editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies

EDITORIAL 

THE NEED FOR A STANDARD ENGLISH TRANSLATION 

OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB ... 1 

ARTICLES 

THE NATURE OF GOD OR THE NAME ... Principal Teja Singh 5 

THE ART OF SEEKING GOD’S GRACE 

THROUGH SELF-ANNIHILATION ... Bhagwant Singh 8 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE AND SIKH RELIGION ... Hardev Singh 15 

RELEVANCE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB IN 

THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY ... Tejpal Singh 21 

TRANSLATION OF GURBANI – 

SCHOLARS PLEASE WATCH YOUR WORDS ... Gurbakhsh Singh 27 

ON TRANSLATION OF HOLY TEXTS ... Gajindar Singh 31 

SIKHISM – PANACEA FOR ALL ILLS ... Raghbir Singh 37 

SAKA NANAKANA SAHIB (1921) ... Joginder Singh 42 

SIKHS’ CONTRIBUTION IN NATIONAL 

INTEGRATION AND COMMUNAL HARMONY ... Jaswant Singh 48 

PUNJAB RIVER WATERS : 

– UNLAWFUL AND UNJUST DISTRIBUTIONS ... Mewa Singh 54 

‘FREE SPEECH AND THE SARDARJI JOKE’ – A REJOINDER ... Kharak Singh 60 

MCLEOD & FENECH AS SCHOLARS ON 

SIKHISM AND MARTYRDOM ... Sangat Singh 63 

THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG ... Jarnail Singh 94 

THE DIFFERENCE (POEM) ... 102 

REVIEWS 

THE OTHER SIKHS (HIMADRI BANERJEE) ... Jaswant Singh 103 

SRI GURU PANTH PARKASH (RATTAN SINGH BHANGU) ... Hardev Singh 108 

CONNECTING THE DOTS IN SIKH HISTORY( H S NOOR) ... Bhupinder Singh Mahal 111 

ON SIKH IDENTITY (BIRENDRA KAUR) ... Kartar Singh 115 

NEWS & VIEWS ... 117

ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES 

April-June 2005 / 537 NS 

(Vol VII, Issue 2) 

RNI Regd No : 69639 / 98 

Editor 

Dr Kharak Singh 

Associate Editor 

Maj Gen (Dr) Jaswant Singh, AVSM (retd) 

Editorial Advisory Board 

Dr Kirpal Singh Brig Hardit Singh 

Dr Gurcharan Singh Prof Prabhjot Kaur 

S Gurpreet Singh Col Amrik Singh 

Views expressed in the articles published herein do not 

necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of the 

Institute of Sikh Studies 

Rs. 25/- 

Subscription Rates 

(Indian Rupees) 

India 

Abroad 

Annual 100.00 500.00 

05 years 450.00 2,250.00 

10 years 900.00 4,500.00 

Life 1,350.00 6,250.00 

. 

Bulk supplies (a parcel of 28 copies) to overseas destinations can be made 

by surface mail @ Rs. 700/- plus postage charges (approx. Rs. 300/-) 

Published by 

Institute of Sikh Studies 

Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Kanthala, Indl Area Phase II 

Chandigarh -160 002 (India). 

Printed at 

Sidharth Media Printers, 24/9, Industrial Area Phase II, Chandigarh

EDITORIAL 

THE NEED FOR A STANDARD ENGLISH 

TRANSLATION OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB 

As a result of the programmes organized under the quadricentennial 

celebrations of Guru Granth Sahib, the awareness about 

the Sikh scripture and the living Guru of the Sikhs has reached an 

unprecedented level. It is increasingly being realized in knowledgeable 

circles that the message of the Gurus is universal in time and space 

and is not only relevant to the present century, but is indispensable for 

the future of mankind. More and more people want to read and benefit 

from it, leading to a demand for translation of the original text in 

Gurmukhi into all major and minor languages, Indian as well as foreign. 

Selected hymns have been translated from time to time. The 

number of translations of Japu ji runs into hundreds. The other hymns 

in this category include Sukhmani Sahib, Asa di Var and the banis of 

the Nitnem. The Japu ji, however, has been and will continue to be be 

the farourite of translators. 

A number of attempts have been made at translation of the full 

text of Guru Granth Sahib. There are over half a dozen extant 

translations into English. As we all know, the first among these was 

the one by Ernest Trumpp who was commissioned by the British 

government. He could not complete it, but what he did was indeed a 

disaster. He was incompetent as well as untrustworthy, and could not 

rise above his prejudices or bias as a Christian missionary. His work 

was, therefore, unanimously rejected by all sections of Sikh scholars. 

Max Arthur Macauliffe who undertook this job later, showed a much 

better understanding, and with the help of stalwarts like Bhai Kahn 

Singh Nabha, produced an English version which was hailed by all, 

Sikhs and non-Sikhs. The list of full text translations includes, inter

2 

ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : APRIL-JUNE 2005 / 537 NS 

alia, the one by Giani Manmohan Singh, published by the SGPC (1962), 

the one by Dr Gopal Singh published by World Book Centre, New 

Delhi (1960) and Gurbachan Singh Talib published by the Punjabi 

University (1988), besides the ones by Chahal and G S Maakin. More 

recently, Dr Kartar Singh Duggal has undertaken to ‘transcreate’ an 

English version in versified form in four volumes, out of which the 

first volume has already been released. 

The above efforts are laudable, and have gone a long way in 

introducing the Sikh thought to the world. It must be remembered, 

however, that these were largely individual attempts, and their 

interpretations of some key verses vary considerably. Examples 

abound, but let us take the case of the very first verse in the Guru 

Granth Sahib after the mool mantra : 

;'u ;'fu Bk j'tJh i/ ;'uh by tko .. 

Look at the different English versions : 

a) Beyond thought, no thinking can conceive Him, not even if the 

minds of men should think for ages and ages. 

– Prof Puran Singh 

b) By thinking I cannot obtain a conception of Him, even though I 

think hundreds of times. 

– M A Macauliffe 

c) i/ wI by tkoh (Gh) (fJFBkB nkfde Bkb ;oho dh) ;[u oZyK, (sK Gh fJ; soQK) ;[Zu 

oyD Bkb (wB dh) ;[Zu BjhI ofj ;edh . 

– Dr Sahib Singh 

In this version ;'fu means bath or cleanliness, while ;[fu refers to 

purity of mind. 

d) By pondering man cannot have a conception of God, even though 

he may ponder over lacs of times. 

– Giani Manmohan Singh 

e) Ritual purification, though million-fold may not purify the mind. 

– G S Talib 

f) Thinking avails not, how so hard one thinks. 

– Dr Gopal Singh 

g) (e{V dh ezX ;oho X'D tkb/ eowK Bkb BjhI N[Ndh, feT[Ife) F"u eoB Bkb (wB dh) 

;[u gqkgs BjhI j[zdh, ukj/ bZy tko ;[Zuw fgnk eoK . 

– Bhai Vir Singh

THE NEED FOR A STANDARD ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB 

3 

In the above verse, there are two kinds of interpretation. In 

some the reference is to ritual physical purification, while in the others 

reference is to pondering, thinking, etc. And there are respectable 

scholars on both sides. 

Similarly, in the verse eowh nkt egVk Bdoh w'y[ d[nko[ in the Japu ji 

Pauri 4, egVk is interpreted variously as ‘cloth’, ‘robe of honour’, or 

‘human body’ or ‘birth’, etc. 

Some more examples of variant interpretations of gurbani, are 

given in a couple of articles in the present issue of the Abstracts. 

Fortunately, in the above two examples, no doctrinal conflict is 

involved. But when more and more scholars enter this field, individual 

interpretations may challenge some basic doctrines as well. Even the 

possibility of motivated misinterpretation of gurbani cannot be ruled 

out. 

With the recent increased emphasis on the need for translation 

of Guru Granth Sahib into other languages, a number of 

organizations/individuals have come forward, and are responding to 

the call in their own way. DSGMC entrusted the task of translation 

and transliteration into a dozen Indian languages to one Shri Bhannu 

Murti. The project has already run into rough weather, and the work 

done so far has had to be withdrawn, because enough thought was not 

given to the modalities required. Bhai Chella Ram’s organization has 

been busy translating the scripture for some time past and has already 

covered some Indian languages. A society has recently been set up at 

Mohali (Guru Granth Sewa Mission), and is actually engaged in 

translation work through hired scholars, according to Press reports. 

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar has planned an ambitious project 

to accomplish the task. Apart from such organizations, some 

individuals are also busy doing the same thing. Dr Jarnail Singh of 

Canada has single-handedly translated the Guru Granth Sahib into 

French and German. 

All the above efforts are welcome. One fears, however, that we 

are heading towards a flood of translations with each individual or 

organization giving variant interpretations with consequent confusion, 

and differences and division of the Panth. The present enthusiasm 

need not be deplored. Infact, it is desirable, but it needs to be regulated

4 


and channelised, so that translations present one accurate, clear and 

consistent message as bequeathed to us by the Gurus. 

This responsibility has to be entrusted to a central body of the 

Sikhs. At the moment it devolves on the SGPC. The following steps 

appear necessary : 

a) Convene a meeting of scholars who have made or are likely 

to make a contribution in this regard, from universities and 

other Sikh organizations. 

b) Constitute a panel of scholars to examine the existing 

translations and resolve the differences. 

c) To prepare one standard English translation of the Guru 

Granth Sahib acceptable to the Panth. 

d) To promote translation into other languages based on the 

above standard English translation only. No other translation 

should be permitted for use and the SGPC should ensure this. 

The proposal has financial and organizational implications which, 

it is hoped, will be taken care of by the SGPC in consultation with 

other Panthic organizations. 

On the need for accuracy in translation of a sacred scripture, the 

following popular warning must be borne in mind : 

“Translation is a custom house through which passes, if the 

custom officers are not alert, more smuggled goods of foreign 

idioms, than through any other linguistic frontier.” 

¤ 

God ordains as He wishes. 

No one can order what he should do. 

For, He is the King, the King of Kings, 

And we are only to live as He wills. 

– Guru Granth Sahib, p 6 

jo iqsu BwvY soeI krsI hukmu n krxw jweI ] 

so pwiqswhu swhw pwiqswihbu nwnk rhxu rjweI ]

THE NATURE OF GOD OR THE NAME * 

PRINCIPAL TEJA SINGH 

God is described both as nirgun, or absolute, and sargun, or 

personal. Before there was any creation God lived absolutely in Himself, 

but when He thought of making Himself manifest in creation He 

became related. In the former case, ‘when God was Himself selfcreated, 

there was none else; He took counsel and advice with Himself; 

what He did came to pass. Then there was no heaven, or hell, or the 

three-regioned world. There was only the Formless One Himself; 

creation was not then (Gujri-ki-Var of Guru Amar Das). There was 

then no sin, no virtue, no Veda or any other religious book, no caste, 

no sex (Guru Nanak’s Maru Solhe, xv and Guru Arjun’s Sukhmani, xxi). 

