300 years of the Khalsa: Let us journey within
By Himmat Singh Gill

THE sight of the 300- strong caparisoned horses ridden by Nihang warriors demonstrating Gatka as they moved along, the martial sounds of the nagara drums of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Army’s Sikh and Sikh Light Infantry Centre’s massed bands and the resplendent elephants carrying the Panj Piaras and Guru Gobind Singh’s weapons were truly awe-inspiring and reminiscent of the past glory of the Khalsa. As the lakh-strong mass of humanity made its way down from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in an orderly procession to Gurdwara Qila Anandgarh Sahib and then on to the site of the unveiling of the foundation stone site of the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex, one marvelled at the precision and the near-perfection with which an epoch-making event of this size and magnitude had been handled by the Anandpur Sahib Foundation. The year-long celebration slated for the Khalsa’s tercentenary on April 14, 1999, could not have got off to a better start. This was one face of the Sikhs and the Panth as they prepared to move into their well-earned seat of power and glory in the next century.

The other face of the Khalsa appeared sooner than expected, for the very next day of the Anandpur Sahib celebrations (from which the Jathedar of the Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh had decided to stay away), the President of the Anandpur Sahib Foundation, Barjinder Singh Hamdard, tendered his resignation. The visible semblance of bonhomie and unity that had existed to a large extent between the Akal Takht, the SGPC and the Punjab government suddenly stood quite fractured and forlorn. Much acrimony between the two has taken place since then.

The thought that often comes to one’s mind is that why do leaders not stop sniping at each other? Why do they not restrict themselves to only debating burning subjects related to the politico-religious field so that this virile community can once and for all move on with its life and affairs?

But, alas, few of us listen. Certain issues have now been placed on the front-burners which were not so pressing, and without which the Sikhs could have lived easily for the time being. Issues and concerns that really matter — river waters, Chandigarh, Udham Singh Nagar and bringing to book the perpetrators of state and group terrorism in 1984, Operation Bluestar and all that followed in its wake have been relegated once again.As have other weighty concerns, like the state having its own engineering and medical colleges within its jurisdiction for every Punjabi, defence academies and agricultural colleges in every corner to train the youth in the fields in which they really excel, and competent and highly dedicated religious teachers, who would spread the sublime message of the sacred GranthSahib in all the corners of the world, have not been given the due that they merited.

Lets face it, the matter is quite simple. Whether one is a Congress person, an Akali, a Communist, a BSP or a BJP Sikh, or just a plain partyless individual, little has been done by us to shoulder a commitment to better the social and economic fabric of the people of Punjab. If this is not rank opportunism, in the name of a wobbling democracy that we often brag about, then what really is it? To compound matters, the Akalis can never come to power on their own in Punjab, as they do not command a distinctive majority and, in seeking an alliance with like-minded parties, they would always dilute their ability push through agrarian reforms and village development programmes, wherein lies their strength and vote bank. In a coalition government, therefore, lies their strength as also their weakness. In the unsettling imbroglio of the simmering unhappiness of the Akalis with the BJP over UdhamSingh Nagar, the use of Article 356, the recruitment to the Armed Forces, and very few of the Punjabi demands having being accepted by a so-called "friendly" Centre, quite suddenly and unnecessarily have now emerged the triple issues of personalities, organisations and commissions.

All the top people in Punjab, whether political or spiritual, will have to set aside their differences for the sake of reviving the glory of the Punjabis. They would do well to chalk out a joint strategy, whose implementation should be entrusted to experienced, capable, upright and scrupulously honest men and women from every sphere of Punjabi society.

Further, let the SGPC function as the official parliament of the Sikhs, legislating and putting in position an exemplary and visibly transparent machinery for the day to day material and temporal functioning of all the Sikh Gurdwaras in India and abroad. The Singh Sahiban of the sacred Takhts should continue to provide the spiritual guidance to the Sikh masses. The dividing line between spirituality and the governance of a people is quite clear and well-defined to one’s way of thinking.

The other matter that needs a closer look is the rising number of Sikh organisations. In the United States of America and in Canada and the United Kingdom, we have an active World Sikh Organisation or the WSO, with an organ called the WSN to publish their own English and Punjabi newspaper. Now in India, we have the World Sikh Council headed by Justice Kuldeep Singh and his team.We also have the "earlier" or the older WSC, then headed by Professor Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Sri KesgarhSahib. We sometimes also read of a World Punjabi Organisation floated essentially by some members of the Sikh community in New Delhi.

The custodians of the Sikh temporal and spiritual order in India cannot wish away the existence and clout of the Sikh organisations abroad and would need to carry with them the Sikh diaspora for the overall good of the Sikh community. The Sikhs must shed their pseudo-intellectuals, the hangers-on, its passengers and its greedy opportunists in every organisation that is temporal in nature, and place in their position men (and women) of vision, with a world wide grasp and understanding, and those who cannot be corrupted by money and power. There are many around like this.

The third cause for introspection for the Sikhs is the plethora of commissions and tribunals which Punjab has saddled itself with. The state already has the State Human Rights Commission for legislating on terrorism of all hues, including the activity often executed by the state itself. Alongside Punjab has also a People’s Commission appointed by Justice Kuldip Singh to perform the role that any human rights organisation is expected to perform anywhere in the world. This parallel commission has come up because, according to some, the State Human Rights Commission has not done its job. And to add to the growing numbers, now Tohra has advocated a tribunal of five retired Sikh Judges to decide the religious disputes of the Sikhs and their shrines without the community having to go to the courts.

The Sikhs have the simplest religion in the world, which is easily accessible and, therefore, popular.We would need to reduce, not increase, and also simplify our organisational bodies for a world wide spread and following.

Last but not the least. Let us first be good Sikhs. Then we will automatically be good Punjabis and good Indians. Please ponder a little while on this. The Sikhs all over the world, must address consciously and honestly, the concerns and issues that sometimes trouble their mindset. This is a time for self-analysis and introspection, not for disharmony or discord within its own ranks. Let us make this journey into the 300 years of our inception, a truly joyful and memorable event.