Saturday, October 15, 2011

Turbaned Sikh’s Reminder to France

-(Late) Dr. M.S. Rahi
From a small island, Bonaparte came,
When passions were high.
---No more kings,
‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’,
Was the loud cry.
In his army uniform,
He was, what a small fry.
Ambitious he was,
Like Alexander the Great,
He wanted to go very high.
Once on the top--‘Stop this drama of revolution’
He thundered,
‘France needs a powerful emperor’,
He told the disillusioned French guy.
Selling the dream of a big French Empire,
Hungry and half clad French,
He took far and wide.
Many of them died,
On the vast Russian snowy desert,
And the rest saving themselves,
Took to back flight.
Russian adventure had misfired.
And lastly, Bonaparte failed them,
At the Waterloo fight.
He surrendered, to whom once he called,
‘A nation of shopkeepers’, with a great pride.
France was never the same again.
The republic is good or monarchy,
The French failed to decide.
Uncertain times went on.
But after almost a century,
Paris was in danger of being over-run
By a big neighbour,
Then the same nation,
With turbaned Sikhs, came to their side.
Sikhs fought with their unusual bravery,
And from another humiliation
Saved the French honour and pride.
Now, in the changed scenario,
World has become a global village,
And civilization has taken a long stride.
In the 21st century, Does it behove
France to rob the helpless people of
Their basic human rights ?
Forgetting its Voltairs and Sartres,
And dogmatically following the direction
To the opposite side.

1 comment:

  1. The French & the Sikhs

    *Is it a myth that Saragarhi Episode or battle which the 21 Sikhs of the Sikh Regiment fought against 10-20 thousand pathan lashkar of Orakzai and Afridi tribes from rampants of fortress saragarhi ,an information post to feed Forts of Gulistan and Lochart forts,in Tirah region of Waziristan in NWFP now known as Khyber Pakhtunkhawa in Pakistan on 12 September,1897?

    **Is it a myth that the 12 September,1897 ,the Saragarhi Episode is one of the 8 stories cotained in a book published by UNESCO (UNO)?

    *** Is it also a myth that the UNESCO publication is a part of the school curriculmn for the upcoming French school children to get inspiration from generation to genration ,having no equal in AD?

    ****Is it also untrue that Sikh soldiers with their turbans on had paraded the Paris streets after WW-II was over.
    ,
    *****Not that the French do not know that Sikh Soldiers fought WW-II with their turbans on instead of steel helmets by giving an undertaking that in case of getting head injury ,they will not be entitled to any compensation what so ever.

    Now at this belated stage ,is it asking for to much if the Sikh children are permitted to enter French schools with their Turbans on?.

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