Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann replaces Dharam Vira Gandhi as AAP leader in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: As an expected fallout of the brawl in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Patiala MP Dharam Vira Gandhi -- who had raised his voice against the treatment meted out to now expelled Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan -- was removed as the party's leader in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. In his place, the party appointed stand-up comedian and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann to articulate its views in the lower House. 

This is an unprecedented rise for an entertainer who rode his punchlines through his poll campaign and eventually to Lok Sabha, although the jury may still be out on whether it is a sign of the readiness of the political class to put satire on the same pedestal as serious criticism. 

Even though Gandhi's removal was explained by AAP merely as a "party decision", it is hardly lost on anyone that he has paid the price for siding with rebels. The Patiala MP gave considerable grief to Arvind Kejriwal and his aides when he endorsed the version of Bhushan and Yadav that the dominant faction resorted to strong-arm methods to intimidate dissidents and stifle their protest. That Gandhi had till then kept himself aloof from the ugly factional fight lent credence to the rebels' narrative. 

Party member Ashutosh, while confirming the development, refused to go into the reason why Gandhi had to be dumped. "This is a party decision and we need not explain it," he said. 

Mann, who had defended Kejriwal and his group, was pleased with the development, and he attacked Bhushan and Yadav saying the two leaders were sacked for carrying out anti-party activities. "I have raised maximum questions, participated in maximum debates and raised concerns about various bills in the House. If the party wants to give me more responsibilities, then I am ready to shoulder them," Mann said. 

Mann's rise is significant as a leg-up to entertainers in Indian politics which has seen many actors enter the fray but rarely any rising beyond a point. 

As a stand-up comedian, Mann also joins the league of several such personalities across the world who have literally laughed their way to election wins and upset political calculations. 

From Italy to Iceland and Miyazaki to Minnesota, comedians and entertainers have left a trail of political surprise. Italian comedian Giuseppe Piero 'Beppe' Grillo spent much of his career pillorying political parties until he launched the 'Five Star Movement' which went on to win over 25% votes in the 2013 general elections in Italy. Icelandic standup comic Jon Gnarr fought mayoral elections in the capital Reykjavik as a "fun thing" only to be declared the winner to his and the political establishment's horror. 

In 2007, Japanese comedian Hideo Higashikokubaru decided to run a serious campaign for governor of the Miyazaki Prefecture and won it in an atmosphere of complete dejection among voters with the political class. Most famous of all, however, was the victory of WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Jesse Ventura's win in Minnesota gubernatorial elections in 1998 when he defeated both the Democratic and Republican candidates. 

Mann's rise comparatively is circumstantial but given that he lost no minute in siding with Kejriwal after the quarrel broke out in the party shows that he is equipped, besides a sense of humour, with political smarts. The reward that he has received from the party will encourage him to further burnish his 'loyalist' credentials.

Nobel laureate and human rights campaigner Nelson Mandela dies at 95

Johannesburg, 5th December 2013 - Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid icon who became the first president of a democratic South Africa, passed away Thursday at his home in Johannesburg after a prolonged lung infection. He was 95.

Mandela will be accorded a state funeral, Zuma said, and national flags will be lowered to half-mast.
"We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. And in him we saw so much of ourselves," he said. "Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell."
South African President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela, "the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed," adding that he "passed on peacefully."
"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," Zuma said.
"Our thoughts are with the millions of people who embraced Mandela as their own and who saw his cause as their cause.… This is the moment of our deepest sorrow.”

Mandela will be accorded a state funeral, Zuma said, and national flags will be lowered to half-mast.
"We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. And in him we saw so much of ourselves," he said. "Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell."
Mandela's respiratory problems in recent years may have been connected to his imprisonment, when he contracted tuberculosis after working in a prison quarry. He had been in hospital in recent months.
Mandela was a prominent international figure for more than half a century, first as a leading human rights campaigner in South Africa and then as the world's best-known political prisoner.
Following his release, he again became the leader of the anti-apartheid struggle, and in 1994 became the first president of a democratic South Africa.

On July 18, 2009, the first Mandela Day declared by the United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about how "Nelson Mandela has made a lasting imprint on our lives."

Mandela: the first 25 years
Born the son of a tribal chief on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo in Transkei in the Eastern Cape province, he was given the name Rolihlaha Mandela. Rolihlaha roughly translates from Xhosa as "troublemaker." For the white South African government, he would soon live up to his name.
When Mandela was nine, his father died, and he was sent to live with the chief of the Thembu people.
After Mandela was expelled from university because of his protest activity, the Thembu chief arranged a marriage for Mandela, which he avoided by leaving the Transkei for Johannesburg in 1941. He earned a BA from the University of South Africa in 1943 and then a law degree. Around this time, he joined the African National Congress (ANC).
In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela wrote, "I have no epiphany, no singular destiny, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand unremembered moments, produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people."

Co-founds ANC Youth League
Formed in 1912, the ANC had been pursuing a non-violent constitutional approach to winning human rights for non-whites.
In 1944, Mandela co-founded the ANC Youth League. He and other ANCYL leaders pushed for a more militant strategy, one that paid more attention to the needs of the black masses.
That same year, Mandela married Evelyn Mase, a cousin of ANC leader Walter Sisulu. Nelson and Evelyn had four children.
The implementation of apartheid in 1948 gave added urgency to the ANCYL's cause, and by 1949 it had taken over the leadership of the ANC. A new program emphasized self-determination for blacks, which was to be achieved through boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and civil disobedience.
In 1948, Mandela was elected ANCYL secretary and, in 1951, its president.
The new ANC program was implemented in 1952 as the "Defiance Against Unjust Laws Campaign." That led to a violent government response and increased prominence for Mandela, who was elected president of the Transvaal ANC and national deputy president that year.

The Treason Trial
The South African government continued to implement apartheid laws and intensify repression. In 1956, with the protest movement gaining strength, the government charged Mandela and 155 other leaders with treason and other charges.
Mandela led the defence in the 4½-year trial, using the courtroom to defend the ANC and the anti-apartheid cause.
While the trial dragged on, police attacked unarmed protesters in the Johannesburg suburb of Sharpeville in 1960. That sparked a new wave of protests, which led the government to ban the ANC and declare a national emergency. Mandela was again detained.
Finally, in March 1961, the judge acquitted all the defendants in the treason trial, finding there was insufficient evidence and that the ANC policy was non-violent.
During the trial years, Mandela's marriage to Evelyn "collapsed because of differences in politics," according to Mandela, and they divorced. (Evelyn died in 2004.) In 1958, he married Winnie Madikileza and became father to two more daughters.

