editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies

92
ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : APRIL-JUNE 2005 / 537 NS
of “their interpretation of Sikh history and religion scaling its hegemony
for years to come.”
Few questions that need immediate answer by the people of North
America are: How is it that Toronto University serves as a captive to
McLeodian scholarship and candidates with whatever thesis do find
acceptance for Doctorate degree there What sort of multi-culturalism
does Canada promote Why have the Toronto and Vancouver
Universities practically done away with Chairs on Sikh Studies Why
do only McLeodian scholars find placing in North America Obviously
the purpose for which all those Chairs were created and the money
collected has failed, and put to misuse.
Mention may now be made of two new chairs on Sikh Studies
created recently.
The chair named after the mother of S. Narinder Singh Kapani,
in California, has been occupied by a McLeodian scholar. The other is
a Chair named after the father of S. Didar Singh Dhaliwal in Wisconsin.
His father was a subedar in the British Indian army. It is debatable
that the mother of Kapani, a simple lady from Pothohar, learned and
deeply conscious of her Sikh origin and ethos would be happy at the
signals of a chair named after her but occupied by an anti-Sikh, a
follower of McLeodian school of thought. How would father of S.
Darshan Singh Dhaliwal react to a chair named after him but likely to
be occupied by a McLeodian protege or collaborator Obviously not
easily: his father, trained in Sikh ethos in the British Indian Army is
likely to have his own mental framework.
Is there now need for some more stupid Sikhs (I am using the
term in the same spirit as S. Kapur Singh, formerly ICS, who used the
term in one of his papers released at Vancouver did) to create a chair
after one of his parents or consorts That would be a worst contribution
to their ancestors or consorts receiving painful signals from McLeodian
scholars holding the chair.
I think it would be much better that such efforts should instead
be spent on creating specific scholarships for doing research work under
known scholars, who have correct understanding of Sikhism. Another
feature would be their making useful contribution at high school level,