A Poem by ‘The Singh Twins’, 2006

Condemned to die

For what possible reason?

A faith in one God and service to others,

A love for all humans as sisters and brothers?

What was their crime?

Those who gathered to pray

At their holiest shrine on a holy day?

Butchered by bullets like lambs at the slaughter

Mother, father, son, daughter

And washing their hands of this innocent blood

A world remained silent or blinded by lies

Churned out by censured media eyes

The massacre of Sikhs in 84

Was nothing new; it happened before!

Throughout India’s past and her ongoing fight

Against religious intolerance and the political might

Of foreign invaders and tyrannous rule,

When religion was used as a political tool,

Sikhs were targeted for fighting back

Hunted, tortured, shrines attacked.

Without fear or submission they accepted their fate

Offered their heads to defend freedom’s gate.

The flame of Amritsar honors their story

Testifying to the loyalty and glory

Conveniently ignored in a political game

Which sought to slander their respected name.

Dividing Hindus and Sikhs and their traditional affection

In a desperate bid for re-election.

Condemned without reason

Except to feed the selfish ambition and political greed

Of those in power, with something to gain

From the terror, misery and suffering they reign

On those who are blameless of any crime.

Victims of circumstance, place and time.

Hard to forget, harder still to forgive,

Yet survivors find strength in their faith to live

As a people condemned in a Nation they serve

Suffering a fate they don’t deserve.

Poem and Artwork Copyright The Singh Twins: www.singhtwins.co.uk