Mandela goes underground
After the trial, Mandela went underground. In August 1962, Mandela was arrested and charged with helping organize a three-day general strike and leaving the country without a valid travel document.
Once again, Mandela used the courtroom to present his ideas of equality. He argued he could not receive a fair trial from a judicial system intended to enforce white supremacy. He was convicted on both charges and sentenced to five years in prison.
A police raid on the ANC underground headquarters in 1963 uncovered documents about an ANC guerrilla movement called Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which Mandela had helped found in 1961. Umkonto claimed to have carried out more than 70 acts of sabotage against the government. Mandela was charged with treason and sabotage.
During the trial, Mandela declared from the dock, "I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society, in which all persons will live together in harmony, and with equal opportunities. It is an idea for which I hope to live and to see, but, my lord, if it need be, it is an idea for which I am prepared to die." He received a life sentence.

27 years in prison
Mandela spent 18 years in the Robben Island prison, in which time he was forced to quarry limestone, harvest seaweed and endure brutality from the guards.
In 1982, along with other imprisoned ANC leaders, he was transferred to Pollsmoor prison outside Capetown. He was hospitalized with tuberculosis in 1988, recovered and returned to prison.
During his years of imprisonment, Mandela had no contact with the outside world, except visits with Winnie.
In 1989, reformer F. W. de Klerk became leader of the governing party and then South African president. Mandela's release seemed imminent.
On Feb. 11, 1990, TV networks around the world broadcast Mandela's walk out of the prison gates to freedom.

Resuming the political fight
At age 71, Mandela plunged back into the anti-apartheid fight, soon taking over the leadership of the now-legal ANC.
That summer, he embarked on a tour of 13 countries, including Canada, to advocate for a continuation of the international economic sanctions campaign.
In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk finally reached agreement on ending apartheid and holding democratic elections. That year, the two men were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The next year, Mandela published his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Democratic South Africa's first president
In 1994, not only did Mandela vote for the first time, but he was also elected democratic South Africa's first president. The ANC received 63 per cent of the vote.
Many predicted bloodshed and feared the possibility of civil war, fuelled by those seeking retribution for years of apartheid policies. But Mandela oversaw a peaceful transition, embarking on a strategy of reconciliation and urging forgiveness for the perpetrators of past apartheid-era crimes.
He helped establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which sought to  record human rights violations from all sides of the apartheid struggle, but also had the power to grant amnesty to those who committed abuses.
For two years, Mandela headed a coalition government, with de Klerk as deputy president, until de Klerk and his party left the government.
In 1996, Nelson divorced Winnie and two years later married Graca Machel, the former first lady of Mozambique.
The new South Africa was not easy to govern. In addition to other challenges, the crime rate soared as Mandela's government worked to improve social conditions and rebuild the economy.
In 1999, at the completion of one term in office, Mandela stepped down as president, "an old man who wants to go into eternity with a smile on his face," he said.

International mediator
However, the "old man" kept up the pace, mediating peace talks in Burundi that year and the next year overseeing negotiations between Libya and the west concerning the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
In 2001, he visited Canada for the third time, becoming an honorary Canadian citizen.
The following year, he established 46664, a global HIV/AIDS campaign named for Mandela's prisoner number at Robben Island and famous for organizing benefit concerts around the world. (Mandela's son Makgatho died of AIDS in 2005.)
In 2003, he established the Mandela Rhodes Foundation to provide scholarships and mentoring for African youth.
While Mandela said in 2004 that he was officially retiring from public life, he nevertheless went on to initiate The Elders in 2007. This group of former global leaders focuses on peace building, securing the release of political prisoners, humanitarian relief and women's rights.

120 shot dead by Egyptian security forces

Protesters killed in wee hours near pro-Mursi vigil
Violence after rival rallies across the country
Cairo, July 27
Egyptian security forces shot dead scores of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Saturday, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism".
Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood said.
"They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," said Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad. "The bullet wounds are in the head and chest."
A Muslim Brotherhood website said 120 people had been killed and some 4,500 injured. A Reuters reporter counted 36 bodies at one morgue, while health officials said there were a further 21 corspes in two nearby hospitals.
Activists rushed blood-spattered casualties into a makeshift hospital, some were carried in on planks or blankets.
One ashen teenager was laid out on the floor, a bullet hole in his head. Egypt's Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told reporters only 21 had died and denied police had opened fire, accusing the Brotherhood of exaggerating for political ends.
Ibrahim said local residents living close to the Rabaa al-Adawia mosque vigil had clashed with protesters in the early hours after they had blocked off a major road bridge. He said that police had used teargas to try to break up the fighting.
Well over 200 people have been killed in violence since the army toppled Mursi on July 3, following huge protests against his year in power. The army denies accusations it staged a coup, saying it intervened to prevent national chaos.
The Arab world's most populous state is battling economic woes and struggling with the transition to democracy two years after Hosni Mubarak was swept from power in the Arab Spring.

Tension mounts

Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood said.

A Muslim Brotherhood website said 120 people had been killed and some 4,500 injured.

Nelson Mandela's condition improves

Nelson Mandela's condition has improved and he "remains critical but is now stable", South African officials said on Thursday.

President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela in hospital in Pretoria after abandoning a planned trip to a summit in Mozambique. Mandela's medical team advised him of a slight improvement in the former president's health.

"I cancelled my visit to Mozambique today so that I can see him and confer with the doctors," Zuma said. "He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job. We must pray for Tata's health and wish him well. We must also continue with our work and daily activities while Madiba remains hospitalised."

The presidency added that it was disturbed by rumours being spread about Mandela's health and appealed for his privacy to be respected.

Mandela's eldest daughter has given a rare insight into his condition and accused foreign journalists of behaving like vultures.

Makaziwe Mandela said Zuma's decision to scrap his travel plans showed that "anything is imminent. I can also state that God only knows when it is the time to go".

In an interview with the public broadcaster SABC, she said Mandela was still opening his eyes and still reactive to touch.

"We will live with hope until the final end comes. I don't want to lie. He doesn't look good. But he's still opening his eyes. He might be waning off, but he's still there. I think for us as his children and grandchildren, as long as he's still there, we want to give him the positive support, the positive energy."

Makaziwe also vented family frustration at the intense media scrutiny that has followed their every move.

"There is sort of a racist element with the foreign media, where they just cross boundaries," she said.

"You have no idea what is happening at the hospital. In the middle of Park Street they just stand. You can't even get into the hospital. Truly, like vultures, it is like they are waiting for the last carcasses. That is what we feel as a family."

It was understandable that journalists were interested in Mandela's health, she added, "but they are going overboard".

