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| Punjab village gives peace a chance |
| Himmatpur is like any other village in the Malwa region. At least a third of the population there follows the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
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| INDIA
, 22-May-2007
2:31:11 AM |
| Violence and fear may have forced many people in Punjab to flee their homes, following the recent clashes between Akalis and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, but in Himmatpur village things are different.
Himmatpur is like any other village in the Malwa region. At least a third of the population there follows the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
But the village has seen no strife or violence, no forced migration of Dera followers. The village panchayat decided early on that Dera followers would not be targeted.
''There are differences but that doesn't mean we will stop living together or fight,'' said Sant Singh, Sarpanch, Himmatpur.
The Dera followers there are almost exclusively from the lower castes. And it's not that the Jat Sikhs there aren't angry with the alleged portrayal of Dera chief Ram Raheem Singh as Guru Gobind Singh in a recent newspaper advertisement.
But they have decided that little will be achieved by fighting with their fellow villagers.
''We feel safe, the Sarpanch assured us nothing will happen to us. We feel safe here,'' said Dera follower.
People in the village now hope that others in the area will shun violence. There are posters spreading the message, telling people there are better ways of resolving the issue.
The people of Himmatpur have kept their sanity, and that means in this village these little children can continue to live as before without any fear, perhaps a lesson for the rest of Punjab.
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