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The big
battle of identity
M S Chawla
The followers of this religion have a distinct, separate identity,
which has been achieved after tremendous sufferings and sacrifices.
To preserve this, the Sikhs must again prepare themselves to fight
for their rights – to maintain their distinct religious identity and
to establish a distinct presence in the political panorama of their
country.
In the past many situations have
arisen when the very basis of Sikh identity and presence has been
under attack. The Rulers of the Mughal kingdom issued edicts for the
complete annihilation of the community; prices were fixed for the
heads of Sikhs, which were cut off and then stuck on the tips of
spears and paraded through the streets, to convince the common
people that not even one Sikh had been left alive.
This passed into the pages of history. But there is another trend,
which is many times more dangerous and threatening than the killing
sprees. This is the move to absorb the distinct religious identity
of the Sikhs into the folds of Hinduism – the majority religion of
India – in a cleverly subtle way.
History has revealed a bitter truth that though the Sikhs have
successfully withstood physical armed attacks made on them and
retaliated in kind, when the attacks have been of an intellectual
type, they have not been able to protect themselves as well. The
reason, generally given is that Sikhs are basically very simple folk
and their leaders are too straight-forward to understand the
convoluted and cunning thinking of the opposing forces.
Rationalising this failure is not the answer. There is no other way
but to consolidate and activate the Sikh intellectuals. The
challenge of the sword can be met with the sword or martyrdom, but
the challenge to Sikh thought can only be met on the intellectual
battle-field.The deceitful motives of our opponents will have to be
revealed by removing each layer of their treacherous plans.
In
the present times, the Panth has been under extreme duress since
1984. Besides attacks on its life and property, tireless efforts
have been made to blacken its rich traditions and history. A body of
fundamentalists with tremendous power has taken undue advantage of
the prevalent conditions and decided to finish the Sikh identity
once and for all. The name of this coterie is RSS and it has a
one-point agenda of ‘Hinduisation’ of the whole of India. To this
end, it has set up another organization called ‘Rashtriya Sikh
Sangat’ and has started work to establish branches in foreign
countries. In this way they can succeed in their nefarious plans
without arousing any criticism of excesses by the Hindu majority, or
violation of human rights. Since it is obvious that Sikh
organizations have neither the ability nor the time to counteract
this attack, I feel it is my duty to warn those devoted and learned
Sikhs who advocate and take pride in the separate identity of the
Sikhs. I truly believe that if timely action is not taken, a large
part of the Sikh Panth, under the guise of ‘Rashtriya Sikh Sangat’
will be swallowed up by the RSS. It is of utmost importance to
thoroughly study the basis and aims of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat.
The first get-together of this organization was held in Delhi in
1986 and in the same year in November at Amritsar its formal
inauguration was announced at a heavily-attended function.
Two
points need to be stressed: 1. The choice of the name. The initials
of both, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are
the same – RSS ! Thus care has been taken to eliminate all
possibilities of this group ever escaping from the clutches of the
Hindu fundamentalists. 2. The timing for announcing the formation of
this organization: After independence, the years following 1984
proved to be the most traumatic for the Sikhs.The tragic episode of
‘Operation Bluestar’, followed by the massacre of Sikhs filled the
community with a sense of insecurity and unrest. This atmosphere of
helplessness, fear and insecurity was taken advantage of by the
Hindu fundamentalists and they schemed to take steps for absorbing
the Sikh identity into the Hindu fold. What is Rashtriya Sikh Sangat?
What are its aims and activities? On what philosophy is this group
based and what is its agenda ?
The
replies to these queries are to be found in the Newsletter ‘Sangat
Sandesh’. It starts with the announcement: "Rashtriya Sikh Sangat
believes in and respects the unity and one-ness of society and the
nation." (From this it is clear that it does not recognize the
multi-cultural and muti-religious character of India). The following
definitions of the Sikh Panth and religion are worth noting: 1.
Sikhs and the Hindu society are an indivisible and unified entity.
2. Sikhs are a part of the Hindu society. 3. To view Kesadhari and
Sehajdhari as separate entities is to show an ignorance of history.
4. Sikhs are a sect of the Hindu religion. Such sects, based on some
differences are found in many religious groups. 5. The Sikh Panth is
like a beautiful and perfumed bouquet of rare flowers belonging to
the vast garden called the Hindu dharma. 6. Khalsa Panth is a
nectar-filled fruit growing on the tree of Hindu dharma. 7. Sikh
religion and the Khalsa Panth were created to protect the nation and
the Hindu dharma.
It
is also worth studying the interpretations given to Guru Saheban’s
personalities and sacrifices: 1. The life of Guru Nanak is an
amalgamation of all the good points of the Hindu way of life, such
as, idealism, karma,bhakti and knowledge. 2. The tradition of
spirituality, devotion and courage typifying the lives of the Guru Saheban is a matter of great pride for the vast Hindu society. 3.
Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his life in order to save the Hindu
religion and society. 4. For the protection of the Hindu dharma,
Guru Gobind Singh’s two sons died fighting and the younger two
volunteered to be buried alive.
Regarding Gurbani and Gurmat the views of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat
can be clearly seen from the points below :— 1. To accept Gurbani as
separate from the Vedic and Puranic tradition is to show ignorance
and lack of understanding. 2. Gurbani is like the Ganga with its
source ( Gangotri) in the Vedas. 3. The Guru Saheban were inspired
by the Vedas to follow a path of selfless-ness. 4. ‘Japji’ is a
shortened version of the ‘Gita’.
The
Hindu fundamentalists believe that since the sole aim of creating
the Khalsa Panth was to protect Hindu society, there is no need for
it to have a separate identity, and they are not ready to accept it.
Thus the shrewd and cunning scheme becomes all-clear. The efforts
are to downplay the role of the Guru Saheban, by colouring all their
actions and sacrifices in the saffron colour. The facts of the
martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadurji have been made to neatly fit into
their theory.
Guru Granth Saheb ji is accepted as the living Guru by the Sikhs. To
assert that Gurbani is inspired by the Vedas is sheer mischief. The
aim is to stress the role of Vedas long enough for it to percolate
into the Sikh psyche and lessen the influence of their religious
teachers and ideology. I would like to stress yet again that Sikhism
is a self-realised religion, completely independent, believing in
the one Almighty. The followers of this religion have a distinct,
separate identity, which has been achieved after tremendous
sufferings and sacrifices. To preserve this, the Sikhs must again
prepare themselves to fight for their rights – to maintain their
distinct religious identity and to establish a distinct presence in
the political panorama of their country.
29 August, 2007
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