She contrasted the situation with the death of Margaret Thatcher earlier this year. "Is it just because we're an African country that they feel they don't have to respect this? I just think it's crass. If people think they really care about Nelson Mandela, they should respect that. Part of him should be respected, not everything of him should be out in the public."

Zuma visited Mandela at about 10pm on Wednesday and found he remained in a critical condition. Doctors "are still doing everything they can to ensure his wellbeing," the presidency said.

Officials did not deny claims that he was on a life-support machine. "Yes, he is using machines to breathe," Napilisi Mandela was quoted as saying in media reports after visiting the hospital on Wednesday. "It is bad, but what can we do?"

Mandela's grandchildren gathered up cards, flowers and stuffed animals outside the hospital on Thursday and took them inside. They gave thanks for the public's support.

Members of a South African Salvation Army choir prayed and sang outside the hospital and the African National Congress (ANC) youth league spoke about Mandela's achievements.

Hundreds of people from South Africa and around the continent and the world gathered at the site along with numerous international TV crews.

Mandela has already spent 20 days in the hospital with a recurring lung infection, his fourth admission in six months. Many South Africans appear to be slowly coming to terms with the prospect of losing the father of the nation.

The US president, Barack Obama, is due to arrive South Africa on Friday as part of a three-nation Africa tour he has already started in Senegal. Officials said it was too early to say whether Obama's schedule in Johannesburg and Cape Town on Saturday and Sunday might be affected by Mandela's worsening condition.

Meanwhile an Australian politician apologised on Thursday to South Africa's high commissioner for incorrectly announcing that Mandela had died.

The resources minister, Gary Gray, acknowledged he wrongly told guests attending a dinner at Parliament House on Wednesday that the anti-apartheid leader was dead. "I apologise unreservedly and am deeply sorry to have relayed what I thought was reliable advice," Gray said.

Indians advised to avoid visiting three Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa

The Indian High Commission in Nigeria has issued a warning to Indians to avoid visiting the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where security forces are battling militancy.


Accra: Indians have been advised to avoid visiting three states in Nigeria where emergency has been declared to combat militancy. With the Nigerian security situation showing no signs of improvement, the Indian High Commission in Abuja has issued a warning to Indians to avoid visiting the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the Nigerian government has declared a state of emergency. On May 14, Nigerian authorities declared emergency in the three north-eastern states to battle militancy.

The high commission said that "following this measure, some areas in these states have witnessed higher level of violence and the security outlook appears to be uncertain at this stage". It asked "Indian nationals living in these three states to carefully weigh their options and consider relocation until the security situation settles down. Similarly, those planning to visit these three states are advised to consider postponing their visits until security situation settles down".

There are a total of 35,000 Indians in Nigeria. In general, Indians in Nigeria are well off and enjoy a largely non-controversial existence. The community has two temples in Lagos and a number of cultural and ethnic associations, most prominent of which is the Indian Cultural Association. The high commission cautioned Indian nationals who decide to continue living in or visit these states to be extra vigilant and take all possible security measures for their protection.

It recalled the death of two Indian nationals and one other person who was seriously injured in an attack by an unidentified armed group on an Indian owned Gum Arabic factory in Maiduguri, Borno, July 25, 2012. It took up the "matter of safety and security of the Indian community and their properties in Nigeria, with the concerned authorities in Nigeria". The high commission said, over the past few months, the "security situation in some parts of Nigeria has deteriorated. A sharp increase in cases of kidnappings in coastal belt, particularly by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, has also been noted. The high commission said that "these instances of insecurity have occasionally involved Indian nationals as unfortunate victims".

'While in most cases they were passive victims of a situation or a criminal conspiracy, there are cases when they were specifically targeted for kidnapping or physical harm. Either way, a more prudent and cautious conduct could have avoided a calamitous outcome,' it added. On June 4, gunmen assassinated Alhaji Murtala Attahiru, a Sokoto state assembly member representing Gada West constituency.

State Commissioner of Police Alhaji Lawal Gambo said a number of assailants on motorbikes killed Alhaji Attahiru while he was on his way home and took away his car. 'Investigation carried out at the scene revealed that the slain lawmaker struggled with the hoodlums when they wanted to snatch the car - his shirt was torn. Thus, it was during the struggle that he was killed by the miscreants,' Gambo added.

As the situation escalates, the US has posted a $23 million reward to help arrest five known militant leaders who are suspected to be behind the terrorist attacks that have spread from Nigeria to other part of the West Africa region. Anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of Nigeria's Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who has openly invited Islamists from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran to join the group to create an Islamic State, will receive $7 million.

The US has also targeted Malik Abou Abdelkarim, a senior fighter with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Oumar Ould Hamaha, the spokesman for Mali's Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, for rewards of up to $3 million each for information leading to their arrest.