When God became sargun or manifest, He became what is called the 

Name, and in order to realise Himself He made Nature wherein He 

has His seat and ‘is diffused everywhere and in all directions in the 

form of Love’ (Guru Gobind Singh’s Jap, 80) 

In presenting this double phase of the Supreme Being, the Gurus 

have avoided the pitfalls into which some people have fallen. With 

them God is not an abstract idea or a moral force, but a personal 

Being capable of being loved and honoured, and yet He is conceived 

of as a Being whose presence is diffused all over His creation. He is 

the common Father of all, fashioning worlds and supporting them 

from inside, but He does not take birth. He has no incarnations. He 

Himself stands for the creative agencies, like the Maya, the Word and 

Brahma; He Himself is Truth, Beauty and the eternal yearning of the 

heart after Goodness (Japji). In a word, the Gurus have combined the 

Aryan idea of immanence with the Semitic idea of transcendence, 

without taking away anything from the unity and the personal character 

* Reproduced from Essays in Sikhism, Language Department, Punjab

6 


of God. 

“O ! give me, give some intelligence of my Beloved. 

I am bewildered at the different accounts I have of Him. 

O happy wives, my companions, say something of Him. 

Some say that He is altogether outside the world; 

Others that He is altogether contained in it. 

His colour is not seen; His features cannot be made out: 

O happy wives, tell me truly — 

“He lives in everything; He dwells in every heart : 

Yet He is not blended with anything. He Is separate.” 1 

“Why dost thou go to the forest in search of God 

He lives in all, is yet ever distinct: He abides with thee too. 

As fragrance dwells in a flower, or reflection in a mirror, 

So does God dwell inside everything; seek Him therefore in the 

heart. 2 

People who come with preconceived notions to study Sikhism 

often blunder in offering its interpretation. Those who are conversant 

with the eastern thought fix upon those passages which refer to the 

thoughts of immanence and conclude that Sikhism is nothing but an 

echo of Hinduism. Those who are imbued with the Mohammedan or 

Christian thought take hold of transcendental passages and identify 

Sikhism with Islam or Christianity. Others who know both will see 

here no system, nothing particular, nothing but confusion. 

If, however, we were to study Sikhism as a new organic growth 

evolved from the existing systems of thought to meet the needs of a 

newly evolving humanity, we would find no difficulty in recognizing 

Sikhism as a distinct system of thought. 

Take, for instance, Guru Nanak’s Asa-di-Var, which in its 

preliminary stanzas lays down the fundamentals of Sikh belief about 

God. It is a trenchant clear-cut monotheism. God is called ‘the indweller 

of Nature,’ and is described as filling all things ‘by an art that 

is artless’ (xii. 1-2). He is not an impotent mechanic fashioning preexisting 

matter into the universe. He does not exclude matter, but 

includes and transcends it. The universe too is not illusion. Being rooted 

in God who is real, it is a reality; not a reality final and abiding, but a 

reality on account of God’s presence in it (ii. I). His Will is above

THE NATURE OF GOD OR THE NAME 

7 

Nature as well as working within it, and in spite of its Immanence it 

acts not as an arbitrary force but as a personal presence working ‘most 

intelligently’ (iii. 2). 

The first thing about God is that He is indivisibly one, above 

every other being, however highly conceived, such as Vishnu, Brahma 

or Shiv (i), or as Rama and Krishna (iv. 2). The second thing is that He 

is the highest moral being (ii. 2), who has inscribed all men with His 

Name or moral presence (ii). He is not a God belonging to any particular 

people, Muslim or Hindu, but is the ‘dispenser of life universal’ (vi). 

The ways to realize Him are not many, but only one (xii 3), and that 

way is not knowledge, formalism (xiv. 2. xv. 1-4), or what are received 

as meritorious actions which establish a claim to reward (viii. 2), but 

love (xiii. 2) and faith (xiv. 2), the aim being to obtain the grace of 

God (iv. 2. v. 2, viii 2, xiii. 1). The only way of worshipping Him is to 

sing His praises (vi 1., vii. ix. xii. 2. xix 2. xxii. 3) and to meditate on 

His naam 3 (ii., viii. 1, ix. 2. xvi. 1). 

~~~ 

REFERENCES 

1 Jasitsri of Guru Arjun. 

2 Dhanasri of Guru Tegh Bahadur 

3 ‘Name’ is a term, like ‘logosis’ in Greek bearing various meanings. 

Sometimes it is used for God Himself, as in Sukhmani xvi 5 : “The 

Name sustains the animal life; the name supports the parts and 

the whole of the universe.” It is described as being immortal, 

immaculate in-dweller of all creation, and is to be sung, uttered, 

thought upon, served and worshipped. In most cases it means 

the revelation of God as found in the sacred Word. 

¤

8 


THE ART OF SEEKING GOD’S GRACE 

THROUGH SELF-ANNIHILATION 

BHAGWANT SINGH * 

The splendour of the Master’s word – and our Guru – is so 

spectacular that one is left wondering at the efficacy of his commands. 

The wonder that Guru Granth Sahib bestowed on us in the form of 

this perpetual faultless wisdom and guidance cannot be described in 

totality. Yet, the mastery of Guru Gobind Singh in handing us all 

over to his successor in the form of Word Guru, Guru Granth Sahib, 

explains the love that the perennial Word of God offers to all mankind. 

We are fortunate that we have been rid of the slavery of man to man. 

On the contrary, the slavery of the word Guru leads us to liberationin-life. 

Just as the Guru himself says Sahib mera neet nawan - my Lord 

shows Himself in new light all the time – I am delighted to analyse, 

experience and relish the beauty of every shabad in Guru Granth Sahib, 

when I come across it while doing my spiritual reading at home or 

listening to Amritvela Kirtan from Harmandir Sahib everyday or 

delivering Gurmat lectures in the Gurdwara. 

The pen-picture of a disciple begging at the feet of the Master, 

conveyed in the shabad of Guru Arjun transmitted by the raagis this 

morning left an indelible impression on my mind. Not only that. I 

was struck by the instantaneous divine response of the Lord in the 

shabad itself. Let us experience this : 

My Lord, I come to you, to seek Your refuge. And I come with 

absolute faith and, in fact, I have come only through Your Grace. 

Now, howsoever it pleases you, my Lord, protect me, because 

this path has been shown to me by my Guru. The deluding maya 

hoodwinks me. This maya is like passing wind, when I hear about 

* Tapovan, Amravati - 444 602 (Maharashtra)

THE ART OF SEEKING GOD’S GRACE THROUGH SELF-ANNIHILATION 

9 

the hard-heartedness of Dharamraj I am frightened. I find that 

this world is like a dark well or a burning fire. That is why I now 

want to hold on to the support of my Guru. Says Nanak : I 

concentrate on the Lord. And I find that I have now received the 

Perfect Lord in my heart. 1 

What strikes me is not only the form of prayer and its total 

surrender but also the confidence and faith with which the prayer is 

offered. I had heard so may shabads, two of which I detail below in 

English translation which command us to lose our vanity in prayer 

and show ourselves as supportless and absolutely helpless. But the 

above shabad exudes confidence and later shows that the Lord is not 

only responsive but also responds immediately. Let me refer to the 

English rendering of the verses of the two shabads envisaging similar, 

but not identical ardas. 

In total helplessness, my Lord, I have come to seek Your shelter. 

And now that I fall at Your feet, I come with the determination 

never to leave, whether You protect me or You kill me. And 

then, I have now decided never to care for people’s criticism or 

praise; I throw both in the fire. Also whether people call me good 

or bad, I am sold unto You. 2 

In absolute humility I fall at your feet, my Satguru, Guru is the 

pride of the prideless and welcomes me. 3 

Our system of prayer and our philosophy are distinctly dependent 

on the purity of the soul and have nothing to do with karam kand. On 

the other hand, our Guru strictly forbids mere karam kand bhakti. Let 

us look at the following verse : 

Whatever karam-kand is performed for devotion is really a form 

of public hypocrisy, because this kind of devotee will be subject 

to the onslaught of Yamas. On the other hand, if you devotedly 

sing the praises of the Lord without any expectation of material 

reward, even an instant of remembrance can liberate you. 4 

Since Guru Granth Sahib now is my only support in the world, I 

literally experience the warmth of every word that I meditate on. Every 

word, every shabad and every thought has a spiritual meaning, distinctly 

different from religious connotations. Since this scripture is really for 

all mankind, the messages are truly universal. And I happen to witness 

this everyday, living with over a thousand people, none of whom is a

10 


Punjabi. But when I sing the universality of our Scripture, Allah, 

Ram, Khuda, convey to me not only the same meaning but they also 

indicate to me the love that our philosophy has for all human beings 

irrespective of their background, religion, etc. 

But what particularly impresses me, not only as a Sikh, but also 

as a human being, is that our religion is a systematized practice of 

spirituality in all walks of life. In other words, we do not look at 

anyone’s religion but at the deeds, and if someone is connected to 

God in his own religion, for us he is as respectable as a Sikh, just as 

Farid, Ravidas, Kabir and other Bhaktas in Guru Granth Sahib sit in 

Guru Granth Sahib with Sikh Gurus in complete equality and complete 

unity of man. 

Before I discuss the connotations of this morning’s Harmandir 

Sahib shabad ‘tau main aaya, sarni aaya’, let me mention the various 

ways of entreaties in which a Sikh is instructed to seek the grace of 

the Lord, but one thing is exquisitely enchanting. In most of the shabads, 

the response is inbuilt but the course of prayer must begin with the 

innermost feelings of abject surrender. Let us see in the following 

hymn in Chandi Charitra which I discuss in translation : 

Deh Siva bar mohe ehai…… 

Grant me, Lord, the boon that I should never shirk good deeds,. 

Never should I fear the enemy and when I enter the field to fight 

(tyranny and highhandedness), I should have a certain faith that I 

am going to win. 

The depth of inner feelings and, later, the determination to lay 

down his life in the battle of righteousness while entrenched in singing 

the praises of the Lord with greedy lust is vividly evident in the 

confidence of victory and the victory of God. Look at the words : 

Ar Sikh ho apne hee mannkau, eh lalach hown gun tau uchron 

Jab aav ki audh nidhan banai, att hee ran mein tab joojh maron. 

– Chandi Charitra 

In a way our Gurus emphasized that a Sikh should never waver 

from the belief that his prayer is definitely going to be answered. Indeed 

we are forbidden to pray for material things, although praying for Naam, 

the presence of Lord within, without interruption, automatically 

ensures all kinds of boons, as the Guru himself stresses : 

The Lord looked after me until the end; there was nothing that I


11 

ever wanted and did not get. 5 

When the Lord inculcated in me the habit of meditating on Him, 

says Nanak, I found that I was always in peace, both at home in 

the heart and outside. 6 

When I held on to the feet of the Lord, says Nanak, I found 

peace day in and day out. 7 

The absolute humility with which our Guru teaches us to pray in 

the following hymn will make my point even more clear. In English, 

we say, beggars are not choosers. Our Guru determines that unless 

we annihilate ourselves and become determined (dheeth) we cannot 

persuade the Lord to listen to our entreaties. The following hymn of 

Guru Arjun will bear me out. I take it in translation : 

On your innumerable qualities I cannot meditate for I am meritless 

and You are my provider. How can a purchased slave show his 

cleverness I can only offer at your feet, everything which includes 

body and mind. I yearn for your vision, my glamorous beloved 

Lord, but I know there is nothing that I can do for You because 

You are always limitless, unassessable. How shall I serve You, 

what shall I say to please You, how shall I have Your darshan 

Although I pine for You all time, I cannot fathom Your contours, 

Your limitlessness. But I have become dheeth (determined) to beg 

You to grant me the dust of the feet of the saints (my Guru). 

And, says Nanak, the slave, the Lord showed His graciousness 

and, holding my hand, made me cross the ocean of life. 8 

I am indeed bewildered pleasantly to see, on the one hand, abject 

surrender and absolute willingness to become a non-entity and, on the 

other, so much graceful response that the Lord is prepared to make 

the disciple like Himself. Two hymns of Kabir exemplify this socalled 

mystery. Actually, it is not a mystery at all. Because, even at 

the cost of repetition, I say : Guru Granth Sahib’s slavery is the greatest 

liberation. Witness this spectacular wonder of Kabir. The first hymn 

talks of his desperate condition of separation and yearning to be united, 

and the second dwells on his absolute merging with the Lord : 

I am sacrifice unto You, my Lord, why do You kill me by showing 

Your back on me It is better that you thrust a knife into my 

being, but I cannot bear Your separation. Please, Lord, listen to 

my pleadings, embrace me. 9

12 


I now sit on the throne of the Lord and am one with Him so 

devotedly that no one can know / recognize who is the lord and 

who is Kabir. 10 

Similarly, take Guru Arjun Devji’s way of telling us how to pray 

for strength to get rid of the five mighty thieves, kaam, krodh, lobh, 

moh, ahankar in the following hymn. Indeed when the prayers are in 

the same way as that of a helpless beggar, a supportless non-entity, 

and the self-surrender is evident, the Lord’s bird (nature) is to help. 

That is why we see in Guru Granth Sahib a verse Hamari ganat nan 

gniya kaee apna bird pachhan (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 619). Guru Arjun 

Dev puts this prayer in our heart in the following words : 

My Lord, I am a lone poor soul but these mighty robbers are Five, 

please protect me from them. They always trouble me and give 

me extreme torture; that is why I have sought refuge at Your feet. 11 

The stress that I am giving in this piece is on the self-annihilating 

prayer and the most gracious response of the Lord. In other words, as 

we are told, the life is to be led on spiritual lines as Jeevatian mar rahiye, 

so that the oneness with the Lord is assured. To my utter surprise – 

and delight – when I came to the following hymn of the same Guru, 

Guru Arjun during my readings from Guru Granth Sahib, the automatic 

Wah Wah became my mantra. Savour this : 

Look at this wondrous event. The Lord that I heard was 

unapproachable and unknowable, was found right in my heart 

with Guru’s grace. 12 

The mighty tyrants who tortured me endlessly are now afraid of 

me. They beg me now to save them from my Master and fall at 

my feet. 13 

I was really bowled over when I went through the second of the 

above two verses. First one, I had always come to accept that God 

resided in our heart, but could be recognized only with the grace of 

one’s Guru. But the second one overwhelmed me in that a time can 

come when the devotee, after self-annihilating surrender, can 

experience the death-causing demons yearning to fall at the devotee’s 

feet for protection. But, then, this is exactly what I set out to explain, 

when I heard the hymn that I mentioned at the outset. 

If the devotee is in absolute surrender and, guided by the Guru, 

Guru Granth Sahib, is emphatically confident of the Lord’s gracious


13 

response and because of the fear that he will have to render the account 

of his life on earth to Dharamraj, implores the Lord to save him from 

the burning world, and tries to live in 24-hour presence of the Lord on 

the basis of Guru’s commands, he will definitely perceive the perfect 

Lord in his heart. 14 

The essence of our Guru’s message is shabad-vichar. External 

manifestation of piety and obeisance has little relevance to internal 

revolution. When shabad-vichar is accompanied by self-annihilation, 

the Lord’s grace is guaranteed. Let me conclude with Guru Amar 

Das’ two verses : 

Shabad-Vichar : I recognized my Lord in truth while others lost 

the track in sinful life. I am always in love with my Husband 

through shabad-vichar. 15 

Self-annihilation : The highest state of peace comes with selfannihilation. 

May God show us the wisdom to live gurbani to enable us to 

relish Har-Ras. 

