That indeed was a day of shame when true India had to bow her head. It was only the previous evening that Mrs. Gandhi had come to Bhubaneswar and I had organised a seminar for students on behalf of our Rotary Club. The attendance was good but not good enough. The moment I came to know about the mayhem that was going on in parts of the country, the first thing I did was to telephone one of our veteran members Sardar Santok Singh. I was informed that he was safe and there was no need for concern. True India is not lumpen elements drawn from the gutter and given some power by their gutter leaders. Hindus and Sikhs have lived in this country as a family and don't have to quarrel. Every Hindu and every Sikh has to show the power-mongers their place. All said and done, it was wrong for the community to have allowed Bindranwale and his armed secessionists to use the sacred Golden Temple as their HQ. It is time to learn from the past.
