Sikh middle class,Panjabi cinema and the politics of memory

The paper attempts to look at the relationship between memory and politics in Panjabi cinema and its implications for the construction of Sikh identity, specifically through the prism of the Sikh Middle Class. It seeks to understand the manner in which this middle-class grapples with the memory of Operation Bluestar and 1984 riots, how this memory is recreated in the present and how it continues to reside as contemporary in individual consciousness. To do so, it attempts to understand the popularity of recent films dealing with Sikh militancy and also to contextualize the present period in which these films have become very relevant to both the local and diasporic audiences, in particular, the way in which people connect to Operation Bluestar and Delhi riots almost 30 years after the event.     

Less Engagement in Pleasurable Activities Is Associated With Poorer Quality of Life for Veterans With Comorbid Postdeployment Conditions

The presence of multiple comorbid conditions is common after combat deployment and complicates treatment. A potential treatment approach is to target shared mechanisms across conditions that maintain poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL). One such mechanism may be decrements in pleasurable activities. Impairment in pleasurable activities frequently occurs after deployment and may be associated with poorer HRQOL. In this brief report, we surveyed 126 veterans who had previously sought an assessment at a Veterans Affairs postdeployment health clinic and assessed pleasurable activities, HRQOL, and postdeployment health symptoms. Forty-three percent of veterans met our criteria for all 3 postdeployment conditions (posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and chronic widespread physical symptoms). Greater engagement in pleasurable activities was associated with better HRQOL for all veterans regardless of type or level of postdeployment health symptoms. Future research should study if interventions that encourage veterans with postdeployment health conditions to engage in pleasurable activities are effective rehabilitation strategies.