~~~ 

REFERENCES 

1 qau mY AwieAw srnI AwieAw ] BrosY AwieAw ikrpw AwieAw ] ijau BwvY iqau rwKhu 

suAwmI mwrgu gurih pTwieAw ] mhw duqru mwieAw ] jYsy pvnu JulwieAw ] suin suin hI 

frwieAw ] krro DRmrwieAw ] igRh AMD kUpwieAw ] pwvku sgrwieAw ] ghI Et 

swDwieAw ] nwnk hir iDAwieAw ] Ab mY pUrw pwieAw ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 

746) 

2 Ab hm clI Twkur pih hwir ] jb hm srix pRBU kI AweI rwKu pRBU wvY mwir ] lokn 

kI cqurweI aupmw qy bYsMqir jwir ] koeI Blw khau BwvY burw khau hm qnu dIE hY 

Fwir ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 527-28) 

3 hoie inmwxI Fih pvw pUry siqgur pwis ] inmwixAw guru mwxu hY guru siqguru kry 

swbwis ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 41) 

4 krm Drm pwKMf jo dIsih iqn jmu jwgwqI lUtY ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 805) 

5 pwrbRhim inbwhI pUrI ] kweI bwq n rhIAw aUrI ] guir crn lwie insqwry ] hir 

hir nwmu sm@wry ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 623) 

6 Gir suiK visAw bwhir suKu pwieAw ] khu nwnk guir mMqRü idRVwieAw ] (Guru 

Granth Sahib, p. 1136) 

7 nwnk crn ghy pRB Apny suKu pwieE idn rwiq ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 681)

14 


8 ikAw gux qyry swir sm@wlI moih inrgun ky dwqwry ] bY KrIdu ikAw kry cqurweI iehu 

jIau ipMfu sBu Qwry ] lwl rMgIly pRIqm mnmohn qyry drsn kau hm bwry ] pRBu dwqw moih 

dInu ByKwrI qum@ sdw sdw aupkwry ] so ikCu nwhI ij mY qy hovY myry Twkur Agm Apwry ] 

ikAw syv kmwvau ikAw kih rIJwvau ibiD ikqu pwvau drswry ] imiq nhI pweIAY AMqu 

n lhIAY mnu qrsY crnwry ] 3 ] pwvau dwnu FITu hoie mwgau muiK lwgY sMq rynwry ] jn 

nwnk kau guir ikrpw DwrI pRiB hwQ dyie insqwry ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 738) 

9 hau vwrI muKu Pyir ipAwry ] krvtu dy mo kau kwhy kau mwry ] (Guru Granth Sahib, 

p. 484) 

10 (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 484) 

11 pMc ibKwdI eyku grIbw rwKhu rwKnhwry ] Kydu krih Aru bhuqu sMqwvih AwieE srin 

quhwry ] (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 205-6) 

12 Guru Granth Sahib, p. 391 

13 Guru Granth Sahib, p. 391 

14 nwnk hir iDAwieAw ] Ab mY pUrw pwieAw ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 746 

15 mY pRBu scu pCwixAw hor BUlI AvgixAwry ] mY sdw rwvy ipru Awpxw scVY sbid 

vIcwry ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 584 

¤ 

All bounties come from the Lord. 

None can expect them from Him, 

as a matter of right. 

Some even awake do not get them, 

while others He wakes out of sleep and blesses. 

– Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1384 

dwqI swihb sMdIAw ikAw clY iqsu nwil ] 

ieik jwgMdy nw lhin@ iekn@w suiqAw dyie auTwil ]

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE 

AND SIKH RELIGION 

HARDEV SINGH * 

ABSTRACT 

Religion and Science are both engaged in the exploration of 

ultimate reality, but they are following two different routes, viz; 

consciousness and material world. However, the quantum theory has 

broken the barrier between the two modes of perception by accepting 

the role of consciousness in both theory and experiment. The conflict 

between Science and Religion which started in Europe during 15 th 

century is yielding place to an era of reconciliation and dialogue during 

recent times. Inter-faith dialogue and global perspectives of sciencespirituality 

dialogue have an important role to play in this era of 

globalisation. Global perspectives in Science find an echo in the 

philosophy of Sikh religion. 

INTRODUCTION 

Human life is based on the interaction of physical, cultural and 

even religious forms of life. Man is part of nature. Human mind has 

access to reality through four modes of knowledge : sensory experience, 

discursive cognition, intuition, and revelation. In the first two modes, the 

subject-object duality remains intact. Hence the religious experience, 

which transcends this distinction, does not belong to the realm of 

these modes. While mysticism involves intuition, spiritualism bases 

its self-certifying validity on revelation. The revealed word has no 

transcendental source, but is immanent in the cosmos and is revealed 

to and heard by the sages. This is how the Vedas were revealed as 

shrutis. 

* # 360, Sector 71, SAS Nagar (Mohali),

16 


Religion and Science are both engaged in the exploration of 

Ultimate Reality. The field of religion concerns consciousness and its 

flux in moulding the destiny of man. Science explores the nature or 

its manifestation through the material world. It starts from gross matter 

and moves toward subtle consciousness pervading in the material 

world. The modern science, namely, quantum mechanics, has brought 

consciousness into the frame of reference of experimental and 

theoretical physics. 

RETREAT OF RELIGION AND DOMINANCE OF SCIENCE 

The conflict between Science and Religion started after 

Renaissance in Europe. Both moral and intellectual revulsion against 

religion took place in the mind of the western man, and his mental 

energies were diverted toward natural sciences. Diderot, in his 

Encyclopaedia, encouraged men to follow Natural Science in 

preference to Theology. Newtonian world-view gave birth to the 

mechanical philosophy of Nature, and Religion was dethroned from 

the realm of western man’s life. Cartesian philosophy stressed that 

reality was knowable to man through senses and intuition, hence 

revelation and mysticism have no role to play. Reality was considered 

to be of material nature and spirituality was considered to be redundant. 

Deterministic materialism, as such, was held to be the ultimate 

paradigm of material reality. The Hegelian postulate that ‘the real is 

rational, the rational real’ implied another ‘universal’ which ignored 

spirituality and advocated historical materialism which led to the 

advent of Marxism. Both these philosophies, viz., Cartesian dualism 

and Marxian socialism dethroned religion from the world-view of 

modern man till middle of twentieth century. 

