Faith, Gender, and Activism in the Punjab Conflict

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Proem

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 1-19

3. Earth, Water, Pyre

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 21-56

4. Monu’s Mummy

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 57-92

5. Jamuns

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 93-122

6. Next, Kill All the Lawyers

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 123-150

7. Holy of the Holy

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 151-179

8. Two Urns

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 181-203

9. Guavas and Gaslighting

   • Mallika Kaur

   Pages 205-232

10. Glasnost

    • Mallika Kaur

    Pages 233-254

11. Ten Thousand Pairs of Shoes

    • Mallika Kaur

    Pages 255-290

12. Back Matter

    Pages 291-304

    PDF

Punjab was the arena of one of the first major armed conflicts of post-colonial India. During its deadliest decade, as many as 250,000 people were killed. This book makes an urgent intervention in the history of the conflict, which to date has been characterized by a fixation on sensational violence—or ignored altogether. Mallika Kaur unearths the stories of three people who found themselves at the center of Punjab’s human rights movement: Baljit Kaur, who armed herself with a video camera to record essential evidence of the conflict; Justice Ajit Singh Bains, who became a beloved “people’s judge”; and Inderjit Singh Jaijee, who returned to Punjab to document abuses even as other elites were fleeing. Together, they are credited with saving countless lives. Braiding oral histories, personal snapshots, and primary documents recovered from at-risk archives, Kaur shows that when entire conflicts are marginalized, we miss essential stories: stories of faith, feminist action, and the power of citizen-activists.

• Indian Punjab
• Armed conflict
• ethnic conflicts
• Transitional Justice
• Women and armed violence
• Collective memory
• citizen activism
• postcolonial India
• Indian nationalism
• human rights

“Kaur provides a multi-layered account of modern Punjab and Sikh history. … this book is a work of community memorialisation, and Kaur has stitched together a blanket from patches of community and personal memories. In doing so, she has weaved a powerful tool for collective catharsis and healing.” (Guneet Kaur, outlookindia.com, April 30, 2022)

“Discrepancy haunts the question of violence in modern India. The very first page of Mallika Kaur’s remarkable new book, Faith, Gender, and Activism in the Punjab Conflict: The Wheat Fields Still Whisper, reveals a glimpse into this predicament. … The novelty of the book lies foremost in its structure. Rather than proceeding chronologically, it simultaneously moves backward from 1995 and forward from 1839, to converge at the pivotal year of 1984.” (Navyug Gill, scroll.in, April 24, 2022)

“I realise that the book’s title may appear daunting, but its contents are readable and interesting to academics and non-academics alike. Mallika provides us with an urgent reminder to stand up for justice, even when the odds are not in our favour. … ‘The Wheat Fields Still Whisper,’ will adequately prompt you to humbly present yourself to Mallika’s brilliant work, and listen.” (Mridula Sharma, feminisminindia.com, April 20, 2022)

“The writing is brave not only for the stories it narrates, but because Kaur’s refreshingly honest and direct voice makes it clear why the personal is political, and why silence is not an option in an increasingly unjust world.” (Khushdeep Kaur Malhotra, Journal of Human Rights Practice, Vol. 13 (2), July, 2021)


“An exceptionally unique and major contribution to this extensive literature. … A particular strength of the book are the personalstories and narratives offered by Mallika Kaur’s interviewees, which give the reader a rare glimpse … . The product is a very readable but intellectually engaging book which is equally valuable for novices who wish to learn more about Sikh history and the Punjab conflict, and also for established scholars of Punjab, Indian democracy, human rights and legal studies.” (Jugdep S. Chima, Journal of Sikh & Punjāb Studies JSPS, Vol. 28 (1), 2021)

“Excellent book examining the human rights dimension of the conflict in the Indian Punjab should be of interest to scholars, policy makers, journalists, diplomats, and practitioners. Mallika Kaur crafts an inspiring book that greatly contributes to the human rights literature … . Kaur furnishes a profoundly human story full of wit, poetry, and meaning that opens a fascinating window into the Sikh community, both in India and abroad. The interdisciplinary nature of the book is one of its main strengths.” (Andreas E.Feldmann, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 43 (2), May, 2021) “I read Mallika Kaur's beautifully written book at a gallop. Police raids, villagers' resistance, women's defiance, torturers, survivors, electoral violence, strategic silences. It's all here. But what is remarkable is how Mallika Kaur allows us to listen in on these lively, risky conversations as Sikh women and men unravel the Indian official story and together weave a more reliable, complex political narrative.” (Cynthia Enloe, Clark University, New York, USA)

“Deftly braiding oral history with recorded history, Mallika Kaur brings to the reader memories and tales of the long Punjab struggle with a painful, bracing immediacy. We listen as three ordinary – and not so ordinary – people describe how they chose engagement, not indifference; dignity and humanity over collusion with state violence and corruption. A vivid reminder that beyond the statistics in human rights reports and the details of unending legal cases, lie courage, humor, caring, and simple commitment to truth.” (AngelaP. Harris, UC Davis School of Law, California, USA)

“There are many people who talk, but not many who listen. And fewer still who listen with patience, respect, and faith that each person is the best authority on their own experiences. So it's no wonder that many people who never told their stories or shared their records, opened their hearts and souls to Mallika.” (Paramjit Kaur Khalra, human rights advocate, Amritsar, Punjab)

• San Mateo, USA

  Mallika Kaur

Mallika Kaur is a lawyer and writer who focuses on human rights, with a specialization in gender and minority issues. She received her Master in Public Policy from Harvard University, USA, and her Juris Doctorate from the UC Berkeley School of Law, USA, where she currently teaches.

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