ਮਨ ਪਰਦੇਸੀ ਜੇ ਥੀੲ

ਕਿਸੇ ਖਿੱਤੇ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ, ਕਿਸੇ ਚੌਗਿਰਦੇ 'ਚ ਵਗਦੀ ਹਵਾ-ਪਾਣੀ ਤੇ ਪਲਰਦੀਆਂ ਫ਼ਸਲਾਂ ਉਥੋਂ ਦੇ ਵਾਸੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਸੋਚਾਂ ਪਾਲਦੇ-ਢਾਲਦੇ ਤੇ ਉਸਾਰਦੇ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ ਪਰ ਜਦੋਂ ਜਰਬ ਤਕਸੀਮ ਹੁੰਦੇ, ਉਹੀ ਖੇਤ ਭੀੜੇ ਹੋ ਜਾਣ, ਖੜ੍ਹੀਆਂ ਫਸਲਾਂ ਸਮੇਂ ਦੀ ਮਾਰ ਨਾ ਝੱਲਦੀਆਂ ਸਿਰ ਸੁੱਟ ਜਾਣ, ਮੁਰਝਾ ਜਾਣ ਜਾਂ ਬੀਜਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਭੁੱਖ ਦਾ ਸਿਰ ਪਲੋਸਣ ਤੋਂ ਬੇਵੱਸ ਹੋ ਜਾਣ ਤਾਂ ਉਸ ਧਰਤੀ ਦੇ ਬਸ਼ਿੰਦੇ ਆਪਣੀਆਂ ਊਣੀਆਂ ਝੋਲੀਆਂ ਪੁਰ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਅੱਕੀਂ ਪਲਾਹੀਂ ਹੱਥ ਮਾਰਦੇ ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਧਰਤੀਆਂ ਵੱਲ ਅਹੁਲਦੇ ਹਨ। ਲੋੜਾਂ ਥੋੜਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਖੱਡਾਂ ਮੁੰਦਦਿਆਂ ਗਰਜਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੇਚਦਾ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਖੜ੍ਹਦਿਆਂ ਜਾਂ ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਸਿਰ ਪਲੋਸਦਿਆਂ ਲੋਕ ਇਕ ਖਿੱਤੇ ਤੋਂ ਦੂਜੇ ਵੱਲ ਸਰਕਦੇ ਹਨ। ਪਿੰਡ ਦੀਆਂ ਜੂਹਾਂ ਟੱਪਦੇ ਹਨ, ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਸਜਾਏ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਲੰਘਦੇ ਹਨ ਤੇ ਫਿਰ ਕਦੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਅਲਵਿਦਾ ਆਖਦੇ ਸਰਹੱਦਾਂ ਟੱਪ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਆਖਰੀ ਸਲਾਮ ਆਖਦਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਕਈ ਮਨਾਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਸ਼ੂਕਦੇ ਦਰਿਆਵਾਂ ਵਰਗੀ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਇਸ ਰੀਝ ਨੂੰ ਜਨਮਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਅਸੀਂ ਤਾਰਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਵੱਲ ਜਾ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ। ਮਿੱਟੀ, ਘੱਟੇ, ਧੂੜ, ਸ਼ੋਰ-ਸ਼ਰਾਬੇ ਤੋਂ ਦੂਰ ਭੱਜਣ ਨੂੰ ਮਨ ਸੱਚ ਹੀ ਵਿਆਕੁਲ ਹੋ ਉਠਦਾ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਇਥੋਂ ਤੁਰਨ ਵੇਲੇ ਇਹ ਥਾਂ ਭੀੜੀ-ਭੀੜੀ ਲਗਦੀ ਹੈ। ਸੀਨੇ ਵਿਚ ਸਰਕਦੇ ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਮੋਕਲੀ ਥਾਂ ਲਈ ਪੈਂਦੀ ਦੱਸ ਹਾਕ ਮਾਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਜਿਥੇ ਕਲਮਨੋਕ 'ਤੇ ਵੀ ਸੰਗੀਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਹਿਰੇ ਨਾ ਹੋਣ, ਜਿਥੇ ਨਿਆਂ ਵੱਲ ਝਾਕਦੀ ਕਿਸੇ ਫਰਿਆਦੀ ਦੀ ਫਾਈਲ ਊਠ ਦਾ ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹ ਡਿੱਗਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਜੂਨ ਨਾ ਭੋਗਦੀ ਹੋਵੇ। ਬਿਨਾਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਅਨੁਸ਼ਾਸਨ, ਬਿਨਾਂ ਪਾਬੰਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਲਾ-ਇਲਾਜੀ ਨਾਲ ਜੂਝਦਿਆਂ ਹਰ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦੀ ਇਹ ਇੱਛਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ ਕਿ ਨਵੀਂ ਧਰਤੀ 'ਤੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਰਾਹ ਉਲੀਕਦਿਆਂ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਨੂੰ ਮੁੜ ਵਿਉਂਤ ਲੈਣ ਦਾ ਮੌਕਾ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇ, ਜਿਥੇ ਇਸ ਦੇਹੀ ਦੇ ਪੂਰੀ ਤਾਣ ਨਾਲ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਭਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਖੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਇਕੱਤਰ ਕਰਕੇ ਮਨ ਅੰਦਰ ਪਸਰੀ ਭੁੱਖ ਨੂੰ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਹੀਲਾ ਜੁਟਾਇਆ ਜਾਵੇ, ਕਈ ਵਸਤਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੱਖਣੇ ਘਰਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਪਲਦਿਆਂ ਅੰਦਰਲੇ ਤਰਸੇਵੇਂ ਦਾ ਸਿਰ ਪਲੋਸਿਆ ਜਾਵੇ। ਉਸ ਸਮੇਂ ਪਰਾਈ ਧਰਤੀ ਵੱਲ ਤਾਂਘ ਅਤੇ ਇਹ ਤਰਸੇਵਾਂ ਏਨਾ ਮੂੰਹ ਜ਼ੋਰ ਹੋ ਖੜ੍ਹਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਗੱਲ ਲਗਭਗ ਵਿਛੜਦੇ ਸਭ ਰਿਸ਼ਤਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਅੰਦਰਲੀ ਕਾਹਲ ਲਾਹ-ਲਾਹ ਸੁੱਟ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਜਿਹੜੇ ਅਜਿਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤੀ ਤੱਕ ਨਹੀਂ ਪੁੱਜ ਸਕਦੇ, ਉਹ ਉਸ ਨਾਲ ਜਾਂ ਈਰਖਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ ਜਾਂ ਰਸ਼ਕ ਕਰਦੇ ਵਿਥ 'ਤੇ ਖੜ੍ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਨੇ। ਫਿਰ ਓਪਰੀਆਂ ਧਰਤੀਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਪਰਤੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਮੂੰਹੋਂ ਦੱਸੀਆਂ ਪਰਚਾਰੀਆਂ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਦੂਰ ਵਸਦੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਕਿਆਸ ਪਲਦਾ ਹੈ। ਹਰਚੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਗੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਸਤਰਾਂ ਇਥੇ ਪੁਸ਼ਟੀ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ:-
ਕਰਕੇ ਸ਼ੌਪਿੰਗ ਵੀਜ਼ੇ 'ਤੇ
ਅਸੀਂ ਵਤਨੀ ਗੇੜਾ ਲਾਨੇ ਹਾਂ,
ਸਾਨੂੰ ਪੱਟਿਆ ਹੋਰਾਂ ਨੇ
ਅਸੀਂ ਹੋਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੱਟ ਜਾਨੇ ਆਂ।
ਆਪਣੇ ਪੇਟ ਨੂੰ ਦੇ ਗੰਢਾਂ
ਚੰਦ ਪੇਟ ਹੋਰਾਂ ਦਾ ਭਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ,
ਨਾ ਪੁੱਛ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਵਿਚ
ਯਾਰਾ ਅਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਗੁਜ਼ਾਰਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ।