During the latter half of the 20 th century, a crisis in this grand 

narrative of modern Western civilization has appeared. The myth of 

reason, rationality, progress and historical materialism exploded. The 

dialectic of class contradictions gave way to that of ethnic, ethnoreligious 

and ethno-political contradictions in the context of growing 

tensions between secular nationalism and religious nationalism. The 

technological inventions and the powers placed in the hands of the 

western man have been instrumental in giving him economic and 

political dominance over the eastern societies. The collapse of the

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE AND SIKH RELIGION 

17 

grand narrative of modern western civilization is the collapse of the 

metanarrative of reason. 

SCIENCE-SPIRITUALITY DIALOGUE 

During the new millennium, the conflict between Science and 

Religion finds a retreat, and we are living in a world where a dialogue 

between Science and Spirituality has become possible. Paradoxically, 

the inadequacy of reason has been revealed by reason itself. The 

Uncertainty Principle proposed by Werner Heisenberg has demolished 

the pyramid of deterministic philosophy based on Newtonian worldview. 

Here was an impasse beyond which reason could not go in its 

understanding of reality. The knower and the known are being seen 

as intertwined, mutually inclusive and not mutually exclusive. It is 

being felt that the traditional (dualistic, atomistic, reductionist) view 

is incapable of revealing the essence of reality. A new ‘holistic’ view 

is needed to see Reality in its concrete wholeness – a view that would 

see the whole in the parts and the parts in the whole, envisioned as 

‘dynamic becoming’ and not ‘static being’. This necessitates what is 

termed as “the paradigm shift” or the breakthrough of a new 

problematic in our thinking. This would not mean a negation of reason 

but going beyond it, to the realm of spirit. The notion of ‘spirit’ in 

this sense would be the foundational principle of the global civilization 

of the third milliennium analogous to the way in which ‘reason’ was 

the foundational postulate of the modern Western civilization after 

the Renaissance in Europe. 

POST MODERN ERA : AN AGE OF GOLBALIZATION 

Due to a large number of technological advances in the postmodern 

era, the world is rapidly shrinking. Globalization has become 

the buzzword everywhere. Some profound changes are taking place 

which are distinctly different from the modern era. Obviously, there 

is rethinking and reconfiguration of modern era ideologies, causing 

many tensions, confusions and insecurities. Post modern era can be 

described as an era of conflict and anxiety. Inter-faith dialogue and 

global perspectives of science-spirituality dialogue have become of 

utmost importance in the post-modern era. 

Post-modernism has questioned the empirical methods of the

18 


modern era to search for the absolute reality. It contends that ultimate 

reality can never be found through senses and scientific instruments. 

According to Lyotard, scientific and rationalist discourses of the 

modern era have lost their legitimacy during the post-modern times. 

Quantum physics and chaos theory are some prime examples to 

demonstrate that science cannot make reliable predictions. Truth and 

reality transcend the obvious. 


Recent advances in both experimental and theoretical physics 

have established that quantum theory supports the idea of a cosmic 

spirit pervading the cosmos and inter-relationship of individuals in 

world society (parts and wholes). Roger Penrose in his book, Shadows 

of the Mind, has tried to establish the role of consciousness in new 

physics which looks beyond quantum theory. In the chapter, Structure 

of the Quantum World, he probes the limitations of the quantum theory 

to describe physical reality. Earlier, EPR paradox brought into focus 

the limitations of quantum theory : “The quantum-mechanical 

description of reality given by the wave function is not complete or, 

in other words, when the operators corresponding to two physical 

quantities do not commute, the two quantities cannot have 

simultaneous reality.” EPR paradox was explained by John Bell in his 

famous theorem implying some hidden variables. Theoretical 

predictions of Bell’s theorem have been verified by Aspect Experiments. 

The implications of Bell’s theorem and its experimental findings are 

staggering. They have established the interplay of consciousness and 

the physical world and changed our world-view where the notion of 

an objective world is in conflict with quantum theory. The inter-relation 

of human consciousness and the observed world is obvious in Bell’s 

theorem. What we call physical reality, the external world, is shaped 

to some extent, by human thought. This train of thought was led 

further by David Bohm who proposed that the information of the 

entire universe is contained in each of its parts. For Bohm, order and 

unity are spread throughout the universe in a way which escapes our 

senses. We are living in a holographic universe. The world is an 

indivisible whole. 

Similar sentiments were expressed by John Donne, a mystic poet,


19 

in his poem during 17 th century : “No man is an island, entire of itself, 

everyman is a piece of the continent; if a clod is washed away by the 

sea, Europe is the less, any man’s death diminishes me because I am 

involved in mankind.” 

Global perspectives in science find its echo in the philosophy of 

Sikh religion, founded by Guru Nanak during the fifteenth century in 

India. It has some parallelism with Renaissance and Reformation 

movements in Europe. Guru Nanak challenged the orthodox ideas 

of Indian society based on Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Sikh 

philosophy as expounded in Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of 

the Sikhs, is unique in its epistemology. It rejects myths, rituals and 

dogma, and as a consequence it has a universal appeal for humankind 

irrespective of its religious and cultural affiliations. In the holistic 

vision of Sikh philosophy, God, nature and man are integrally bound 

to each other. According to Rev. H L Bradshaw, “Sikh religion is a 

universal world faith, a message for all men. The religion preached by 

Guru Nanak is the faith of the New Age. The other religions contain 

the truth but the Sikh religion contains the fullness of truth.” 

Sikh religion is compatible with modern science in its approach 

to cosmology, nature of reality, relation of microcosm to macrocosm 

and consciousness. Sikh religion believes in transcendental nature of 

reality : “In this realm, one sees but without the eyes; one listens but 

without the ears, one walks but without the feet; one works but without 

the hands; one speaks but without the tongue; thus attaining life in 

death. O Nanak, one meets the God after realisation of the divine 

law.” 

Sikh religion advocates dual nature of the Reality, transcendental 

and immanent. God himself transforms into creation, changing his 

nirguna form (energetic state) to sarguna form (material state). Space 

and time were created at the epoch of Big-Bang and creation process 

has occurred several times. The universe was created out of sunya 

phase (cosmic void) billions of years ago. There are millions and billions 

of stars, solar systems and galaxies in the universe and it is difficult to 

account for the whole system. 

Guru Nanak discards the Vedantic concept of reality which 

considers this universe as an illusion or Maya. The Sikh view-point is: 

“Real are Thy Continents; Real is the Universe; Real are these Forms

20 


and material objects; Thy doings are real, O Lord.” Truth is considered 

supreme in all religions but the Sikh religion lays more stress on truthful 

living than on truth : “Truth is high but higher still is truthful living”. 

Hence the Sikh religion does not condemn the worldly life as maya 

(illusion). Reality is perceived in a holistic mode in both microcosm 

and macrocosm. Guru Nanak has identified the manifest reality with 

nature : “Nanak, the beneficent Lord alone is True, and He is revealed 

through His Nature”. 

