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Defining and
Understanding 1984
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The WSN presents the text of the speech of S. Ajmer Singh,
writer and activist, at the World Sikh Organisation’s Annual
Parliamentary Dinner Meeting at West Block, House of Commons,
Ottawa, on 4 June 2009. Ajmer Singh’s work has goaded the
community to study the events leading up to 1984 and later in an
informed perspective rather than jumping to quick-fix
explanations. He was speaking within the confines of the broader
theme of Past in Perspective –Future in Focus; Commemoration of
25 years of Saka Akal Takht |
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 Distinguished
assembly of Sikh-Canadians and law makers:
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
At
the outset, I salute Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and others who
in the highest traditions of the Sikh way of life, 25 years ago,
achieved martyrdom in Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.
Today, as we commemorate the event,I
will define the existential crisis of the Sikhs in the context of
1984 and beyond.
1984 transformed the individual lives of the Sikhs in a major and
revolutionary way, changing the build-up and dynamics of the
collective consciousness of the Sikh people. An American
journalist while describing 9/11, characterized it as “the event
that defined this century; it was as though the plate-tectonics of
history were shifting”. Without drawing any parallel or
analogy with the event of 9/11, I would like to say that June 1984
marked a tectonic change in Sikh thinking, Sikh understanding and
all aspects of Indo-Sikh dialogue.
So,
what was the impact of June 1984 on the Sikh mind?
Historically, Sikhs have always recognised their distinctiveness
from Muslims. It is an inherent part of their psyche and
consciousness. No Sikh has even an iota of doubt about how the Sikh
is different from the Muslim in social, religious and political
aspects. In this regard, there never was and there is no confusion.
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1984 arrested the progress of assimilation, forced the Sikhs to
unlearn their old methods and perspectives of thinking and
rekindled the spirit of distinctiveness. Sikhs revived the Sikh
vision of God and the Sikh understanding of human existential
situation, social justice with full focus on social
transformation. |
Despite the clarity envisioned and inculcated by the Gurus, in their
teachings and renditions in Guru Granth Sahib, the relationship of
Sikhs and Hindus had remained muddled and unclear. History had
mystified the relationship and the Hindu had carefully chosen to
ensure keeping the issue lingering in the Sikh mind. Though the
Sikhs proclaimed that Sikhism is a separate religion, there was no
clarity as to how and why. Somehow, Sikhs considered themselves
culturally akin to Hindus and overemphasized the fact that they
belong to the same civilization. Sikhs themselves and the Hindus by
choice diluted the political separation taking it to the logical
conclusion of assimilation. Authors like Max Arthur Macauliffe
recognised this decades back.
1984 changed all this.
 1984 arrested the progress of assimilation, forced the Sikhs to
unlearn their old methods and perspectives of thinking and rekindled
the spirit of distinctiveness. Sikhs revived the Sikh vision of God
and the Sikh understanding of human existential situation, social
justice with full focus on social transformation.
The
framework of society as per Hindu norms and as seen over the
centuries has been unequal, unjust and socially degrading. Bhai
Sahib Sirdar Kapur Singh sums it succinctly, “For a Hindu, his
religious faith does not touch the core of his being, the emotive
structure of his personality.” On the contrary, for the Sikh,
respect for Sikhism is a life and death issue, there cannot be any
compromise. Once again, this is not in the narrow sense of being
orthodox and fundamentalist but as a matter of conviction and
motivation towards social justice and equality.
To
understand the historical perspective of this attitude, it may serve
well to note that the hostility of the Hindu mind to the Sikhs
started when the first Master, Guru Nanak at the age of nine, avowed
not to toe the Hindu ritual line and then subsequently,
unequivocally declared, “There is no Hindu, and there is no
Musalman.”
 Throughout the next two centuries, this opposition continued in
explicit and implicit form. In the early stages, political power
was not in Hindu hands, though they had ample social influence. When
power fell into their hands, the true character of the Hindu mind
showed up and 1984 was the culmination of the notoriety of it, and
as subsequent events have shown, it was not the termination of it.
