Documenting Sikh archives
Jagtar Singh’s ‘Sikh Struggle Documents: 1920-2022’ is instructive and necessary
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Book Title: Sikh Struggle Documents: 1920-2022
Author: Jagtar Singh
Lack of documentation is a hurdle that most of those who work on Punjab face. The region’s socio-political challenges led to stress on survival, and the unstable environment was not conducive to written documentation. Oral tradition served its purpose, but at the cost of accuracy and certainty that the written word imparts.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh is considered the first Emperor of Punjab. Subsequently, the British imperialists had ample time to rewrite history, and after Partition, access to the remnants of such records became tenuous.
Sikhs under British rule sought to set right various “corruptions” that had crept into the faith and launched a struggle in the 1920s. After much effort, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was formed, and it has been the preeminent voice of Sikh religious and political aspirations since then. Yet, challenges abound, as we can see around us even now.
For those seeking to understand the present, it is most instructive to return to the past. The author, Jagtar Singh, provides a bird’s-eye view of the past in chapters titled ‘Punjab: Land of the Sikhs’, ‘Interactive Relationship Under Colonial Rule’, ‘Shades of Sikh Separatism till 1947’, ‘Identity Assertion: 1947-1966’ and ‘Autonomy to Khalistan’.
This hundred-page view of history is instructive and, indeed, necessary. The author summarises the 550 years skilfully and draws an outline that the reader can fill with further information. The account quotes extensively from relevant scholars and writers and provides context to the documents he has given in the second and prominent section of the book.
As one reads the original texts, one is informed about the dexterity to respond to changing circumstances and vacillating stands of political leaders, which clash with the ideological clarity to which they claim allegiance. The demands of the Sikh leaders were reasonably similar to those of other minorities; assurances were given, and they were not fulfilled. This led to resentment and a lack of trust that has risen and fallen with the ebb of the political tide.
In 1921, the SGPC gave a call to boycott the Prince of Wales, who was visiting India then. Singh opens his documentation with this and then goes on to give 181 entries that end with the text of the River Waters Accord. The writer has translated original texts in Punjabi and Hindi.
Through this compendium, we see how political leaders navigated changing situations, especially the place of Punjab and Sikhs in India, both before and after Independence. We see efforts to articulate the position of the Sikhs on linguistic, religious and political issues — indeed, many of the documents are eloquent statements of cause, which was largely buried in attention-seeking reporting of the time and thereafter. A case in point is Sant Harchand Singh Longowal’s 1985 letter to MPs. Of course, many texts also have an emotionally hurt tone. The author has done well by including manuscripts of various shades of thought and political/ideological persuasion.
The book should be handy for those who seek to understand this region, its people and politics. This is a significant archive; the English translation empowers future writers and scholars, although a list of documents would have been handy. Once the inquisitive mind has been ignited, it would seek more, which, thanks to recent efforts, is available digitally, albeit in original scripts.
Some shibboleths are challenged, and some surprises spring up as we explore Jagtar Singh’s collection, allowing us to examine layers of interconnected events and avoid monochromatic interpretations based on knee-jerk reactions. By doing so, the author helps us understand the Sikh struggles, political and religious.
— The writer is a senior journalist
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