The need of the hour is a dialogue between Science and 

Spirituality. It will be most appropriate to promote Global Perspectives 

of Science and Spirituality with the Sikh religion as a basis. 

~~~ 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1. Contemporary Science and Religion in Dialogue : Challenges and Opportunities, Job 

Kozhamthadam (Editor), ASSR Publications, Pune, 2002 

2. History and Philosophy of Science, H S Virk (Editor), Guru Nanak Dev 

University Press, Amritsar, 1988 

3. Understanding Quantum Physics, Michael A. Morrison, Prentice Hall, N.J. 

1990 

4. The Post-Modern Condition : A Report on Knowledge, Lyotard, J.F, University 

of Minnesota Press, 1984. 

5. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (The Holy Book of Sikh Religion), Golden Temple 

Press, Amritsar, 2004 

6. Shadows of the Mind, Roger Penrose 

7. The Tao of Physics, Fritzof Capra, Shambhala, Berkeley, 1976 

8. Cosmology in Science & Religion (Punjabi), H S Virk, Singh Brothers, Amritsar 

(1978) 

9. Modern Physics & Eastern Mysticism, Fritzof Capra, J Transpersonal 

Psychology, 8(1), 20-40, 1976 

10. Sikhism for Modern Man, Kapoor Singh, GND University Press, Amritsar, 

1992 

11. Physics and Philosophy, W Heisenberg, Allen & Unwin, 1963. 

¤

RELEVANCE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY 

21 

RELEVANCE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB 

IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY 

TEJPAL SINGH * 

Literature has the inherent quality of being relevant to all times. 

Art and literature never die. It remains invariably fresh and lively. 

Guru Granth Sahib, as a genre, enshrines the highly inspired utterances 

of the divinely oriented poets, communed with God. Its universal 

appeal is to the whole of mankind. It typifies the man who is the 

measure of all things. Its vision is splendid, which covers the basic 

characteristics of man: his ego, tensions, fears, frustrations, anxieties, 

temptations as well as aspirations. Guru Granth Sahib’s appeal is 

ecumenical: everybody irrespective of caste, creed, religion, race, 

gender, region is welcome. Guru Granth Sahib is a major repository 

of spiritual cognition. Whatever relevance Guru Granth Sahib had 

four or five centuries ago, it has the same today in the twenty-first 

century for mankind. The scenario at the global stage has not changed 

much, and is marked by fear, suspicion, disunity and strife. Man is 

still groping for light in the dark in its search for peace and happiness. 

Mankind is beset by acts of genocide, violence, holocausts, terrorism 

and threats of nuclear wars. Imminently, Man’s existence is in peril. 

Guru Granth Sahib appeals to the Almighty for deliverance: 

Save by Thy grace, the world in flames; 

Save it at whatever portal it may be saved. 1 

The world is on a heap of gunpowder. Any ignition can explode 

it. Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 led to the Second 

World War, which killed 55 million people. Like Pearl Harbour and 

September 11, the Belsan school slaughter, Bali and Jakarta bombings 

are still fresh in our memory. The oil inflation of the 1970 changed 

* # 1, Myrtle Grove, Bella Vista, NSW 2153, Australia

22 


world scenario. 

Blasting of Akal Takhat at Amritsar led to the assassination of 

Mrs Indira Gandhi, which caused the massacre of the Sikhs. Massacre 

of Muslims in the state of Gujarat, led to the downfall of the BJP 

Government at the Centre. This is how the mighty fall. Hatred begets 

hatred. 

Guru Granth Sahib advises to adopt the policy of detente. It asserts 

to resolve all tensions through dialogue: 

Brethren! All in unison meet, 

And by absorption in God cast off duality. 2 


The basic ideology enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib’s Fundamental 

Creed (Mul Mantra) is Absolute Monotheism, which reads: 

He is the Sole Supreme Being; of eternal manifestation; Creator; 

Immanent Reality; Without Fear; Without Rancour; Timeless 

Form; Un-incarnated; Self- Existent; Realized by grace of the holy 

Preceptor. 3 

God as ‘the Sole Supreme Being’, has broad definitions that He 

is universal and immortal, without fear and rancour. But, here it differs 

from Christianity. God says: 

“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, Lord 

your God, am a jealous God…” 4 

The truth of the Fundamental Creed was relevant in the past, it 

is relevant even now and it will be so in the future. The utterance of 

Ek Oankar echoed over the continents in the past, it is resounding 

now, and shall continue in future solacing the hearts of the suffering 

humanity. 

Guru Granth Sahib has dealt with the five evils of man, namely, 

lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego. These evils are 

characteristically inherent in mankind. These evils are the main cause 

of man’s suffering. Guru Granth Sahib advises control over these five 

evils for a life of equipoise (sehaj): 

The Five Demons hast Thou subdued, torment of Death 

annulled. 2 

Alcoholism, gambling, narcotism and smoking are the dooms of 

modern life. Guru Granth Sahib condemns all these evils: 

Lust and wrath disintegrate the body, as borax gold. 5


23 

Flee ever by day or night lust, violence and 

Consorting with the evil-minded. 6 

For pleasure of lust lasting for twinkling of an eye, 

For millions of days does man suffer: 

For a brief hour in pleasure he indulges; 

Later into endless regrets falling. 7 

In involvement with in lust, wrath, avarice, attachment and 

pride lies not joy. 8 

One brought in a flask full of wine. 

Another a cup filled with that, drinking of which takes away sense, 

And dementia results. 

Man then distinguishes not between what is right and what wrong, 

And so from the Lord is pushed away. 

Its drinking, of the Lord makes one forgetful, 

And at the Divine Portal brings chastisement. 

As far as lies in your power, drink not this false wine. 9 

Those consuming liquor of mad evil-thinking, 

Are like husbands of harlots. 10 

Saith Kabir : Creatures that consume hemp, fish or liquor 

Even though visiting holy spots, keeping fasts and vows, 

All to nethermost hell must go. 11 

Guru Granth Sahib attaches much importance to ethical values: 

Let his eye not cast a glance at the womenfolk of others’ 

And in holy company should serve the holy. 12 

Of evil passions of lust and wrath hard is the burden. 

How without the Name can noble qualities arise 13 

Go, daughter-princess! 

Repeat God’s Name, at dawn decking yourself with truth. 14

24 


The main protagonists in Guru Granth Sahib are Gurmukh, 

Brahamgyani, Dervaish,Sachiara and the antagonist is Manmukh. Gurmukh 

is that person who is a God-oriented man. He has all the qualities of 

head and heart. He is a person of deep spiritual feeling. Manmukh is 

an egoist. He is self-centred. He has always his own axe to grind. He 

is without God’s Naam: 

Egoists contemplate not the Naam; 

Without the Naam, in suffering they wail. 15 

Guru Granth Sahib eulogizes the Brahamgyani, i.e., Godenlightened, 

who is an idealized form of the prototype. The Godenlightened 

is the ideal one to be typified by the Sikhs. He is full of 

equipoise. He is a worshipper of God. He becomes analogous with 

God. Perhaps, the idealized form of the example that has been given 

here for the human beings to follow is unparalleled in world literature: 

The God-enlightened one is of all creation the Maker; 

Ever-living, death touches him not. 

From the God-enlightened comes liberation, 

Way of life and life itself. 16 

Similarly, Gurmukh and Manmukh are compared and contrasted. Gurmukh 

is a gainer whereas Manmukh is a loser : 

Those by egoism gripped are bound, 

The God-instructed liberated. 17 

The God-directed attain, the egoists forfeit. 18 

Guru Granth Sahib rejects the Hath Yoga as a way for achieving 

liberation. Torturing the mind and body in any form is unacceptable. 

Similarly, going to the pilgrimages and fasting are denounced: 

Not by hatha and self-suppression is the Lord attained. 

Saith Nanak: By Sehaj is attained the Life of the Universe. 

This enlightenment by the holy Preceptor is granted. 19 

For further discussion please compare Guru Granth Sahib pp 68, 

197,226, 333, 906 919. 

Naam, sabad are very significant words in Guru Granth Sahib. 

Both are interchangeable. All creation is done through Naam: 

Guru Granth Sahib says: 

The Name (Naam) is superior to all charities, 

Chanting of texts, austerities. 20 

Guru Granth Sahib advises that there is no use of going to the


25 

pilgrimages; because Naam is the real Pilgrimage, which is in you. 

The real Knowledge (Gyan) is to ponder over the sabad (Word). 

Guru Granth Sahib is par excellence in aesthetics. At the end of 

the Granth, its compiler, Guru Arjun Dev visualizes universal and 

timeless qualities in the metaphor of salver, which has three viands- 

Truth, Contentment and Contemplation, combined with Lord’s 

ambrosial Name, sustenance of all existence; whoever partakes of it, 

shall be saved. 21 

To conclude, the Belsan school slaughter, tensions in Africa and 

Asia portray a very dismal picture. Obviously, Twenty first Century 

needs desparately the prototypes of such protagonists as Gurmukhs 

and Brahamgynis of Guru Granth Sahib to save mankind from global 

annihilation. Hence, relevance of Guru Granth Sahib is paramount 

in the Twenty First Century. In fact this is the greatest legacy that the 

Sikh Gurus have bestowed upon humanity. 

~~~ 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & REFERENCES 

All the translations of Gurbani are from Sri Guru Granth Sahib (in English 

Translation) in four volumes 

Translated by Professor Gurbachan Singh Talib, Punjajbi University, Patiala, 

1984. 

The present author thankfully acknowledges Author: 

1. jgqu jlµdw riK lY AwpxI ikrpw Dwir ], Guru Granth Sahib, p. 853 

2. hoie iekqR imlhu myry BweI duibDw dUir krhu ilv lwie ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 

1185 

3. < siq nwmu krqw purKu inrBau inrvYru Akwl mUriq AjUnI sYBM gur pRswid ], Guru 

Granth Sahib, p. 1 

4. Exodus 20:4. The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1988, p 55. 

5. kwmu k®oDu kwieAw kau gwlY ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 932 

6. kwmu k®oDu sMgiq durjn kI qw qy Aihinis Bwgau ], Guru Granth Sahib, p. 219 

7. inmK kwm suAwd kwrix koit idns duKu pwvih ] GrI muhq rMg mwxih iPir bhuir 

bhuir pCuqwvih ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 403 

8. kwm k®oD loB moh AiBmwnw qw mih suKu nhI pweIAY ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 614 

9. mwxsu BirAw AwixAw mwxsu BirAw Awie ] ijqu pIqY miq dUir hoie brlu pvY ivic 

Awie ] Awpxw prwieAw n pCwxeI Ksmhu Dky Kwie ] ijqu pIqY Ksmu ivsrY drgh

26 


imlY sjwie ] JUTw mdu mUil n pIceI jy kw pwir vswie ] nwnk ndrI scu mdu pweIAY 

siqguru imlY ijsu Awie ] sdw swihb kY rMig rhY mhlI pwvY Qwau ]Guru Granth 

Sahib, p. 554 

10. durmiq mdu jo pIvqy ibKlI piq kmlI ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 399 

11. kbIr BWg mwCulI surw pwin jo jo pRwnI KWih ] qIrQ brq nym kIey qy sBY rswqil 

jWih], Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1377 

12. pr iqRA rUpu n pyKY nyqR ] swD kI thl sMqsMig hyq ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 274 

13. kwmu k®oDu ibKu bjru Bwru ] nwm ibnw kYsy gun cwru ], Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1187 

14. gwChu puqRI rwj kuAwir ] nwmu Bxhu scu doqu svwir ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 

1187 

15. mnmuK nwmu n cyqnI ibnu nwvY duK roie ] Awqmw rwmu n pUjnI dUjY ikau suKu hoie ] 

Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1414 

16. bRhm igAwnI sB isRsit kw krqw ] bRhm igAwnI sd jIvY nhI mrqw ] bRhm igAwnI 

mukiq jugiq jIA kw dwqw ] bRhm igAwnI pUrn purKu ibDwqw ] Guru Granth 

Sahib, p. 273 

17. haumY bwDw gurmuiK CUtw ] gurmuiK Awvxu jwvxu qUtw ], Guru Granth Sahib, p. 131 

18. gurmuiK lwDw mnmuiK gvwieAw ] Guru Granth Sahib, p 11 

19. jpu qpu kir kir sMjm QwkI hiT ingRih nhI pweIAY ] nwnk shij imly jgjIvn 

siqgur bUJ buJweIAY ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 436 

20. puMn dwn jp qp jyqy sB aUpir nwmu ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 401 

21 Qwl ivic iqMin vsqU peIE squ sMqoKu vIcwro ] AMimRq nwmu Twkur kw pieE ijs kw sBsu 

ADwro ] jy ko KwvY jy ko BuMcY iqs kw hoie auDwro ] Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1429 

¤ 

Religion consists of more than talk. 

He who looks on all alike 

And considers them as equals, 

May be acclaimed as religious. 


glI jogu n hoeI ] 

eyk idRsit kir smsir jwxY jogI khIAY soeI ]

TRANSLATION OF GURBANI – SCHOLARS PLEASE WATCH YOUR WORDS 

27 

TRANSLATION OF GURBANI 

– SCHOLARS PLEASE WATCH YOUR WORDS – 

GURBAKHSH SINGH USA * 

The fourth centennial year of the first installation of Guru Granth 

Sahib is over. During this occasion, competent scholars and gianis should 

have been deputed to discuss and prepare an authentic translation/ 

interpretation of the whole gurbani or at least of some important hymns. 

This is extremely essential to spread gurmat teachings by sharing the correct 

message of gurbani with world scholars. Also, suitable English terms, which 

convey proper meaning/connotation of some Sikh terms, should have 

been agreed upon by them. 

I was surprised to read many meaningless translations in the papers 

presented at the Fourth International Conference on Guru Granth Sahib 

(December 9-11, 2004) at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. For 

example, kaley lekh translated as 'blackened essays'. This and some 

other literal translations reminded me of a school-days joke, mera sir 

chakar kha rha hai, translated as ‘my head is eating circles’. 

As an outcome of the recent celebrations of the fourth centennial 

of Guru Granth Sahib, many organisations have started translations 

of gurbani into major Indian and foreign languages. Already some 

translations of Guru Granth Sahib into English have been published. 

However, their study reveals that they have many literal and even 

meaningless/wrong translations. More efforts being made now, again 

by many individual scholars, will result in further misinforming and 

confusing the readers about the message of gurbani. Therefore, it is 

appealed that by the joint efforts of a team of university scholars and 

gianis, under the auspices of the Akal Takht, atleast one standard 

English translation be prepared. It may also be edited by more than 

one scholar before it is finally approved for publication. This translation 

* # 959, Phase IV, SAS Nagar (Chandigarh) 160 059

28 


may then be adopted to prepare translations in other languages. 

CONFUSING TRANSLATIONS OF GURBANI 

1. i) About two decades ago, during a weekly youth class at the 

Punjab Agricultural University campus, Ludhiana, while teaching 

Asa di Var, I translated the hymn, jy sau cMdw augvih sUrj cVih hjwr ] 

eyqy cwnx hoidAW gur ibnu Gor AMDwr ] p. 463, as “Even when 100 moons and 

one thousand suns arise, without a Guru, there will remain pitch darkness”. 

