Punjab's Little Jackie Chan

PUNJAB'S LITTLE JACKIE CHAN

A GATKA GROUP from Tarn Tarun caused quite a stir with their performance on
reality TV show India's Got Talent. Khushwant Singh fills us in.

Ireally hadn't attached much importance to the news about the occurence at
the reality show, India's ot Talent on Colors TV, simply for the reason that
I assumed it was just another case of overreaction by Sikh organisations.

But when a friend sent a link and suggested I have a look, I was convinced
that the Sikhs had a strong case this time. The ignorant ramble of one of
the judges, Sajid Khan, had stirred the sensibilities of even those Sikhs
who loved cracking the Santa Singh Banta Singh jokes.

For the benefit of readers who do not know the background of this incident,
Tarn Taran-based Bir Khalsa Group led by Kamaljeet Singh had performed a
yudh shaili (mock battle scene) at a TV reality show on July 31. In the
group, the oldest member was aged 30, while the youngest was 7. The gatka
act had started with seven-year-old Manpreet Singh dressed in Nihang attire
displaying his martial art skills by wielding his kiddie sword after which
the rest of the troupe had taken charge, displaying their skills.

That it was a performance not for the weak-hearted was soon visible when it
was time for the judges to deliver the judgement. The three judges were
Kiron Kher, Sajid Khan and the hot looking Sonali Bendre.

Sajid Khan, who voted against the act while the performance was still on,
said this act was akin to rioting and promoted violence. Efforts by the not
so erudite, Kamaljeet Singh to explain that this was a traditional art
whereby Sikhs were trained for self-defence had no bearing on the judge.
Carrying on his scoff at the performance, Sajid had added that the act also
promoted violence in children and would encourage children watching this
programme in India as well as abroad, to wield the sword.

Wow! Where did this come from, I asked myself. Dude, this was just an act
like any other theatre act. Just chill and stop bullying! Look at what your
industry is producing and promoting!

Without getting into the religious background of the judges, I reckon,
Sajid's comments come from his lack of knowledge on the very subject he was
judging. Kiron Kher, who saved the day and tried to explain to Sajid the
background of this act, could react the way she did, because she was
equipped to handle what she was judging. Sonali Bendre, who had no idea what
was going on, in her state of shock and awe voted for the performance,
terming it beautiful.

Viewers who thought Sajid had a point perhaps just need to see the video
games their children play on which they have spent thousands. I promise you,
majority of the games have killing missions that include blowing up bridges,
shooting people and all forms of unthinkable violence. The research centres
where this software is prepared seem to conjure up more violent ideas than
the Al-Qaida men discussing their next operation in some cave in
Afghanistan. Wait, there's one heck of a story idea Al-Qaida hires video
game software engineers for more violent ideas! Right on.

And what about kung fu and karate?
Chandigarh's well-silhouetted mommies can often be spotted dropping children
at karate training centres. The aim is not only to prepare the child for
self-defence but also give him confidence, agility and physical grace.

So what's the big deal if a child is taught a selfdefence martial art skill,
which draws its inspiration from the times of the Aryans, 4000 years ago?
And if the child is not being deprived of his basic education, there is no
reason why seven-year-old Manpreet, Punjab's little Jackie Chan, should not
be allowed to participate in the next round.

In the end, it was Sajid who seemed the most rankled and aggressive, not the
troupe or its leader. On second thought, a bit of gatka training might help
Sajid when he judges the next round, for his advice doesn't seem to have cut
any ice with the group.

Hum toe aise he hain, Kamaljeet had said.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HC/2010/08/15/ArticleHtmls/

Cock-A-Doodle-Do ! The Hoshiarpur Trail

Right since childhood I have lived a very nomadic life. Though the foreign travel is a later addition, most of the travelling hours (miles are of no consequence on Indian highways) have been clocked on the Hoshiarpur –Chandigarh road.
So frequent are the visits, since my son studies in Chandigarh, anybody who has to send pappads, achaar or mineral water for their kin in Chandigarh makes sure to call me up and ask when is the next shuttle service leaving for Chandigarh?
The point I wanted to make was that along the highway, and in Hoshiarpur town itself, there are a few landmarks that not only have amusement value but depict the social character of the area.
While driving from Chandigarh when you cross Garhshankar and reach village Dansiwal, on your left is a huge country house- The Sahota Ranch. You simply can’t miss it, for perched on the roof of Sahota Sahib’s house is a big fat cement rooster.
Though almost every household roof in the area has interesting items, the combination a manifestation of the collective personality of the area, this Kookad intrigues me no bound.
For example an airplane denotes the phoren craze, a football the favourite sport, oxen or tractor the favoured pulling power, what did this rooster stand for I always wondered? Was it a display of the owner’s favourite food or was he a Poultry king somewhere abroad?
Lo and behold, the kookad is there for a different purpose. With its desi counterparts getting lazy like the Punjabis itself, this rooster I was told has a job on hand- to wake up the lazy Punjabis at sunrise. One loud speaker and a tape recorder have been especially fixed under its legs to carry out the task of the cock-a-doodle-do and sometimes Gurbani is played for soothing the souls of villagers.
The second object that amuses is the, California International Dhaba, you see on your right while entering Hoshiarpur. Despite the horrible food it serves, no other monument in the town has become more representative of the phoren attachment of the area.
Though hardly any locals’ book its kitty halls, but it attracts NRIs as they feel familiar with name- By the Californians, for the Californians kind of syndrome.
Drive a little further up and you will see a statue of a man with a raised hand. It’s a statue of one of India’s most famous revolutionary Bhagat Singh; but it’s also the ugliest looking Bhagat Singh statue you’d ever see and teenage girls have a serious problem with its looks. They think Bhagat Singh was a handsome man and not the puny fellow the sculptor has made him out to be. Interestingly, when Bhagat Singh was being dressed via the medium of paint, I had asked the painter what colours he proposed to have for Bhagat Singh’s shirt and trousers. A Punjabi expletive had followed and he asked me to shut-up. Apparently every passerby had recommended a combination.
Whatever the issues, Bhagat Singh’s statue symbolises the sudden respect for revolutionaries of the Indian Freedom movement, after Bollywood scripted a couple of movies on them.
Nowhere in India, will you find a sign board inviting men for gossip. Well, Hoshiarpur has its own Gossip club and I have had the opportunity to sit with its members and gossip officially. Yes, officially! And the topics have varied from Monica Bedi’s comeback to her village to the corruption in the government. The idea to set up this gossip club was floated by a retired government servant RK Sud who offered his place and put a board inviting retired men to officially gossip. Do I need to elaborate further on this habit of the Hoshiarpuris?
The other landmark is a barber shop near the Session chowk, it’s sign reading -Educated Hair Dresser. Now don’t rush to the shop because the barber, a man in his eighties, has no clue of hygiene, and to make both ends meet, also sells boiled eggs , the smell of which is not very pleasant. The education bit comes in because he can speak fluent English, the sign, symbolic of two aspects of society- one which respected education and the other who thought speaking English was education.
For, how else do you explain the goof ups of the public school educated guys who are at the helm of affairs? You don’t need to go far.