Kids Corner


Operation BlueStar







Blue Star‘ defintion -

a  The name given by India's bureaucrats to Indira Gandhi's ill-conceived military assault on The Golden Temple of Amritsar, the Sikh Holies of Holies, when thousands of innocent men, women and children were killed. She was punished for her sins by her own bodyguards who duly assassinated her. Her actions, however, released a new pattern of violence in the country, leading to her son, Rajiv Gandhi' - while he was the next Prime Minister of India - to be blown into smithereens by his own co-religionists, theTamil Hindus. India continues to reel under the aftermath today, 25 years after India's crimes of 1984.

b   A ‘blue giant' is a huge, very hot, blue star. As stars begin to die, they become giants and supergiants. These stars have depleted their hydrogen supply and are very old. The core contracts as the outer layers expand. These stars will eventually explode (becoming a planetary nebula or supernova, depending on their mass) and then become white dwarfs or black holes.






Hot, impulsive


Encroaches all around

Blinding, expanding

Expunges ground

Eats vast amounts of energy

Expends it foolishly


Brutish and mean

Shuns diligence

Distorts reconnaissance


Showy and tempest

Puffed up, puffed out

Burning out of hydrogen

Resorts to helium

Bombastic glow

Hotter and higher

Bigger and louder

Blustering for space

Burning out of place

Dying for energy

Fuelling antipathy

Becomes one Red giant

Bloody star

Inflated on pretence

Slaughters innocence

Quick to fire, quick to die

Blind and senseless goal

Eats so much,

Inverts energy


Becomes one big black hole




[This poem was first published on September 29, 2009 as part of's "1984 & I" series. Republished on June 6, 2017.


Conversation about this article

1: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), September 29, 2009, 3:40 PM.

From Blue Star to Black Hole. I wonder if the planners of "Operation Blue Star" - designed to tame the Sikhs - realized that it would lead them and the nation to a "Black Hole." Excellent poem.

2: Shiv Sengupta (Kolkata, India), September 30, 2009, 8:44 AM.

Brilliant metaphor! It says it all!

3: Ajitpal Singh (Paris, France), September 30, 2009, 8:52 AM.

Michele: You have masterfully conveyed the sheer senselessness and the lasting damage done to the Indian psyche - yes, I mean 'Indian' - by 1984. Sikhs will recover and do better than ever, as they always do. The Indians will not - no one who ever does such michief ever does. Thank you, Michele, for your profound imagery ... it helps capture the enormity of it all!

4: Amardeep (U.S.A.), October 02, 2009, 12:12 PM.

Alas! If everyone could see the bigger picture of their ego-based actions. Wonderful poem!

5: H.S. Vachoa (U.S.A.), June 06, 2011, 4:18 PM.

That was the poem of the year. Thanks you, Miss Gibson.

6: Jasdeep Singh  (Hyderabad, India), December 13, 2011, 1:12 AM.

Now I know why it was called Operation BlueStar. Thank you, Michele, for telling us about the true meaning of "blue star". I did not witness any of the events in 1984 but I feel now I can imagine how the scenes might have happened ... it is so painful. I wish I could have been there and could have fought back. I also want to thank for making Sikhi, its values and historical moments come alive.

7: Ramneet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), June 20, 2012, 2:18 PM.

This poem touched the core of my heart. A wonderful write.

8: Jagjit Singh (Hong Kong), February 20, 2013, 9:38 PM.

Dear I read of 1984 and feel like crying as I, a Sikh, have seen the events before 1984 while visiting India. I wonder, are all these articles being read by only our Sikh brothers and sisters? If these same articles were translated in other languages, at least all the people around the world will know what we have experienced!

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