Article by Rajveer Singh, Head of Khalsa Diary, conflict none funding none

The Sikh diaspora in the current world has seen over the past ten years or so. Growing up, I saw a complete lack of interest within young Sikhs to learn about their religion. But as well as that, there were a lot of other issues such as lots of young Sikhs cutting their hair, eating meat, drinking and not knowing anything about their religion.

Since I’ve been lucky enough to study Sikh ideology from a young age and work with great scholars within the panth, it’s no surprise that I have noticed a lot of changes in the past years. Some things have changed for the better; most people are starting to turn back to Sikhi, and even those who haven’t are coming closer and closer every day. There is a lot more Sikhs related music, not just Gurbani Kirtan, but dharmic songs and a modernised version of Dhadi Varaan, which have started to bring people closer to their religion every day. 

Unfortunately, having said all this, where we have improved, we have fallen back a million steps at the same time. From my own experience, I have seen first-hand the kind of issues that have started to arise, especially with Amritdharis. Before, it used to be the other way round; there were issues with Patit Sikhs mainly because they didn’t know what they were talking about. But nowadays Amritdharis are becoming the problem in the panth. Before you get your kirpans out of your meyans, I’m Amritdhari myself, and these issues need to be addressed if we are ever going to move forward. 

The first thing is something that many Sikhs have said for a while, and honestly, I used to think that they were just extra for no reason. But the longer I spend with Amritdhari Sikhs; I realise that many of us are very egotistical. Maybe it’s egotistical for me even to say that, but unfortunately, it’s the truth. Whether it stems from the idea of knowing that your history is full of Amritdhari Shaheeds that have done amazing things or that you’ve taken the plunge and become the almighty Amritdhari Sikh. The thing is, according to Maharaj, it’s only the first step;

ਪ੍ਰਥਮ ਰਹਿਤ ਯਹਿ ਜਾਨ ਖੰਡੇ ਕੀ ਪਾਹੁਲ ਛਕੇ ॥

Prathham Rehath Yehi Jan Khanddae Kee Pahul Shhakae ||

The first addict you must adhere to is taking the nectar forged by the Khanda

ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਗੁਟਕਾ: ਪੰਨਾ ੧੦੧੪ ਪੰ. ੧੯

Amrit Keertan Rehat Nama

ਸੋਈ ਸਿੰਘ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਅਵਰ ਨ ਪਾਹੁਲ ਜੋ ਲਏ ॥

Soee Singh Pradhhan Avar N Pahul Jo Leae ||

And, only he is a great who does not accept anything else.

ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਗੁਟਕਾ: ਪੰਨਾ ੧੦੧੪ ਪੰ. ੨੦

Amrit Keertan Rehat Nama

So just from this, we can understand that taking Amrit is just the first step, not the last. Unfortunately for many people taking Amrit has become “a lifelong goal”, with many people leaving it till their old age, not realising this fact. So to have an ego about something when you’ve only just started is ridiculous. Secondly, as per Gurbani;

ਸਲੋਕ ਮਃ ੫ ॥

salok mahalaa panjavaa ||

Shalok, Dakhanay Fifth Mehla:

ਪਹਿਲਾ ਮਰਣੁ ਕਬੂਲਿ ਜੀਵਣ ਕੀ ਛਡਿ ਆਸ ॥

pahilaa maran kabool jeevan kee chhadd aas ||

First, accept death, and give up any hope of life.

ਹੋਹੁ ਸਭਨਾ ਕੀ ਰੇਣੁਕਾ ਤਉ ਆਉ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਪਾਸਿ ॥੧॥

hoh sabhanaa kee renukaa tau aau hamaarai paas ||1||

Become the dust of the feet of all, and then, you may come to me. ||1||

Accepting death has been something the Khalsa panth is known for because, during our Amrit Sanchar, our head becomes the Gurus, .and we are just vessels for the guru to carry out his mission. The saddening fact is that we have forgotten that we should first become the dust of everyone’s feet before coming to the guru. It seems nowadays we spend longer trying to “correct” the guru. One example is our Panj Kakkars, aka the 5K’s. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard parcharaks say and read in books, “These are five symbols of the Sikh faith”, when the Guru has explicitly told us to treat them as our own body parts. Conforming to colonisation is, unfortunately, being led by Amritdhari Sikhs, which is causing more problems than solving anything. It’s gotten to a point when were now more worried about what a white man thinks of you than the Guru. 

If you don’t believe me, then take a look at every time a white mayor, a member of parliament comes to the Gurdwara. We swarm them like a nest of wasps, to the point wherein the case of Theresa May, the Granthi Singh stopped doing path midway through Salok Mahalla 9 just to greet her. That is unacceptable and a total slap in the face to our Gurus, their sacrifices and our ideology. There was a time when Giani Kartar Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale said during a divan that no one is higher than anyone in the Darbar of the Guru when Indira Gandhi came to a program celebrating Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Shaheedi. 