We
have seen that Hindu hostility towards Sikhism was not ephemeral,
but as Sirdar Kapur Singh puts it, “it has become a permanent strain
in the sub-conscious psyche of the upper caste citified crust of
Hindu society.” Events leading to 1984 have shown that the Hindu
leadership in keeping with its conscience, aptitude and attitude,
seizes every opportunity to degrade and destroy the Sikh religious
ethos, as amply evidenced by recent events from Vienna to Punjab.
All state and social activities are directed to undermine, dilute
and destruct the potential of Sikhs as a political people and to
digress them away from their traditional independent focus.
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After 25 years, unless we are self-reflective in our approach,
to expect achievements may not be possible and we will continue
to be caught in a vicious circle. All our grand emotions need to
be channelized to a clear-cut well-thought of and focussed
direction. |
1984 changed this paradigm and established the distinctive nature of
Sikhs and Sikhism. 1984 brought in its wake a plethora of
newspapers, magazines and publications across the world upholding
the Sikh point of view, the use of the internet in mother tongue
Punjabi was advanced with new fonts, with the availability of Guru
Granth Sahib in easily usable and understandable formats, the
massive increase in numbers of legislators and parliamentarians in
Canada and other parts of the globe are remarkable achievements
brought about by identity consciousness.
While analysing the Sikh response, it may be said that in the
immediate aftermath of 1984, our political response was not
considered and strategic, as expected though not fully justifiable.
However, to continue with the same kind of nomenclature, vocabulary,
thought processes and street-campaign approach renders our debate
incomplete, wayward and non-credible. In the coming years and
decades, I emphasize that this is the area that needs massive
overhauling and change. After 25 years, unless we are
self-reflective in our approach, to expect achievements may not be
possible and we will continue to be caught in a vicious circle. All
our grand emotions need to be channelized to a clear-cut
well-thought of and focussed direction.
Let
me go beyond 1984. The mayhem, death and destruction of Sikhs and
everything dear to the Sikhs for nearly a decade and a half after
that, brought out the more vicious nature and face of Hindu
nationalism. Across the entire spectrum, without distinction or
reservation from any main quarter, the vindictive nature of Hinduism
was to the fore. The Hindu mind which at some time in the past was
willing to tolerate the Sikh external appearance hounded the Sikhs
and made them the butt of ridicule in a typical state-sponsored and
carefully orchestrated political battle across
India.
The
expression of Sikh nationalistic fervour, thought, idiom or
ideology, in whatever form and method was perceived and it continues
that way, as treason and sedition. Significantly, it was not just
the state, but every section of Hindu social and political power
which supported the onslaught on the Sikhs, giving birth to the
neo-modern monolithic idea of India as one nation in which
differences are not tolerated but systematically obliterated.
Thus we see that in pursuance of the pre-meditated goal of Indian
nationalism, the Hindu follows the policy of extermination, only to
pursue his goal of assimilation and this is what he did unto the
Sikhs and continues to do so. This is the peculiar nature of the
Sikh problem and this understanding will enable us to have a peep
into the Hindu mind which very cleverly includes and excludes us at
the same time.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have outlined the nature of the existential
situation of the Sikhs and I hope that armed with this knowledge, it
will be easier to work towards a more respectable future of the Sikh
nation.
Noted psychologist Sudhir Kakar while discussing the invasion of
Darbar Sahib in June 1984, characterised it as the Chosen Trauma for
the Sikh people. Let me quote him for a clear exposition, “The term
Chosen Trauma, refers to an event, which causes a community to feel
helpless and victimized by another and whose mental representations
become embedded in the group’s collective identity….a chosen trauma
is reactivated again and again to strengthen a group’s cohesiveness
through ‘memories’ of its persecution, victimization, and yet its
eventual survival.”
We
as a people have to ensure that these memories do not fade away. I
thank the World Sikh Organisation for this opportunity and I also
thank you all.
Thank you very much.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
10
June 2009
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