Tag: sikhism

the courage to persuade the pistol

25.05.2026

S: In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, courage is defined as the fight against racism. They say that courage is knowing that you are licked before you even begin to fight racism and still fight nonetheless.

A: You believe that you have this courage?

S: I fight racism with my words. I fight racism with my deeds. With my heart. With my love and my friendship. I have never denied anyone anything because of the colour of their skin or their religion or culture. I have never denied anyone love because of what is wrong.

A: What is your idea of courage? It is something that you write about a lot, this concept of courage and bravery.

S: Do you know what the courage of a Punjabi is? The guru said:

‘Chirion se main baaz turaun,

Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun’

It is when I make sparrows fight hawks that I am called Gobind Singh.

‘Gidderon se main sher banaun,

Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun’

It is when make I lions out of wolves that I am called Gobind Singh

‘Nichon se main ucch banaun,

Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun’

It is when I make the lowly rise that I am called Gobind Singh

‘Sawa lakh se ek laraun,

Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun’

It is when I make one fight a hundred thousand that I am called Gobind Singh

Courage is when you have no power and you still fight. Courage is when you are the one and you fight the hundred thousand. When you stand against all as The Tiger. It is a concept shared by both Atticus Finch in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and the Guru. Attitus is one of the powerful. He says it despite the fact that he has power in a white supremacist society as a white man. The Guru? He said it when he was one of the lowly. What the Guru said is the truth, it is the sincere conviction of the true warrior.

A: You believe that you are the lowly?

S: I am an Untouchable. I am The Oppressed, the Dalit. I am the working class. I am an ethnic minority man. We are they who they want to keep low. And yet, I fight. With everything. To the last breath. With my love. With my freedom. With my voice. With my body. I am the one that the Guru called to fight. Because they want us to be lowly but we will rise. It is us that are truly powerful. With all of their might, we are the ones that strike fear into their hearts. Because it is us that are the warriors. And them? They are the cowards. They are the hundred thousand that fight the one. Me. And it is them that lose.

the slave (microfiction)

09.11.2025

S: The idea of the slave is what gives us the sense of freedom.

A: How so?

S: We, who are the Revolution, we would do anything so that we do not become the slave. We fight so that we do not become the slave. We who are from the Dalits, ‘The Oppressed’, the low castes, we will no longer be slaves.

A: What is the slave? What are you talking about?

S: The slave is the victim of power and oppression. The slave is governed by the powerful and lives according to the caprices of the powerful. The slave has no independent thoughts or life. The slave models their living on the dictates and wants of the powerful. The slave loves the powerful, is fucked by the powerful. The slave has been raped and seduced by evil. The slave fawns on the powerful. The slave has no integrity. The slave only loves oppressive power and wants to be oppressive power. The slave is weak willed. The slave is the slave to the Other.

A: And freedom?

S: Freedom is freedom from slavery. One who is free governs himself. He lives according to his own desires, his own culture. The rules he accepts, the dharma, his own law. He is the law maker. From his own culture. He decides what he thinks is right himself. Not what someone else is trying to force him to think is right. The free does not want to become oppressive power. He does not listen to the powerful. He is his own man. He lives like a king. The free man hates the powerful. Because their power is based on greed and exploitation, injustice and lies. He is not fucked by the powerful. He is not raped and seduced by the powerful. He is mind. He attacks the powerful. Because the one without power is the most powerful. The one without power is the most free. The free man hates oppressive power and wants to be anything but oppressive power. The free man loves love and justice. The free man is not weak willed. He does not bow down to anyone. He holds his head high. The free man is not the Other. He is himself, authentic. The free man is the Revolution.

A: Who is this free man?

S: You are looking at him. The free man is The Tiger. Across thousands of years, the figure of The Tiger has stood against the imposition of unjust external rule in India. And now, The Tiger stands in every country of the world. The Tiger is self respect, value for his culture, just pride, goodness, dharma (the law), authenticity. It is not a name. It is everything.