A smart student caught my omission. He smiled and asked, “If 

2000 suns arise then...”. I immediately realised my mistake and 

corrected the statement : “The numbers 100 and 1000 are used 

as a phrase and mean 'as many as possible, or innumerable’. 

Similarly, the number 100 or any other such number may be used 

to lay stress on a point or a fact. For example, once a student 

complained to me : w 100 t/oh dcso frnk, pkp{ pmk jh BjhI ;h . I went to 

the office a 100 times, the clerk was not there.” The student had 

actually gone there only twice or thrice. 

Here this hymn tells that whatever the number of suns, without the 

presence of a guru (the giver of gian, spiritual light, knowledge) the 

ignorance (darkness) will remain. The couplet lays emphasis on the 

need for a Guru for the spiritual enlightenment of people. The 

translation must bring out this message of the hymn. A strictly 

literal translation does not always do that. Examples of such 

mistakes abound in the extant translation. 

In the above, the word x'o nzXko refering to ‘total ignorance’ (antonym 

of gian, knowledge), has been translated literally as ‘pitch darkness’, 

‘appalling darkness’ or ‘dismal and dark’. These words fail to convey 

the message given by the hymn. 

2. A classical literal translation, confusing the reader, may be seen 

in the paper, Peeking Back to Move Forward, p. 6, Papers and 

Abstracts, the Fourth International Conference 2004 on Guru 

Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. 

PrIdw jy qU Akil lqIPu kwly ilKu n lyK ] AwpnVy igrIvwn mih isru nØIvw 

kir dyKu ] (page 1378) 

Farid, if you are a master of wisdom, then do not keep on writing blackened 

essays, Rather, Look underneath your own collar instead. 

In this translation the message of the hymn is the casualty. First, 

the slok is not addressed to Farid, he is the author; secondly, ekb/

TRANSLATION OF GURBANI – SCHOLARS PLEASE WATCH YOUR WORDS 

b/y fbyDk does not mean to write blackened essays (these are 

meaningless words); it is a phrase which refers to evil deeds; thirdly 

nkgD/ frohtkB ftZu d/yDk means looking into one’s own faults and not 

‘under the collar’, as translated by the author. 

The message of the couplet is : A wise person should not use his 

intelligence to find faults with other persons, but he should strive to get rid 

of his own shortcomings and weaknesses. 

3 There is another interesting experience. It also stresses the need 

of providing understandable and meaningful translation of gurbani 

into other languages. 

During a religious lecture by a Sikh to a non-Punjabi group of 

Canadian Auto Workers Association (Ontario), a member asked, 

“Can Sikhs eat rooster” The speaker could not understand the 

purpose behind this unusual question. Showing a gurbani 

translation book in his hand, the member explained his question, 

“Here it is mentioned : Why should you kill a hen I want to know 

if killing of a cock is permitted.” 

The speaker recited the related hymn and explained it as below : 

byd kqyb khhu mq JUTy JUTw jo n ibcwrY ] 

jau sB mih eyku Kudwie khq hau qau ikau murgI mwrY ] 1 ] 

mulW khhu inAwau KudweI ] qyry mn kw Brmu n jweI ] 1 ] rhwau ] 

pkir jIau AwinAw dyh ibnwsI mwtI kau ibsimil kIAw ] 

joiq srUp Anwhq lwgI khu hlwlu ikAw kIAw ] 


The literal translation ‘why do you kill a hen’ of the line qau ikau 

murgI mwrY is not wrong, but it ignores the text and fails to convey 

the message. 

The hymn mentions the futility of killing an animal in the name 

of God by a Muslim (this meat is called halal). Kabir addresses a 

Hindu and a Muslim each telling that the other’s books are false. 

It advises them not to say that the books are false, but to know 

that false is the statement of a person who does not study these 

books and does not reflect on their message. 

In the second part, the couplet questions the Mullan, “When you 

say that the spirit of God vibrates in every living being, then why 

do you kill an animal (the word hen is mentioned for the helpless 

animal being sacrificed) for offering to God The animal becomes 

dead (dirt) while the spirit is indestructible and prevalent 

29

30 


everywhere (including the animal sacrificed). Then what is halal 

that you claim to offer to God 

COMMONLY USED SIKH TERMS 

There are some popular but not correct translations of very 

commonly used Sikh terms. The following four examples given by a 

British-born English teacher married to a Sikh in Canada, illustrate 

the point : 

1. Baptised Sikh : Baptism is a Christian term. Therefore, an amritdhari 

Sikh cannot be a baptised Sikh. We know, there is no amritdhari 

Christian. Amritdhari Sikh may be explained as a person formally 

initiated into the Sikh faith through the amrit ceremony. 

Further, there is no parallel word in English for amrit. Amrit is 

not even nectar, which is the drink of the Greek and Roman 

gods. 

2. Sikh Church : Church is a Christian place of worship. Sikh Church 

to mean gurdwara is as wrong as to call a Church a Christian gurdwara. 

‘Gurdwara’ may be described as a place for Sikh congregation and 

religious services. It is not a Sikh worship place either, because Sikhs do 

not worship Guru Granth Sahib as Hindus worship the statues of 

their gods. 

3. Saint : Sant is not a saint. For the western people saint is a special 

title conferred posthumously only on Christian holy people who 

possessed the power of performing miracles. We may use the 

Punjabi word sant and explain it. 

4. Jathedar Akal Takht is not the Pope of the Sikhs. The statement 

sends the wrong signal to the English-knowing people. The status 

of the jathedar may be explained when there is need for it. 

¤

ON TRANSLATION OF HOLY TEXTS 

31 


GAJINDAR SINGH * 

The mushrooming of translations and reviews of the sacred gurbani 

in recent times have accelerated with many writers taking up their 

pens and trying to match their wits with our Gurus. These efforts may 

be welcomed and appreciated to a point, as the Sikh texts have been 

shrouded in a secrecy in the tradition of the old Hindu scriptures, 

which were restricted to only a few selected scholars and others were 

supposed to make do with the mere recitation and the vocal sounds 

of mantras. Our Gurus struggled to throw open not only the holy 

places to the commoners but emphasised the need of imparting divine 

knowledge to all, rejecting selectivity and secrecy. Our Gurus openly 

shared their wisdom with one and all. Guru Gobind Singh went on to 

engage a team of eminent poets to translate Hindu scriptures for the 

benefit of common folks who had never known about the Vedas and 

Shastras before, being strictly a Brahmin preserve. 

The Gurus were prolific writers themselves, and encouraged 

excellence in any task, spiritual or mundane, for which the Sikhs were 

groomed in a lofty tradition for over two hundred years. Thus, while 

we must allow the numerous efforts at translating the sacred gurbani in 

as many languages as possible, we have to pause for caution to let 

only authentic and honest translations of the same genre to be 

attempted and those who undertake the task must be sure of their 

ability and thorough knowledge of gurbani. 

The first hurdle would appear, therefore, in selection of scholars 

who may take up this very responsible exercise of translating our 

Gurus’ sublime poetical works, which are held in highest esteem by 

millions not only in the excellence of expression but the direction of 

* # 2983, Sector 61, Mohali -160 062

32 


thought and spirituality. There are many well-meaning scholars who 

are eager to write on this subject and to translate the Sacred Texts. 

Not all of them, however, may qualify to do so. Each one has the 

indelible imprint of his own level of understanding and spiritual 

experience, and it is but natural that they view the sacred gurbani by 

the yardstick of their own competence. As Guru Gobind Singh says: 

Aap aapni budhi hei jeti, 

Barnat bhin bhin tohe teti. – Benati Chopai, p 10 

Each one to his own level of wisdom 

Expresses differently about You, the Lord. 

There are two types of people. Persons who are centred into 

their own shell and see matters in myopic sense according to their 

own experience and knowledge, are categorised as ‘Self-willed’. There 

are others, few in numbers, of course, who have the gift of experiencing 

the feelings and the views of others, called ‘Empathic’. The two are 

opposite to each other in nature. Although the Empathic are fewer 

compared to the Self-willed, it is desirable to entrust the job of 

translation to the former in preference to the egotists. 

The translator of any writing has to develop two basic skills before 

taking up the very responsible task of presenting the thoughts of the 

original text to the unwary public who has no other means of access 

to the author. More so, when the writings are sacrosanct and may 

affect multitudes of people, who are dependant on the correct 

interpretation of the text. Translations should not lead haywire and 

allow incorrect perceptions. These two skills are, firstly, the in-depth 

personal understanding of the subject of metaphysics and flight of 

imagination in divinity, and, secondly, the maturity of expression in 

apt phrases of what one wishes to convey. It will, indeed, involve 

wide and excellent vocabulary in a translator. In the case of any sacred 

text, the author, while writing the piece, requires not only poetic 

maturity in view but also its effect on innocent souls who eagerly take 

to the preaching contained therein. The translator has the onus of 

passing on the essence and the ethos of the original to the reader, 

totally eclipsing his own personal feelings and preferences. It is not 

sufficient to rhyme the text, but to correlate the contents as conveyed 

in the translation with the original 

There have been errors of colossal proportions in the translations


33 

which have so far already hit the market, which can damage the intention 

and purport of the original, as illustrated in the following few examples: 

1. The text in Guru Granth Sahib reads : 

Sahu hamara tun dhani, 

jaisi tun ras deh taisi hum leh. 


It is translated as : 

You are my rich money lender, 

The amount of capital you loan, I take. 

The translator has not bothered about the term ras in the original, 

which is the key to the spirit and direction of the idea of the sabd. If the 

writer had refered to the meaning of ras, the spiritual capital, it would 

become clear that there is no mundane requirement of the supplicant for 

a ‘loan’ from the ‘money lender’, but it is the pleading for spiritual 

enlightenment from the Guru, who has abundant divine knowledge. 

2. Let us refer to another sample of self-willed translation being fed 

to the public eager to imbibe the purport of gurbani. 

Gurbani text : 

Sabd marey so mua jape 

Kaal n chappe dukh(u) n santape. 


Translated as: 

He who dies reciting the Holy Word 

Only appears to be dead. 

Death suppresses him not, 

Nor can pain dread. 

‘Dying while reciting the Holy Word’ would not by any stretch of 

imagination mean physical death. The gurvak actually states that by 

annihilation of I/me/my, it may seem that a person is vanquished, 

but death (spiritual) cannot claim him nor worry beset him. Dr Sahib 

Singh has expressed it thus: 

“A person imbibing the Guru sabd experiences the death of his ego. Such a 

death of ego receives honours and respect in the world. He cannot be ensnared by 

spiritual degradation. He is not bothered by materialistic worries. His person 

merges into Godhead.” 

3. Another writer has cursorily translated the following simple 

gurbani verse ambiguously:

34 


Ram na kabhoo chetio 

hun kehan na mile khudai, 


Translation: 

Previously they did not remember Ram, 

Now they cannot utter His Name. 

Kabhoon cannot be properly rendered as ‘previously’; it should be 

‘never.’ Khudai cannot be ‘His Name’. The poignancy of the original 

verse is fully lost in the turpid translation. 