ਪਰ ਗੌਲਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਨੁਕਤਾ ਇਹ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਹੀ ਇਕ ਖਲਾਅ ਪਲਦਾ ਹੈ। ਏਧਰਲਿਆਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਉਸ ਅਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ ਜੀ ਭਰਮਾਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਧਰ ਵਸਦਿਆਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਇਥੋਂ ਮਨਫ਼ੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਣ ਦਾ ਖਦਸ਼ਾ, ਤੇਰ-ਮੇਰ ਵਾਲੇ ਦਾਅਵੇ ਦੇ ਹੂੰਝੇ ਜਾਣ ਦਾ ਝੋਰਾ ਸਿਰ ਚੁੱਕਦਾ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਬੈਠਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ, ਅਮਰੀਕਾ, ਇੰਗਲੈਂਡ ਦੂਰ ਵਸਦਾ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਹੈ। ਪਰੀ ਕਥਾ ਵਰਗਾ, ਮੁਹੱਬਤੀ ਖਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੜ੍ਹਨ ਵਰਗਾ ਜਾਂ ਰੱਜ ਕੇ ਮਾਣੇ ਸਾਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਾਥ ਵਰਗਾ, ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ, ਵਰਤਣ ਨੂੰ ਅਤੇ ਵਸਣ ਲਈ ਮਨ ਤਾਂਘਦਾ ਹੈ। ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਕਾਤਰਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਸੁਣੀਆਂ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਸਭ ਟਾਕੀਆਂ ਸਿਉਂ ਕੇ ਬਣਾਈ ਵਧੀਆ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ, ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਪੁੰਗਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਥੋੜ੍ਹੀ ਸਮਾਈ ਕਰਕੇ ਵੇਖੀਏ ਤਾਂ ਸਮਾਜ ਦੇ ਝੱਗੇ 'ਤੇ ਲੱਗੀਆਂ ਜੇਬਾਂ ਵਰਗੇ ਬੰਦੇ ਹਰ ਥਾਂ ਹੀ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ। ਉਹ ਉਥੇ ਵੀ ਹਨ, ਇਥੇ ਵੀ ਹਨ। ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਥਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੌਲਣ ਦਾ ਕਈ ਵਾਰ ਮੌਕਾ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਹੈ। ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਕਮਲੇ ਸੀ, ਇਧਰ ਵੀ ਕਮਲੇ ਈ ਹਨ। ਭਲਾ ਥਾਂ ਬਦਲਣ ਨਾਲ ਮਨ, ਸੁਭਾਅ, ਆਦਤਾਂ, ਬਚਪਨ ਹੰਢਾਇਆ ਅਹਿਸਾਸ, ਸੀਨੇ ਵਿਚ ਸਮੋਈਆਂ ਯਾਦਾਂ ਥੋੜ੍ਹੋ ਤਬਦੀਲ ਹੋ ਸਕਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਪਿਆਰ, ਮੋਹ-ਤ੍ਰੇਹ, ਮਮਤਾ ਭਰਿਆ ਮਨ ਉਹ ਵੀ ਰੱਖਦੇ ਹਨ, ਇਹ ਵੀ ਰੱਖਦੇ ਨੇ। ਲਾਲਸਾਵਾਂ ਦੀ ਉਂਗਲ ਫੜ ਕੇ ਉਹ ਵੀ ਰਿਸ਼ਤੇ ਮਧੋਲ ਸੁੱਟਦੇ ਨੇ, ਇਹ ਵੀ ਦਗਾ ਕਰ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਨੇ। ਫਿਰ ਦੂਰ ਖੜ੍ਹੋ ਕੇ ਤੋਹਮਤਾਂ, ਮੇਹਣੇ-ਤਾਅਨੇ ਦੇਣ ਨਾਲ ਕੁਝ ਵੀ ਹੱਥ ਨਹੀਂ ਲਗਦਾ। ਦੋਵਾਂ ਪਾਸਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ 'ਬੁਰੇ ਭਲੇ ਹਮ ਥਾਰੇ' ਤੱਕ ਪੁੱਜਣਾ ਪਏਗਾ। ਸੋ ਜੀਅ ਤਾਂ ਸਭ ਦਾ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਥਾਂਵਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਵਸਦੇ ਸਭ ਪੰਜਾਬਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਖੁੰਗ ਕੇ ਨਾਲ ਲਾ ਜਾਈਏ ਜਾਂ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਥਾਂਵਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਵਸਦੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਟੇ-ਵਟਾ ਲਈਏ। ਪਰ ਇਹ ਹੋਣਾ ਸੰਭਵ ਨਹੀਂ। ਸੋ, ਆਪਾਂ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਥਾਂਵਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਸਥਿਤੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਵਸਦੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਖਾਹਿਸ਼ਾਂ ਦਾ, ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਜਾਂ ਸਾਂਝਾਂ ਦਾ ਤੇ ਹੋਈਆਂ-ਬੀਤੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਬਸ ਲੇਖਾ-ਜੋਖਾ ਜਿਹਾ ਹੀ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਾਂ।
ਐਨਾ ਹੂਲਾ ਫਕ ਕੇ, ਜਾਨ ਜੋਖੋਂ ਵਿਚ ਪਾ ਕੇ, ਨਹੁੰ-ਮਾਸ ਵਰਗੇ ਰਿਸ਼ਤੇ ਵਖਰਾਅ ਕੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਬਿਗਾਨੇ ਮੁਲਕਾਂ ਦੀ ਮਸ਼ੀਨੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦੇ ਪੁਰਜ਼ਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਆਪਣਾ-ਆਪ ਤਰਾਸ਼ਦੇ ਲੋਕ ਅੰਦਰੋਂ ਊਣੇ-ਊਣੇ ਫਿਰਦੇ ਦਿਸਦੇ ਨੇ ਤਾਂ ਹੈਰਾਨੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਵਿਹਾਜਣ ਗਏ, ਚੰਗੀਆਂ ਪੂਰੀਆਂ ਪਾ ਆਏ ਨੇ। ਵਸਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਝੋਲੀਆਂ ਭਰਦੇ ਰੂਹ ਵਿਚ ਮੋਰੀਆਂ ਕਰਵਾ ਆਏ ਨੇ। ਫਿਰ ਇਹ ਲੋਕ ਉਥੋਂ ਦੇ ਕਾਇਦੇ-ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ਨੂੰ ਨਵਾਬੀ ਜੁੱਤੀ ਦੀ ਕੈਦ ਜਾਣਦੇ ਨੇ। ਇਹ ਲੋਕ ਨੁੱਚੜੇ ਜਿਹੇ, ਉਨੀਂਦਰੇ ਜਿਹੇ, ਅਤ੍ਰਿਪਤ ਜਿਹੇ ਤੇ ਰਸਹੀਣ ਜਿਹੇ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਨੇ। ਵੰਨ-ਸੁਵੰਨੀਆਂ ਵਸਤਾਂ ਜਾਂ ਸਾਮਾਨ ਨਾਲ ਤੁੰਨੇ ਘਰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਤਸੱਲੀ ਦਾ ਦਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਭਰਦੇ। ਜਦੋਂ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਇਹ ਖਲਾਅ ਪਲਦਾ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਵਸਤਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੱਖਣੇ ਪਰ ਰਿਸ਼ਤੇ ਨਾਤਿਆਂ, ਸਕੀਰੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਭਰੇ-ਭੁਕੰਨੇ ਘਰਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਯਾਦਾਂ ਸਕੂਨ ਦਿੰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਫਿਰ ਖੇਤ ਦੀ ਵੱਟ 'ਤੇ ਬੈਠ, ਹੱਥ 'ਤੇ ਧਰ ਕੇ ਰੱਖੀ ਰੋਟੀ ਤੇ ਅੰਬ ਦੇ ਆਚਾਰ ਦੀ ਫਾੜੀ ਦਾ ਮਹਿਕ ਭਰਿਆ ਸਵਾਦ ਛੱਤੀ ਪਦਾਰਥ ਚੱਖੇ ਹੋਣ ਪਿੱਛੋਂ ਵੀ ਉਘੜ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਵਿਹਾਜਨ ਲਈ ਚਾਰਦੀਵਾਰੀ ਅੰਦਰ ਬੰਦ ਹੋਣਾ ਨਹੀਂ, ਸਗੋਂ ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਕੋਲ ਨਿਰ-ਸਵਾਰਥ ਸਾਥ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਜਾਣਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜਿਥੇ ਰੂਹ ਸ਼ਾਂਤ ਹੋ ਸਕੇ, ਜਿਥੇ ਯਾਦਾਂ ਘਰ ਦੇ ਬਨੇਰਿਆਂ ਤੇ ਖਿਲਰੀ ਧੁੱਪ ਦੇ ਸੁਪਨੇ ਪਾਲ ਸਕਣ। ਅਜਿਹੇ ਅੰਤਲੇ ਪੜਾਅ 'ਤੇ ਹਰ ਕੋਈ ਆਪਣੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਲੱਗੀ ਉੱਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਹੁਣ ਲਈ ਹੀਲੇ ਜੋੜਦਾ ਹੈ। ਕਦੇ ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰੇ ਦੀ ਸੰਗਤ, ਕਦੇ ਮੇਲੇ ਦਾ ਹਿੱਸਾ, ਕਦੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਘਰ ਵਿਚਲੀ ਰੌਣਕ ਦਾ ਟੋਟਾ ਬਣਦਾ ਖੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੌੜੀ ਲਾਉਣ ਦੇ ਬਹਾਨੇ ਘੜਦਾ ਹੈ। ਉਮਰਾਂ ਸਿਰੋਂ ਲੰਘੀਆਂ ਧੁੱਪਾਂ-ਛਾਵਾਂ ਸੱਜਰੀਆਂ ਹੋ ਹੋ ਖੜ੍ਹਦੀਆਂ ਨੇ, ਕੰਨ ਪਛਾਣੀਆਂ ਆਵਾਜ਼ਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਰਸ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ। ਰੱਬ ਨਾ ਕਰੇ ਜੇ ਇਸ ਪਹਿਰ ਤੱਕ ਪੁੱਜਦਿਆਂ ਔਲਾਦ ਦਗਾ ਦੇ ਜਾਏ ਤਾਂ ਪਛਤਾਵਾ ਹੀ ਪੱਲੇ ਰਹਿ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ।
ਬੀਤੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦੇ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਨਾ ਡਿਲੀਟ ਹੋ ਸਕਦੇ ਨੇ ਤੇ ਨਾ ਰਿਪੀਟ ਹੋ ਸਕਦੇ ਨੇ। ਪਰ ਮਨ ਵਾਰ-ਵਾਰ ਅਜਿਹਾ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਲੋਚਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਹੀ ਸਭ ਸੋਚਦਿਆਂ ਸਾਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਮੋਹਲਤ ਪੁੱਗ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਪਰ ਕੁਝ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਤੈਅ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਖਰੀਦੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਂਦੀ। ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਆਪ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਬੈਂਕ ਵਿਚ ਜਮ੍ਹਾ ਪੂੰਜੀ ਵਾਂਗ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਫੇਰ ਹੀ ਹਾਸਲ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ। ਵੈਨਕੂਵਰ ਦੀ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਆਖਦੀ ਹੈ, ਇੰਡੀਆ ਮੈਂ ਸੁਣਦੀ ਸੀ ਬਈ ਸਰੀਰ ਮਰ ਜਾਣ, ਆਤਮਾ ਜਿਊਂਦੀ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਐ। ਪਰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਮੈਂ ਕਈਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਣਦੀ ਆਂ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਆਤਮਾ ਤਾਂ ਮਰੀ ਹੋਈ ਐ ਪਰ ਬੰਦੇ ਤੁਰੇ ਫਿਰਦੇ ਨੇ। ਮੈਂ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਬੱਬੀ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛਿਆ, ਕੀ ਫਰਕ ਹੈ ਆਪਣੇ ਤੇ ਇਸ ਮੁਲਕ ਦਾ। ਉਸ ਨੇ ਇਕ ਸਤਰ ਜਵਾਬ ਦਿੱਤਾ, ਇੰਡੀਆ ਵਿਚ ਕੋਈ ਸਿਸਟਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ, ਇਥੇ ਬਸ ਸਿਸਟਮ ਹੀ ਸਿਸਟਮ ਹੈ।
ਸੰਘਾ ਦੱਸ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ, ਬਈ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਚ ਸੜਕ 'ਤੇ ਤੁਰਦਾ ਆਦਮੀ ਡਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕਿਤੇ ਭੱਜੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਕਾਰ ਹੇਠ ਈ ਨਾ ਆ ਜਾਵਾਂ। ਪਰ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਵਿਚ ਕਾਰ ਸਵਾਰ ਡਰਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿਤੇ ਤੁਰਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਆਦਮੀ ਕਾਰ ਹੇਠ ਨਾ ਆ ਜਾਵੇ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਚ ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਂਦੇ ਸੀ ਜਦੋਂ ਰੋਟੀ ਮਿਲਦੀ ਸੀ ਪਰ ਇਥੇ ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਜਦੋਂ ਵਿਹਲ ਮਿਲਦੀ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਚ ਬਿਨਾਂ ਵਿਹਲ ਮਿਲੇ ਤੋਂ ਸੌਂ ਲਈਦਾ ਸੀ ਪਰ ਇਥੇ ਸਾਰਾ ਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਅਣਸਰਦੇ ਨੂੰ ਸੌਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬ, ਜੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਬੇਲੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਰਲ ਕੇ ਖੇਡਣ ਭੱਜਦੇ ਸੀ, ਘਰ ਦੇ ਨਿੱਤ ਸਾਡੀ ਗਰਦ ਝਾੜਦੇ ਸੀ ਪਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਇਥੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਭੱਜ-ਭੱਜ ਪੈਂਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਕਦੇ ਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਦਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਰਲ ਕੇ ਖੇਡ ਲਵੋ। ਇਉਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਸਭ ਜੋ ਸਾਡੇ ਕੋਲ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਗੌਲਣ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਜੋ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਉਸ ਵੱਲ ਨੂੰ ਅਹੁਲਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ਮਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਰੱਜ ਕੇ ਜੀਅ ਲੈਣ ਨੂੰ ਸਭ ਦਾ ਮਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਜਦੋਂ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ੀ ਵਸਿਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਕਿਸ਼ਤਾਂ ਭਰਦਿਆਂ ਕਿਸ਼ਤਾਂ ਵਰਗੀ ਜੂਨ ਵੇਖਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਤਾਂ ਮਨ ਆਪਣੇ ਇਸ ਹਾਸਲ 'ਤੇ ਸੰਤੁਸ਼ਟ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਲਿਖੀ ਸਤਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਖਾਲੀ ਥਾਂਵਾਂ ਭਰਨ ਜੋਗੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਜਿਊਂਦੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਤਰਸ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਕਦੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, 'ਨਾਨਕ ਦੁਖੀਆ ਸਭ ਸੰਸਾਰ' ਪਰ ਹੁਣ ਕਈ ਲੋਕ ਇਸ ਦੀ ਅਗਲੀ ਸਤਰ ਪੂਰਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਘਰ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਹਰ ਹੋਣ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਖ ਦਾ ਆਧਾਰ ਮੰਨ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਪਰ ਜੇ ਮਨ ਪਰਦੇਸੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਏ ਤਾਂ ਹਰ ਥਾਂ ਹੀ ਓਪਰਾ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। - ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਕੌਰ ਬਰਾੜ-

