January 26, celebrated as Republic Day all over the nation, has a very personal significance for me, and it became more so this year because among the eminent persons honoured by the nation was Prof B N Goswamy, who I have had the privilege of knowing well for many years now.

I normally associated Doctor Sahib, as I call him, with the other national holiday that marks his birthday. Padma Bhushan Brijinder Nath Goswamy traces his roots to the holy city of Amritsar and he has made Chandigarh his home. Padma Bhushan is an honour that he richly deserves, one many expected that he would get sooner.

I am posting an article that I wrote on Prof Goswamy in 2004, when we were celebrating his 70th birthday, to give you more information about him and his work.
January 26, is also a cause of celebration because it also marks the birthday of two dear friends, Nitya and Aradhika, both remarkable women in their own right. This is the time of the year to celebrate their many accomplishments and wish them all the very best for many birthdays to come.

Turbans are a matter of pride and honour for the Sikhs. Sikhs all over the world wear turbans as articles of faith and there is no major city in the world where you will not spot a turban in a crowd.

However, in France, Sikh school children are not allowed to wear a turban and attend school. They are being discriminated against.

The President of France will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day festivities. This is an occasion to remind him and the world of this injustice that turban-wearing Sikh children have to face in the Republic of France.

My article on this issue has been published in The Tribune today on the OpEd page. Please click here to read it:

The French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s visit to India as a Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade on January 26 has turned the spotlight again on the issue of turbans being banned in state funded schools in France since 2004.
Sikh students have been expelled from French schools simply because they wore a turban, as were Muslim girls who wore a headscarf, or a hijab to school. The basis of the French law is the application of the principle of secularism, which calls for the separation of the church and the state. However, this is an overtly aggressive interpretation of the law, since it denies essential freedoms to many schoolchildren, and encroaches on core human values.
Obviously all students attending public schools in France cannot enjoy equal educational opportunities.
There is not doubt that this application of the law in France goes against the principles of natural justice. It is even in violation of the Charter of the European Union. The fundamental principles of governance in France inspired many countries towards democracy and liberty. The French government must act promptly and restore the fundamental right to good schooling to all children in France, whether or not they cover their heads when they attend school.
Visitors would find an article that I wrote in 2004 titled Bans and the turban: A matter of honour interesting and I especially recommend the brilliant water colour paintings by R M Singh, which were especially commissioned for the article.