Such translations by eminently renowned writers are but a sad 

commentary on individual endeavours of our scholars. It is one thing 

to be touched by the muses, pick up paper and pen and put down an 

enthralling idea for posterity. It may be easy to write a piece of poetry 

or prose which is one’s expression of the image kindled at a time and 

place. However, translating another’s thoughts strictly requires rating 

all pros and cons, dimensions and angles of that particular strain of 

thought and then honestly retaining the mood and gist of that point. 

However, each person will insert his own aura and level of thinking, 

howsoever one may try to be dispassionate about it. What is required is to 

have translators and have checks on them by instituting a panel of scholars 

and intellectuals who may process each and every line or word to find the 

most suitable and appropriate finished work of translating gurbani. Such a 

work produced by most painstaking selfless efforts, nishkam sewa, will 

remain an asset of rare value. 

4. Let us study another attempt by a translator: 

Iss dhan kau taskar joh(i) n sakai, 

na uchakka le jai 


This wealth, a thief cannot spy out; 

Nor can a robber take it away. 

It may be a literal translation, but using ‘spy out’ for joh(i) does 

not fully express the essence of the original. 

5. Gurbani text : 

Sabh ko meet hum aapan kina, 

hum sabhna ke sajjan. – Guru Granth Sahib, p 671 

has been translated as : 

All I have made my loving friends,


35 

Friend of all am I grown. 

There seems no need of ‘grown’. 

6. Waho Waho tis nu aakhiye ji sabh meih rehia samai 


has been translated as : 

Address Bravo! Bravo! to Him who is contained amongst all. 

Instead of ‘Bravo’, a better expression could be ‘Hail’ or even 

‘Salutations’. ‘Bravo’ is used in appreciation for a person of somewhat 

inferior status or of one’s own size and standard. Some dictionaries 

also mention ‘Bravo’ as ‘a daring villain, a hired assassin’. 

Translation into English is perhaps the most challenging job as 

other language translations will closely follow it for authenticity and 

clarity. Such a panel should be formed by a responsible body like the 

Dharm Prachar Committee of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak 

Committee, Amritsar, headed by the Akal Takht. In case they do not 

do so, let us not sit idly but knock at the door of the Delhi Gurdwara 

Committee, which is equally competent to take up cudgels for this 

very important matter on which is hinged the spread of Guru’s message 

to the future generations. Otherwise, immitigable and colossal damage 

will be done and we will be mute witnesses as spectators. The work is 

urgent as many spurious translations have already been floated in the 

international market, with none authentic enough to pass the litmus 

test. 

There is no condemnation or criticism intended, as each translator 

tries to do his best within his reach and capacity, which is, however, 

no match to the excellence of the original Guru Granth Sahib. It is 

with anguish that one may perceive the failure of coming generations 

who are losing touch with Punjabi and the idiom of gurbani, and are 

reduced to partake of these unreliable and sub-standard works for 

their divine awakening. 

More than four hundred years ago, King James I of England faced 

the same dilemma and constituted a committee of clergy men for 

authentic translation of the Holy Bible from Latin into English. That 

English translation stood the vagaries of time and is still regarded as 

the most authentic version of the Bible worldwide. There are many 

modern attempts to rewrite the Bible in modern English which are 

blamed as less than true and even of interpolation of spurious material.

36 


This should jolt us to reality. If no other authority is seized of the 

urgency of the project, it is earnestly appealed to the Institute of Sikh 

Studies, Chandigarh, to shoulder this stupendous task and once again 

lead the community to a major achievement. 

Our image is sought to be tarnished and damaged by misleading 

propaganda by persons pushing their own faiths to the gullible Sikh 

masses. Recently, I heard about a padre speaking at a Sikh congregation 

in a village gurdwara, that Sikh Gurus were keen to promote 

Christianity. He quoted: Nirmal sacho mann vase, so janey abh pir. He 

stressed that Nirmal stands for Jesus since he was the only one who 

was without any blemishes. He reinforced it by the Chopai of Guru 

Gobind Singh, Pun rachhas ka kata sissa; Sri asketu jagat ke issa. 

Triumphantly he argued that the Tenth Master reinforced the 

supremacy of Issa that is Jesus! Similarly some Hindu preachers are 

going round stressing that in Jap, Guru Nanak declared: Asankh Granth, 

mukh Ved path. He translated the word mukh as ‘main’ or ‘predominant’! 

We are talking of translations of Guru Granth Sahib into various 

languages spoken in various states of our country, and, on a wider 

scale, of the whole world. The desirability is, of course, strong and 

urgent. We have not pondered about the methodology of creating so 

many correct translations, for which panels of persons qualified in 

those languages are required. At the cost of repetition, it is stressed 

that the panels must be of persons of integrity and knowledge of the 

philosophy of gurbani and the lofty traditions of Sikhism. More than 

their name in print, such scholars must rather prefer anonymity and 

cherish the cause of the projects and genuinely create masterpieces 

for eternity. Surely, their names will live, may be, in finer print, but 

the task is tremendously important and urgent to be ignored any longer. 

¤

SIKHISM – PANACEA FOR ALL ILLS 

37 


RAGHBIR SINGH * 

Ego is a very chronic malady, remedy also lies in it. ** 

Ego of super powers like the USA, UK, France and their allies 

about their superiority in war material and ideologies they pursue, is 

the main cause of ills of the humanity in different countries, nations, 

races, etc. First and Second World Wars, confrontation in Cambodia 

and Laos, Afghanistan and Iraq were the results of the ego. Every 

time these powers failed in their evil designs, but they left behind 

enormous loss of human lives and natural resources. Almost similar 

damage occurred in India at the Partition time. Even later, the socalled 

Indian democratic governments have adopted policies, which 

are not conducive to the welfare of people, and the minority 

communities like Muslims, Sikhs and Christians are their special 

victims. 

The recent tri- and quardri-centennial celebrations of historical 

Sikh events like birth of the Khalsa, installation of Guru Granth Sahib 

and martyrdoms of young sons of Guru Gobind Singh, have brought 

into focus of the entire world, aims and objects of gurbani which 

preaches :- 

a) Welfare of everybody without any discrimination based on 

nationality, religion, caste, creed or social status; 

b) Brotherhood of humanity, adoption of ‘live and let live’ attitude, 

friendship with all, poor or rich; and 

c) Control of ego and jealousy. 

Today all knowledgeable persons are sincerely concerned with 

the establishment of a world order in which nations may be contented, 

* 2984, Phase VII, SAS Nagar 

** haumY dIrG rogu hY dwrU BI iesu mwih ] Guru Granth Sahib, p 466

38 


peaceful, prosperous and free from any bias. They have turned their 

eyes towards the teachings of Sikh Gurus for achieving this goal. World 

celebrities like Koffi Annan, Secretary General of UNO and other 

Asian and Europian leaders including the President of India APJ Abdul 

Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ex-Prime Minister Atal 

Bihari Vajpai and many others share the view that these teachings 

which were relevant in the times of Sikh Gurus, are relevant today 

and would ever be so in times to come. Thus, a responsibility devolves 

on the Sikh community and its leaders to rise to the occasion. The 

Sikh period from 1469, birth of Guru Nanak Dev, to 1708, demise of 

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, and the later century and a half 

depicting the ascendancy of Sikh Panth and its rule, not only over the 

Punjab of that period but also in the regions like Jammu and Kashmir 

and Afghanistan, etc., was a golden period that marks the awakening 

of suppressed people in respect of their rights which had been denied 

to them since the dawn of civilization by the ruling class of educated, 

clever and smart people. 

Guru Nanak Dev, in his teachings, had not only all that is good 

in Marxist Theory, but also much more than that. Marxism would not 

have failed the way it did, had this theory been as comprehensive as 

that of Guru Nanak. Marxist theory pleads for equality in material 

needs of the people, which alone does not ensure contentment and 

peace of mind. Guru Nanak’s theory paid attention to the spiritual 

needs as well, without which a person would never feel satisfied, 

howsoever large the material comforts. In this regard, Guru Granth 

Sahib contains the following exhortation on page 1013 : 

Mind falters without spiritual knowledge. Mad after material gains 

it rushes from place to place (poison) instead of Nectar (which is the 

elixir of life as described in Gurbani). * 

It is time for the Marxist friends to turn to the Sikh philosophy, if 

they are really sincere about the welfare of the poor. Marx gave his 

theory in 19 th century while Guru Nanak spelled it out much earlier in 

the 15 th . The French Revolution of 1789 extolling the principles of 

Liberty, Equality and Fraternity also took place much later. The 

* mnUAw folY dh ids DwvY ibnu rq Awqm igAwnw ] 

AMimRqu Coif mhw ibKu pIvY mwieAw kw dyvwnw ]


39 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNO in 1948 is a 

happening of recent past. Sikh Gurus were pioneers of philosophy of 

non-violence. At the same time they were not against use of force, 

but only when all other means to achieve a noble goal fail. The idea 

of non-violence as preached by Gandhi was not new. In practice, 

however, it was a policy of timid people who wanted to serve their 

nefarious ends, but could not face violent forces of falsehood and 

tyrants. They were never sincere about what they preached. They 

wanted to beguile the innocent illiterate people. Events which 

happened in India in pre- and post-Partition period are testimony to 

this. The problems of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and North East 

India are largely their creations and they are not sincere to solve them 

judiciously. There are disturbances in almost all parts of world either 

on account of racial or ethnic discrimination or because of class hatred. 

There is no end in view, and such happenings continue to cause 

tremendous loss of human lives and natural resources. 

So far the teachings of gurbani, the practical solution of all the 

ills, have remained largely confined to the boundaries of Punjab with 

a small trickling to other parts of India and in some parts of UK, USA 

and Canada. In this electronic era, the people of the entire globe have 

come very close to one another, and the information technology has 

facilitated the dissemination of knowledge to every nook and corner 

of the world. It is the most appropriate time now to take advantage 

of the electronic media to spread the message of Sikhism in every 

part of the globe. Religious leaders of Sikh community, the SGPC 

and Sikhs living abroad can and should play a major part in this respect. 

SGPC 

Persons well versed in at least two foreign languages should be 

trained in gurmat in order to convey the message of Sikhism to the 

people in other countries in their language. Learned scholars should 

be engaged to write small books in foreign languages, faithfully 

describing the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. These books should be 

published in a beautiful getup. Their cost should be subsidized where 

necessary. Efforts should also be made to publish small tracts for free 

distribution abroad, as is done by the Christian community. More 

funds be made available for Dharam Parchar which is more important

40 


than marble buildings. There should be an international body of 

religious persons with local branches who should be available to the 

Akal Takht Jathedar for consultation about the problems of foreignbased 

Sikh population that need to be handled at national or 

international levels to avoid unnecessary scrambling over gurdwara 

positions and matters of Rahit Maryada etc. 

More attention should be paid to religious instruction in Sikh 

educational institutions, specially the technical institutions, so that 

those students who choose to go abroad can talk convincingly about 

their religion to foreigners. A powerful TV channel should be set up 

preferably at Amritsar to telecast Sikh Gurus’ message and sakhis about 

their lives. Frequent shabad vichar and discourses about Sikhism in 

English should be regularly arranged and telecast for the benefit of 

foreigners. 

