N Sharma

"Amour vincent omnia" ('love conquers everything')
                               - A quote in P N Sharma's  book  

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Random headlines 

World leaders vow to defend  Climate Pact after Donald Trump pull-out (Economic Times)

Smoking claims 2200 Indians everyday (Deccan Chronicle)

HIV infected woman thrashed by doctors at Gorakhpur med college hospital (Deccan Herald)

Excessive texting may cause 'smartphone thumb': experts (Deccan Chronicle)

Fruit your way to glowing skin and luscious tresses this summer (Economic Times)

Action against illegal hotels in Mc Leodganj area (The Tribune)

Rain damages 100 houses in Palampur (The Tribune)

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