Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

LET WISDOM PREVAIL45Banda Singh Bahadur; the Misl sardars ruled the Punjab, providingsecurity to the people against Mughal and Afghan atrocities; MaharajaRanjit Singh established sovereignty for all in the region and set anexample of a fair and just rule, unknown to the world even to this day;extraordinary courage was demonstrated and a heavy price paid in lifeand limb, while wresting control of gurdwaras from mahants; and soon. In short, they truly and literally answered the call of Guru Nanakand Guru Gobind – sir dhar tali gali mori aayo.Today, there is no price on our heads, and no cruel, mighty rulershunt us. On the contrary, new laws of hate crime are being framed theworld over that award death penalty to those who kill us for our Sikhlook. We are enjoying the most cordial of circumstances as comparedto those of our ancestors. Further, nowadays, the aviation technologyis at its height, media have brought the world at one’s fingertips, anddemocratic governances are the trend in a majority of the countries.Why then have we failed to communicate with each other? Unity stilleludes us. No mahants control our gurdwaras, yet maryada is notuniform in the various gurdwaras. Had our ancestors run after golaksand been notorious for brawls, what would have been our image today?And, if that is what we do today, then what face are we gifting ouryouth? Irreligious politicians and political sants of the day havedistorted the concept of miri-piri to their advantage. Imagine a headthat is to be held high always, never to bow to any earthly power, anddid not do so even in the face of the executioner, may soon, at thisrate, hang in shame even in solitude.The Panth faces numerous challenges, internal as well as external.Every concerned Sikh is well aware of these. Whereas the internalones regarding maryada, identity, etc., are in the open, public, theexternal ones are more subtle. Unfortunately, up till now, we have tokeep prattling that we are not Hindus; for legal purposes also, we areclubbed under Hindus in the Constitution; our signatures were notconsidered necessary for passing the Constitution in 1947; we aredenied minority status in spite of being less than 2% in the vast sea ofHindu Indians; entry of our robust youth into army is restricted; wehave no right over our river waters, etc, etc. Not to mention the 1984massacre, and the nation’s response to it as if nothing happened. Just