A civilised talk with the Pakistanis…

On October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, I found myself, of all places, in Edmonton, capital city of the province of Alberta in Canada. I had been asked by the Punjabi Media Association of Alberta to give a talk on the political situation in India, particularly in Punjab.
Edmonton, it appeared to me, was a perfect showcase for Canada’s multiculturalism, invigorated and institutionalised. As I was driven around the city, I was rather pleasantly surprised to have spotted an Ahmadiyya mosque. I was in for a greater surprise when I was told that the Indians and Pakistanis enjoyed the best of relationships, and that a few years ago when a Pakistani community centre was being constructed, the “Indian Punjabis” had gone out of their way to contribute very substantially towards its completion.
I was also pleased to learn that the very banquet hall where I was to give my talk was owned by a Pakistani, by the name of Javed Chaudhry. And, I was also informed that many Pakistanis would be in attendance at my talk. Indeed, they were there. And they asked questions, too. I expressed a desire to have a chat with some of them after the lecture.
An impromptu gathering was organised. Chaudhry played the amiable host. Copious quantities of samosas, burfis and chai were produced. The conversation with the Pakistanis — most of them professionals or businessmen — was expectedly polite and civilised. No voices were raised. It was just two days after the “surgical strikes” and the Pakistanis’ questions were laced with apprehension about the conflict getting out of hand. I did my best to quell the possibility of a wider confrontation.
It was also obvious to me that India and Pakistan had managed to invent two different versions of the same shared history, each version self-contained with its own certainties. I was pointedly asked: “India is never an issue in Pakistan’s electoral politics. Why is it that Pakistan is always an issue in Indian political discourse?” There was no easy or obvious answer.
Curiously enough, in this group of Pakistanis were two Ahmadiyyas who had come armed with a gift (of two books) for me. The present was gratefully accepted, and when I remarked that at least in Edmonton there was an Ahmadiyya mosque, the reply came, without rancour: “Ham ek tabeez the, in logo ne fek diya” (we were a talisman, they discarded us).
This pleasant conversation with these Pakistanis fitted very much with the spirit of Gandhi Jayanti, even though it was at odds with the violent anti-Pakistani sentiment being whipped up back home in India.
And, equally at variance with the mood back home was the Gandhi Jayanti celebration in the evening, organised by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace. At a time when back home we were giving in to the temptation of the beating of war drums, here in Edmonton, they were singing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, Patit Paavan Sita Ram….”
This was, in fact, the 28th time when such an annual celebration was taking place. The occasion saw the presence of quite a number of provincial political leaders, paying respect to this prophet of peace. An annual gathering that enabled the local Indians and Canadians to renew a spiritual link with the Mahatma.
Within two days, it was easy to gain an appreciation of the multicultural arrangements in Alberta. The various ethnic groups — the Ukrainians, the French, the English, the Chinese, the Indians — had their own spaces, without any expectation or demand to merge themselves in the “mainstream.” No group was too big to be too dominant to make the other feel vulnerable. And, since Alberta is a rather rich province, with an overabundance of natural resources, the economic pie is big enough for all to have a sense of partnership and participation. Each ethnic group, it seems, has managed to create a self-sufficient economic platform for itself, with the added advantage of having to work within the legal framework of Canadian laws and rules.
The Alberta model breaks down when it comes to the native Indians, the aboriginals. A visit to the “reservation” made a depressing excursion. Katherine Swampy, a political activist, was generous with her time and her opinions on the extreme deprivation and near-destitution of her community. Only in recent years has the “mainstream” begun to acknowledge the past injustices done to these original natives of the land that is now known as Canada.
All the familiar maladies — factionalism, tribal animosities, political opportunism — have left these aboriginals a divided lot, increasingly unequal to the task of readjusting to a very fast changing economy. Those belonging to the younger generation, such as Katherine Swampy, feel entitled to have an acute sense of grievance at the historical injustice done to the community — how the original “treaties” between the “First Nation” and “Canada” were violated to deprive the aboriginals of their share in natural wealth. And then, there is a new mood, unaccommodating and unapologetic, among the conservatives in the political class that borders on resentment at the perpetual whining and complaining from “them”.
The Indians — as also other ethnic groups — are very actively involved in the political transactions of electoral politics. They even manage to import loyalties from back home — Majha versus Malwa, Ludhiana versus Jalandhar, etc.
The Punjabi Media Association, it seems, has sufficient clout and connections in the provincial Assembly. Three MLAs were on hand to greet me when I visited the Assembly. A minister also dropped in for a photo-op.
Rod Loyola, MLA from the Edmonton-Ellerslie constituency, was our host. He and his colleague had just finished a meeting of the ethics committee. They are attempting to change the funding rules, so as to provide a level playing field. They want to minimise the influence that money can buy.
Alberta has a new ruling political dispensation after decades of conservative rule. The new government has suddenly raised the minimum wages for the province and has gladly incurred a heavy public debt.
An animated discussion on the minimum wage rate hike followed. And, lo and behold, Loyola is quoting John Maynard Keynes to buttress his argument that more money in the hands of the working class would mean a more vibrant economy. Even if it means that the province’s public debt would go up considerably.
Over coffee, Loyola wants to know about the shifting moods in Punjab politics. He has a Sikh gentleman for a chief of staff. A trade unionist, a political refugee from Pinochet’s Chile, Loyola’s politics is of working class loyalties and sympathies, though incongruously enough, he chooses to dress up very conservatively. He has a handsomeness that reminds one of Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dr Prem Singhmar was my gracious host in Edmonton. He has made it big in the world of real estate and the hotel industry. He is accepted and respected in the “mainstream”.
He has made a very handsome contribution to the city’s educational and cultural life. Two buildings bear his name. Not bad at all. Very atypical immigrant Indian behaviour. Naturally, he is quite active in the conservative politics in the province.
Unsurprisingly, he is an admirer of Narendra Modi. But he was too suave to voice his disappointment that I did not subscribe to any such admiration.
At the local gurdwara, the talk was only of the forthcoming elections in Punjab. The community elders, who congregate every day, vocally told me that they would be getting involved in the elections. They want to influence the outcome in favour of the AAP because of its promise of a new politics.
And at the local mandir, the community’s new prosperity was very much in evidence.
Both at the mandir and gurdwara, it was obvious that more than being religious centres, these were sites of community solidarities and fellow-feelings.
Back home, I was told of something very curious. Air Force Day is celebrated on October 8. Since ages, the Air Force Chief hosts “At Home” reception on the day, and the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister put in an appearance. This year, curiously enough, the “At Home” was held a few days in advance. It was learnt that the President was not available on the Air Force Day. Inexplicable. And, interestingly enough, the Defence Minister was not able to attend the Air Chief’s reception.
Certain traditions and rituals should be sacrosanct.
Such as the tradition of coffee. Do join me.

Harish Khare