In the epic Mahabharat, a Yaksh (demigod) asked Yudhishtir a few questions as a condition for bringing his four siblings back to life. They had been struck dead for their refusal to answer them before drinking water from the lake guarded by the Yaksh. One of his questions was ‘Kim ashcharyam?’ (What is surprising?). Yudhishtir’s reply was ‘We all know that death is inevitable. Yet, we take life for granted and live and behave as if we are immortal. That is ashcharyam (surprising).’
A few thousand years later, in 1675, the onslaught of an emperor’s fanaticism was challenged by Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru (spiritual teacher) of the Sikhs. Approached by persecuted Kashmiri Pandits, the Guru asked them to convey to the perpetrators that they would give up their religion only if he agreed to the same first. His refusal to convert led to his execution at Delhi’s Chandni Chowk. Years later, his two younger grandsons were bricked alive for upholding their faith and the two elder grandsons attained martyrdom on the battlefield.
These events shaped the community’s ideology. Freedom of faith became one of its central tenets whereas abusing power, spreading fear and subjugating followers of other religions became anathema. Less than three centuries later, the Indian subcontinent witnessed the tragedy of the Partition. The current fate of our neighbour, which emerged from it, is an example of one that befalls a theocratic state thriving on intolerance and hatred instead of development. Considering this significant historical context, is it not extreme ‘ashcharyam’ that Khalistan supporters claim to represent the Sikh cause?
They were created by the ideological descendants of those responsible for the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Their sponsors fed them a diet of religious intolerance and terror tactics – concepts alien to the faith they pretend to represent. Little wonder then that even after trying for decades, they suffer acute lack of support among the Sikh community. Blindfolded by their sponsors, they fail to see the rights, respect and progress that Sikhs enjoy in India. Giving competition to these kings of flawed logic are those questioning the Sikh community’s loyalty to India. These hate mongers are typically active on social media – a platform extremely prone to abuse even as it enables the kind of outreach that traditional media does not possess.
By raising doubts about the loyalty of a community generally known for its stellar record of sacrifices for the nation, just because some malcontents make noise somewhere, they reveal their divisive agenda and complete absence of grey matter. The question now is: If the support base of Khalistan supporters is insignificant, why bother? Well, rational thinking is developed by good education. Sections of the population deprived of it are gullible. Consequently, even a few thousand mischief-mongers, as the Khalistan supporters are, might gradually dent the Sikh community’s image.
They already did that in the 1980s. The political greed of the ruling dispensation of those times fuelled that fire. Pakistan’s ISI watched in glee as our own country’s politicians planted seeds of discord among two communities that have the strongest ties of blood, unleashed a series of events that damaged the image of one, and orchestrated a pogrom against it. Therefore, those whom destiny has given more influence need to be our sentinels. Our religious authorities know that unscrupulous politicians and the intelligence agency of a hostile neighbouring country maligned the community’s image in the past. Letting them rerun the same script successfully will be a shame. To be fair to the clergy, they have made efforts.
For instance, in February 2023, the Ontario Gurdwara Committee in Canada announced a reward for information leading to the arrest of culprits responsible for vandalising temples across the province. In March 2023, the Akal Takht’s jathedar condemned the attack on India’s consulate in the US and Takht Sri Patna Sahib Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee condemned the attack on our High Commission in the UK. Unfortunately, their statements did not get the same visibility as the separatists demonstrating abroad. The media needs to publicise such efforts more even as the clergy needs to raise the pitch and extend the reach of its sane statements. Furthermore, the religious authorities can deliver Khalistan supporters the strongest blow by excommunicating them from the Sikh community.
By claiming that Sikhs desire a separate homeland, Khalistani goons mock the patriotism of the lakhs of Sikhs who loyally serve India’s armed forces. Excommunication will deny the former any association with the faith and also set the legitimate expectation for excommunication of the perpetrators of the 1984 pogrom from the Hindu community. Finally, the Indian government can drive the last nail into the K-movement’s coffin. The culprits of November 1984 are mostly still at large. In a few years, the opportunity for justice could be lost forever.
To give the devil his due, denial of justice to the victims of 1984 is the only rational grudge of the separatists. Delivering that justice is India’s opportunity to snatch the Kmovement’s sponsors’ most important tool for fomenting anger against India among diaspora Sikhs. Among the key stakeholders, ordinary Sikhs are actually already doing their duty by refusing to join the cause with separatists and by contributing to socio-economic progress. The ball is now in the clergy’s and government’s court. They can jointly fire the silver bullet to lay the K-ghost to rest forever.
(The writer is a Delhi-based freelance contributor.)