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Ludhiana to Host Prayer to Admit and Seek Pardon for Sin During 1947 Partition

August 24, 2017 | By I P Singh

by: I P Singh
(Source: Times of India*)

Jalandar: While stories of despair of the partition of Punjab along with desperation of the survivors to see their homes which they left on either side of the Radcliff Line have been narrated during 70th anniversary of Independence, in a first of its kind initiative, a collective “Ardaas/Dua” (prayer) will be organized on August 27 in Ludhiana to admit the collective sin on the part of Punjabis for mass killings and seek atonement.

“Those who were killed and those who killed were our own, as Punjabis turned their backs on their philosophy of togetherness for the first time in August 1947. We are talking about accepting this sin after 70 years. Ardass/Dua will be hosted at the Punjabi Bhawan Ludhiana for the one million who were killed and who were killed and 10 million who were uprooted and let all Punjabis, rising above all types of differences, participate in this,” reads the message spread by Aalmi Punjabi Adbi Sangat.

Apart from prayer, survivors would share what their experiences, talk with those who recorded the witness accounts to share the idea of strengthening ties between East Punjab and West Punjab) and also discuss plans to facilitate visits of the survivors to their native places.

“Though non-Punjabi political leaders forced partition on Punjab, these were the Punjabis themselves who indulged in mass killings,” said Nawanshahr based Punjabi Gangveer Rathour, who has taken the initiative. “For Punjab, August 1947 was a big tragedy and apart from ‘outsiders’ our own people were responsible for making partition more ghastly in which lakhs lost lives. It is time to accept the collective sin and to build the narrative around Punjabi brotherhood transcending borders,” he added. “In India, Pakistan or abroad their foremost identity remains Punjabis,” he said.

“We want what happened in 1947 should be recognized as ‘Tragedy of Punjab’ and this should not be forgotten in the noise of celebrations on either side,” he said. And he added, “Travelling of Punjabis on either side of Radcliff Line should be made much easier and it should be developed as a buffer zone between India and Pakistan when jingoists are driving the discourse on either side.” “Our immediate concern is those who are still alive should be given a chance to facilitate their visits to the places of their origins,” he said.

* Note: Above news-story was originally published by Times of India (ToI) under title: “Ludhiana to host prayer to admit sin during partition” by I P Singh at source url: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/ludhiana-to-host-prayer-to-admit-sin-during-partition/articleshow/60149859.cms. Its shared as above for the information of the readers of the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN).

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Related Topics: Aalmi Punjabi Adbi Sangat

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