How to instantly lower your car windows with the key remote

A convenient feature that's been around for years, but remains unknown to many car owners, is the ability to lower the windows with the key remote. This allows you to begin cooling your car without having to get in first. Unless the car dealership told you about this trick or you happen to read manuals for fun, you may have been unaware of this ages-old trick.

The trick usually involves pressing the remote's unlock button, releasing it, then pressing it again and holding it down. In some cars, instead of using the remote, you can insert your key in the door lock and turn it clockwise, release, then turn it clockwise again and hold. Turning the key counterclockwise will usually raise the windows back up. Some cars will also include the sunroof as a window in this operation, while some convertibles with automatic tops will shut.

Based on an internal CNET poll, Reddit user comments and CNET user comments, we've confirmed that the trick works on various models from the following manufacturers:

• Acura (MDX/TL/TSX)
• Alfa Romeo (159)
• Audi (A3/A4/A6/A7)
• BMW (3 Series/5 Series/7 Series/M5/Z4)
• Chevrolet (Corvette)
• Chrysler (Sebring/Town & Country)
• Dodge (Challenger/Charger/Durango/Journey/Ram)
• Ford (C-Max/F-150/Focus/Fusion/Mondeo/S-Max/Taurus)
• Honda (Accord/Accord Crosstour/Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline)
• Infiniti (G25x/G35/G37/I30/I35/M35)
• Jaguar (S Type/XJ8/XK8)
• Lexus (ES300/GS350/RX300/RX350/RX400h)
• Lincoln (LS/MKX/MKZ/Zephyr)
• Mazda (6/CX-9/MX-5 Miata)
• Mercedes-Benz (B180/C240/C300/CLK350/CLS550/E350/E500/ML550)
• Mini Cooper (Clubman)
• Nissan (350Z/Altima/Maxima/Murano/Titan)
• Volkswagen (Beetle/Golf/Jetta/Passat)
• Volvo (C30/V50)

Mine "bloodbath" shocks post-apartheid South Africa

Police surround the bodies of striking miners after opening fire on a crowd

MARIKANA, South Africa (Reuters) - The police killing of 34 striking platinum miners in the bloodiest security operation since the end of white rule cut to the quick of South Africa's psyche on Friday, with searching questions asked of its post-apartheid soul.

Newspaper headlines screamed "Bloodbath", "Killing Field" and "Mine Slaughter", with graphic photographs of heavily armed white and black police officers walking casually past the bloodied corpses of black men lying crumpled in the dust.

The images, along with Reuters TV footage of officers opening up with automatic weapons on a small group of men in blankets and t-shirts at Lonmin's Marikana platinum plant, rekindled uncomfortable memories of South Africa's racist past.

Police chief Riah Phiyega confirmed 34 dead and 78 injured in Thursday's shootings after officers moved against 3,000 striking drill operators armed with machetes and sticks at the mine, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.

A somber-looking President Jacob Zuma, who cut short a trip to Mozambique for a regional summit because of the violence, travelled to Marikana and announced he had ordered an official inquiry into what he called the "shocking" events.

"This is unacceptable in our country which is a country where everyone feels comfortable, a country with a democracy that everyone envies," he said in a statement read at a news conference. He did not take questions.

Phiyega, a former banking executive appointed to lead the police force only in June, said officers acted in self-defense against charging, armed assailants at Marikana.

"The police members had to employ force to protect themselves," she said, noting that two policemen had been hacked to death by a mob at the mine on Tuesday.

However, the South African Institute of Race Relations likened the incident to the 1960 Sharpeville township massacre near Johannesburg, when apartheid police opened fire on a crowd of black protesters, killing more than 50.

"Obviously the issues that have led to this are not the same as the past, but the response and the outcome is very similar," research manager Lucy Holborn told Reuters.

In a front-page editorial, the Sowetan newspaper questioned what had changed since 1994, when Nelson Mandela overturned three centuries of white domination to become South Africa's first black president.

"It has happened in this country before where the apartheid regime treated black people like objects," the paper, named after South Africa's biggest black township, said. "It is continuing in a different guise now."

Zuma, who faces an internal leadership election in his ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December, called on South Africa to mourn together. "It is a moment to start healing and rebuilding," he said at Marikana.