The second problem is the one that will probably put a target on my back, but honestly, if you can’t speak about the truth, you have no business being a Sikh of the Guru. That is the toxicity of Jathebandis. Throughout Sikh history, being part of a Jathebandi was a supreme honour, and it wasn’t something everyone could do, similar to clans within the Samurai tradition. Nowadays, every Amritdhari automatically part of a Jathebandi, but they believe Sikhi exists only in their Jathebandi. Whether it’s the Nihangs, the Taksalis, the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Nishkam Sewak Jatha, or God knows how many others. Now each Jathebandi has a claim on Shaheed Singhs. The classic example is Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who constantly labelled as the head of the Buddha Dal when they were “Sultan-e-Kaum” and the head of the Dal Khalsa or Sarbat Khalsa. Labelling them as the Jathedar of the Buddha Dal significantly drops their standing for absolutely no reason. The other examples which are more modern-day are Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar being joined to the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale being joined to the Taksal. Just because they were active members of their respective Jathebandis does not mean they fought or gave shaheedi for their Jathebandi. In fact, in many speeches of Sant Jarnail Singh, he has specifically said;

ਮੈ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਇਕ ਬੇਨਤੀ ਕਰਦਾ, ਇਕੱਠੇ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਆ, ਦੀਵਾਨ ਲੱਗ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸ਼ਰਧਾਂਜਲੀ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਤੁਰ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਆ, ਬੋਲਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਥਾਂ ਤੇ, ਸੁਣਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਥਾਂ ਤੇ ਇਹ ਬਾਹਰ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਖੁਸਰੇ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਸੌਂਹ ਕਿਉਂ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਨੇ? ਕਿਉਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਸ਼ਸਤਰਧਾਰੀ ਹੁੰਦੇ? ਕਿਉਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਾਥੇਆਰਬੰਦ ਹੁੰਦੇ?”

I request to you all, let’s all work together. The divan ends, and everyone gives us respect, the speakers speak, and the Sangat just listens. Why do we become weaklings and forget everything discussed? Why don’t we adorn ourselves with weapons? Why do we refuse to weaponise ourselves?”

The honest truth is we are using our shaheed Singhs who gave their lives for us as a marketing strategy to get more people into our specific gurdwaras. It’s a disgusting practise that has made us look like a joke to the world. We continuously say every year;

“ਸੰਤ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲੇ ਤੇਰੀ ਸੋਚ ਤੇ ਪਹਿਰਾ ਦੇਵਾਂਗੇ ਠੋਕ ਕੇ”

On your thinking Sant Bhindranwale, we will firmly follow in your steps.

Now Sant Jarnail Singh took Indias from lower caste groups like the Dalits and brought them into Sikhi, weaponised them and taught them to fight for their rights. Sant Bhindranwale also continuously said that he would never bow to any government unless it were the Khalsa Panth. Now not only do our OBE Sikhs bow to the Queen, the same queen who still hoards our Kohinoor and priceless Khalsa Raj artefacts, but we have also brought the caste system into our Amritdharis in the form of jathebandis. Now Sikhs refuse to marry outside of their Jathebandi, which completely disregards the bani from the Second laav;

ਨਿਰਭਉ ਭੈ ਮਨੁ ਹੋਇ ਹਉਮੈ ਮੈਲੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥

nirabhau bhai man hoi haumai mail gavaiaa bal raam jeeau ||

With the Fear of God, the Fearless Lord in the mind, the filth of egotism is eradicated.

So Amritdharis have started to move further and further away from the ideology of the Gurus and the thoughts of those saint soldiers that made their jathebandis who they are today. Since I started my job at Akaal Channel, I can’t tell you the number of times people have called me a Nihang because I tie a Dumalla despite it being the original Dastar of the Sikhs, a Taksali because I’ve spent time in the Taksal, or an Akhand Kirtani Jatha member because I do kirtan with them.

Amritdharis now requires labelling nowadays for certification or just to be noticed proves that the Jathebandi system has done more to hurt the Panth. Each Jathebandi has their own rehat, their own dastar, their own additions and traditions. While I respect each of them, all it makes me worry about is exactly how long it will be until they become separate religions. Its been the case that some Jathebandis have even adopted grooming like behaviour and are taking young Sikh girls from another Jathebandi, dating them (which goes against Sikhi anyways) and then once they are committed, forcing them to adopt a certain rehat that they have not grown up with. Behaviour like this concerns a Sikh like me who constantly discusses sovereignty within the panth. If we get our Raaj again one day, how long will it be until that splits into Nihangistan, Taksalistan, and God knows what else?

That’s why I believe it’s important for Jathedaars from all Jathebandis to get together (without killing each other) and care about the collective panth as they should be doing, instead of the petty nonsense and garbage they continuously fight over. There was a time when the Sikh misls used to fight against each other, but they were never mortal enemies. And when any issue befell the Sikhs, they would gather together and defend Sikhi. Nowadays, if our Sikhs are in trouble, we try to find out which Jathebandi they’re from so that the support only comes from that community. So where does that leave Sikhs like me who don’t see the jathebandis as fulfilling the missions they were established for? 

This increasing behaviour and brainwashing that is occurring through Jathebandis are continuously hurting the Panth. As per our collective father, Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj;

ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ ਕੀ ਫ਼ੌਜ ॥

khhaalasaa akaal purakh ki fauj ||

Khalsa is God’s Army

ਪ੍ਰਗਟਿਓ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਤਮ ਕੀ ਮੌਜ ॥

pragattiou khhaalasaa pramaatham kee mauj ||

It’s sustained by the Will of the Almighty.

The Khalsa doesn’t belong to any Jathebandi, nor does it belong to any Jathedar apart from one Akaal Purakh. So these groups which have helped to educate the panth (some in the wrong ways) have also hurt the panth significantly. And until they can’t come to a consensus and work together like they are supposed to, they have no right to be part of the Panth.