"We believe there is enough space in our democratic order for any dispute to be resolved through dialogue without any breaches of the law or violence," an earlier statement from him said.

Despite promises of a better life for all South Africa's 50 million people, the ANC has struggled to provide basic services to millions in poor black townships.

Efforts to redress the economic inequalities of apartheid have had mixed results, and the mining sector comes in for particular criticism from radical ANC factions as a bastion of "white monopoly capital".

In Washington, the White House said it was saddened by the loss of life. "We encourage all parties to work together to resolve the situation peacefully," spokesman Josh Earnest said.

POLICE PRESENCE

Police surround the bodies of striking miners after opening fire on a crowd

Hundreds of police patrolled the dusty plains around the Marikana mine, which was forced to shut down this week because of a rumbling union turf war that has hit the platinum sector this year.

Crime scene investigators combed the site of the shooting, which was cordoned off with yellow tape, collecting spent cartridges and the slain miners' bloodstained traditional weapons - machetes and spears.

Six firearms were recovered, including a service revolver from one of the police officers killed earlier in the week.

Before Thursday, 10 people had died in nearly a week of conflict between rival unions at what is Lonmin's flagship plant. The London-headquartered company has been forced to shut down all its South African platinum operations, which account for 12 percent of global output.

South Africa is home to 80 percent of the world's known reserves of platinum, a precious metal used in vehicle catalytic converters. Rising power and labor costs and a steep decline this year in the price have left many mines struggling to stay afloat.

Although the striking Marikana miners were demanding huge pay hikes, the roots of the trouble lie in a challenge by the newer Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) to the 25-year dominance of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a close ANC ally.

"There is clearly an element in this that a key supporter of the ANC - the NUM - has come under threat from these protesting workers," said Nic Borain, an independent political analyst.

Pre-crackdown footage of dancing miners waving machetes and licking the blades of home-made spears raised questions about the habitual use of violence in industrial action 18 years after the end of apartheid.

"This culture of violence and protest, it must somehow be changed," said John Robbie, a prominent Johannesburg radio host. "You can't act like a Zulu impi in an industrial dispute in this day and age," he said, using the Zulu word for armed units.

World platinum prices spiked nearly 3 percent on Thursday as the full extent of the violence became clear, and rose again on Friday to a five-week high above $1,450 an ounce.

Lonmin shares in London and Johannesburg fell more than 5 percent to four-year lows at Friday's market open, although later trimmed their losses. Overall, they have shed nearly 15 percent since the violence began a week ago.

No service tax to be levied on NRI remittances: FinMin

New Delhi, July 10

The Finance Ministry today clarified that no service tax would be levied on NRI remittances from overseas.

The clarification by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), which functions under the Finance Ministry, follows concerns over reports that there was a move to levy 12 per cent tax on money sent back home by Indians abroad under the changed service tax regime from July 1.

The CBEC said in a circular “that the matter has been examined and it is clarified that there is no service tax per se on the amount of foreign currency remitted to India from overseas”. In the negative list regime, “service” excludes transaction in money. As the amount of remittance comprises money, the activity does not comprise a “service” and is not subjected to service tax, the circular clarifies.

It further added that “in case any fee or conversion charges are levied for sending such money, they are also not liable to service tax as the person sending the money and the company conducting the remittance are located outside India. Such services are deemed to be provided outside India and thus not liable to service tax”.

It has been further clarified that even the Indian counterpart bank or financial institution which charges the foreign bank for the services provided at the receiving end, is not liable to service tax as the place of provision of such service is outside India.

The clarification will alleviate concerns of NRIs as India is one of the top recipient of remittances ($64 billion in 2011), according to the World Bank data. Given the dire need for dollar at a time when current account deficit is high and Rupee is under pressure, any move to levy service tax on NRI remittances would have been disastrous.

CMs of Punjab and Kerala, which are among the states receiving the largest remittances from NRIs, had taken up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

M Rafeeque Ahmed, president, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), said that towards addressing the trade deficit, remittances were the single largest source of unconditional flow of foreign exchange into India, according to estimates by the World Bank. Given the slowdown and declining levels of foreign exchange, service tax could only act as a deterrent to precious incoming foreign exchange, he added.

He said the waiver of service tax on the same would ensure that this stable source of foreign exchange would continue to maintain the delicate balance of payments position of India at this moment of global crisis. 

WHY THE CLARIFICATION  Concerns were being expressed over reports that there was a move to levy 12% tax on money sent back home by Indians abroad under the changed service tax regime from July 1 THE FINAL WORD  The matter has been examined and it is clarified that there is no service tax per se on the amount of foreign currency remitted to India from overseas  As the amount of remittance comprises money, the activity does not comprise a “service” and is not subject to service tax  In case any fee or conversion charges are levied for sending such money, they are also not liable to service tax as the person sending the money and the company conducting the remittance are located outside India

Swedish reporter Lena Pettersson reimbursed for sitting next to dead man on Kenya Airways flight

It's one thing to have a fellow airline passenger fall asleep and drool on your shoulder, but quite another to have him die and sit next to you throughout your flight.

That's exactly what happened to Swedish reporter Lena Pettersson on a recent Kenya Airways flight from Europe to Tanzania.

When Pettersson boarded her plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, she couldn't help noticing her co-passenger was in rough shape.

"He was sweating and was having convulsions," she told Sveriges Radio, the state broadcaster for whom she works. Regardless, the plane took off as scheduled.

It wasn't long after liftoff that the passenger's condition worsened. The crew put out a call for medical help and eventually was forced to give the man cardiac massage, but it didn't help. The passenger had died in his seat. The Kenyan crew, unsure of protocol, covered the man and laid him across three seats next to Pettersson until the plane landed hours later.

The airline did reimburse Pettersson for being subjected the macabre incident, but only after months of e-mail exchanges. Eventually she got $713, about half the cost of her ticket.

"This feels much better," she said. "It's reasonable. Of course it was unpleasant, but I am not a person who makes a fuss."

Death at 35,000 feet isn't terribly uncommon. Last September a man choked to death on an in-flight meal during an 11-hour trip from Singapore to Auckland. Passengers were given only $100 travel vouchers for their troubles.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak is clinically dead

Egypt’s ex-president unconscious, on respirator

CAIRO - Egypt’s ousted President Hosni Mubarak, jailed for life this month and who has been hospitalised for more than a year, is unconscious and on a respirator but is not clinically dead, two security sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

“He is completely unconscious. He is using artificial respiration,” one military source told Reuters, after the state news agency reported he was clinically dead after being taken from a prison medical facility to a military hospital.
Another separate security source gave the same account and dismissed the report issued by the state news agency saying: “It is still early to say that he is clinically dead.”