RELIGIOUS LEADERS 

Popular religious leaders and saints who are proficient in English 

and conversant with gurbani, should be financially helped and 

encouraged to visit countries abroad in consultation with the Sikhs 

there. Such saintly people may, apart from kirtan, lay more stress on 

shabd vichar. The Dharam Parchar committee of the SGPC should 

formulate a panel of such leaders and they should be routinely sent 

abroad to different parts for a specified period, and there should be a 

monitoring cell in the committee to assess their performance in the 

countries visited. Funds should be created abroad by the religious 

bodies there and by the SGPC here for this purpose. 

FOREIGN SIKH POPULATION 

The role of NRIs in introducing Sikhism in foreign lands is very 

crucial. So far they have failed to do much in this direction. They are 

in a better position to interact with foreigners about Sikh religion in 

their language. Incidents of hate campaign against Sikhs after 9/11 

WTC blast were the result of this lack of introduction of Sikh 

community as different from Muslims. Otherwise, Sikhs would not 

have been mistaken for Muslims of Iraq, etc. They should publish 

small tracts about Sikhism and regularly distribute them in thousands 

amongst foreign citizens. Good, informative and pictorial books about 

Sikhism for the use of children should be published. Shabad vichar in


41 

foreign language should be arranged frequently in gurdwaras and other 

public places on Sundays to which foreigners should be invited. 

Discussions on different topics concerning Sikhism may be arranged 

in which foreign students and elders should be encouraged to 

participate. Some prizes for outstanding participants may be given as 

matter of encouragement. Some magazines illustrating Sikh culture 

through suitable articles may be published and supplied to foreign 

citizens. Groups of foreigners be encouraged to visit Gurdwaras in 

their cities and also historical gurdwaras in Punjab and other parts of 

India to get firsthand information about Sikhism. Dharam Siksha period 

may be introduced in the schools managed by Sikhs. They may 

introduce TV channels where gurbani and Sikh sakhis may be telecast 

at regular intervals. A suitable international body of foreign Sikhs 

with local branches should be set up to formulate programmes for the 

preaching of Sikh religion in their respective countries. They should 

impress upon their governments to introduce courses on Sikh Gurus’ 

teachings in their educational system and also to keep gurbani in view 

while formulating their policies of development and foreign relations. 

The Sikh community shall be doing a really great service to the 

global humanity, if it successfully adopts the above programmes. 

¤ 

Admirers praise Him 

But do not know the extent of His greatness; 

As streams and rivulets flowing into the sea 

Do not know its depth or vastness. 


swlwhI swlwih eyqI suriq n pweIAw ] 

ndIAw AqY vwh pvih smuMid n jwxIAih ]

42 


SAKA NANAKANA SAHIB 

(1921) 

JOGINDER SINGH * 

For some years, Mahant Narain Dass of Nanakana Sahib had 

been indulging in unscrupulous and immoral acts in the Gurdwara 

Nanakana Sahib, a most sacred Sikh shrine. Immediate cause of 

provocation was an incident of molestation of a 13 years old daughter 

of a Sindhi Engineer of Karachi who was a devotee of Guru Nanak 

and who had to stay overnight. This shook the conscience of Sikhs. 

Earlier, a group of six women devotees of Jaranwala, Dist Layallpur 

was treated similarly by the Mahant and his cohorts. Mahant was 

affluent, as he had under his control 760 squares (each square equals 

25 acres of land) of rich and fertile land and huge offerings by devotees. 

Such immoral practices ignited the immediate spark in the minds of 

Sikhs. 

Bhai Lachhman Singh of Dharowal, Tehsil Nanakana Sahib, Distt 

Shekhupura, was a land holder, and a deeply devoted amritdhari Sikh. 

He used to go to villages around his native place for preaching the 

Sikh way of life as and when he was free from his agricultural 

responsibilities. On 20 th Feb, 1921, he, with about 200 Gursikhs, 

reached Nanakana Sahib to to rid the shrine of the corrupt Mahant. 

They had pledged to remain non-violent in all situations, even when 

they knew that Mahant had enlisted the services of a large number of 

armed and bad characters and convicts. According to historians, when 

Bhai Lachhman Singh went to Tarn Taran to attend the Bhog Ceremony 

of martyrs, who laid down their lives to liberate that Gurdwara from 

unscrupulous elements on 26 th January, 1921, he narrated misdeeds 

of Mahant Narain Das at Janamsthan and pledged that he would offer 

* # J-12/76, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi - 110 027

SAKA NANKANA SAHIB (1921) 

43 

his head to free the shrine of Nanakana Sahib, and prayed before Sat 

Guru: 

“Today, I, an insignificant sewak, offer my head to liberate 

Janamasthan from the clutches of the immoral Mahant. O 

Satguru, bestow me the courage and strength to achieve this 

object”. 

Mahant’s misdeeds had compelled the whole Panth to take 

remedial steps. The British Government was at his back. On 

23.1.1921, Bhai Lachhman Singh went to Amritsar to consult senior 

Sikh leaders. One Sher Singh, a servant of Mahant was sitting near 

Bhai Lachhman Singh in the same compartment of the train. He was 

listening to the resolve of Bhai Sahib and conveyed to Mahant that 

Sikhs had decided to achieve martyrdom to oust him and his hirelings. 

Mahant went to Lahore and met Mr King, Commissioner of Lahore 

Division, apprised him of the situation and requested that a Police 

Chowki may be set up at the site of the Shrine. Mr King told him that 

he had vast resources and should be capable of dealing with the 

situation himself. The Mahant had enlisted about 300 hirelings besides 

a large number of servants, and equipped them with firearms and 

other weapons to meet the situation. 

Central Sikh leadership at Amritsar had decided to meet at 

Nanakana Sahib on 3 rd ,4 th , 5 th March, 1921, and hold a Panthic 

gathering. Bhai Lachhman Singh, however, received intelligence that 

the Mahant had decided to wipe out the entire Sikh leadership at this 

gathering. He, therefore, decided that Gurdwara should be liberated 

before these dates. He and Kartar Singh Jhabbar, a brave leader of 

the area met at Gurdwara Sacha Sauda and decided to lead a Jatha on 

the morning of 19th Feb, 1921. He was advised by Master Tara Singh 

and Teja Singh Samundari to heed the leadership’s advice, but he had 

his own schedule. 

Before departure, he told his wife, Bibi Inder Kaur that he was 

going to Janamasthan to achieve martyrdom and that she should 

reconcile to the situation. Bibi insisted on accompanying the Jatha, 

and her two other friends Bibi Ranjit Kaur and a teacher of Kanya 

Pathshala, Bibi Mahender Kaur, went with the Shahidi Jatha. All of 

them met at his house and after offering Ardas, and taking hukumnama 

from the Guru Granth Sahib, started with the spirit :

44 


"Maron ta har key dwar” 

After travelling the whole night, they reached Chander Kot in 

the morning, about 5 miles from Nanakana Sahib. Bhai Lachhman 

Singh reminded the Jatha of the great Shahid of Khalsa Panth, Baba 

Deep Singh, and drew a line for those who wished to save their lives, 

but everybody jumped the line saying that they had pledged to liberate 

the Janamasthan and that they could not betray and be false to their 

prayer. They were again asked to remain non-violent even against 

extreme provocation to achieve their noble objective. At this place, 

blessings of Guru Nanak were solicited, by offering Ardas. Bhai Tehl 

Singh of Tarn Taran asked the three ladies to go back to their village. 

Bhai Lachhman Singh addressed his wife: “Inder Kaur, we were 

destined to live together thus far. Now you go after paying obeisance 

at Gurdwara Tambu Sahib and pray that we should stand firm in our 

resolve. Bibi touched his feet and with bowed head and tearful eyes 

glanced towards her husband for the last time. Bhai Tehl Singh took 

out Rs 18/- from his pocket and handed over to her saying that an 

akhand path may be arranged with this amount. 

Bhai Lachhman Singh asked three of his Jatha to go and see if 

doors of Darshini Deodi were open and, if so, they should loudly 

announce:- 

“Ticket window is open. Come and get into the train”. 

As soon as they heard this, they ran towards Darshini Deodi. 

Here they handed over kirpans and spears to one person to take these 

back. It was 5:45 AM. Bhai Lachhman Singh sent 5 Sikhs to each of 

the 5 gates and others squatted at Barandari. Thakur Dass, was reciting 

Sukhmani Sahib. He was asked to move and Bhai Lachhman Singh 

took his seat behind Guru Granth Sahib. At Sunrise, Mahant Narain 

Dass who was fully drunk and was on horseback, and Rehana, a local 

convict, started firing indiscriminately. Many Sikhs fell down, injured/ 

killed. One Sant Ram, a sadh, was also hit and killed. Sikhs were 

particularly indignant at Rehana’s ruthless firing. Mahant in an 

inebriated state and a pistol in hand was prowling among peaceful 

gathering and addressing thus:- 

“Today no Sikhra should remain alive; clear this place from the 

curse of Akalis, root and branch.” 

Some hirelings and cohorts started throwing bricks at the Sikhs.


45 

Bhai Tehl Singh of Tarn Taran was hit on his head and killed. Some 

Sikhs went inside choukhandi, and doors were closed. One boy, Darbara 

Singh (12 years), son of Tehl Singh was concealed in an almirah. Sikhs 

were being hit with gun shots, bricks and acid bulbs. Whole parikarma 

was splattered with blood of the saint-soldiers who were being 

butchered, because they offered peaceful protest for sanctity of the 

shrine, built in the memory of apostle of peace and harmony. Mahant’s 

men started collecting legs, arms and other parts of bodies and threw 

them on five heaps. As pre-planned, tins of kerosene oil were poured 

on these heaps and set on fire. It was literally a scene of barbarism in 

its cruelest form. 

Mahant issued new orders: “Only 5-6 Sikhs corpses may be 

retained. Bodies of sadhs who were killed by their own men may also 

be kept. We will say that Akalis have killed them.” 

The group of murderers then proceeded to Darbar Sahib and 

tried to break the door. They drilled a hole through which bullets 

were fired which killed some Sikhs. This dastardly deed was done by 

hoodlums and hirelings of the Mahant. At last, they broke open the 

door. Kaka Darbara Singh (12 years) was alarmed and started crying. 

Goondas took him to the Mahant and asked what to do with the boy. 

Mahant said, “He is a Sikh and when he grows up he will become 

Akali. Send him to where his father has gone”. The brave son of a 

brave father, he himself said that he wanted to be martyred like his 

father. Thus, this noble son of Guru Gobind Singh was thrown in the 

burning heap of corpses. After committing this crime, they proceeded 

towards Bhai Lachhman Singh who had received several shots and 

was bleeding profusely. He was caught from his sacred hair and dragged 

out. He was uttering, “Waheguru, Waheguru”. But, they hung him upside 

down on a jand tree, behind choukhandi, poured kerosene oil and set 

him on fire. This tree reminds even today of the horrible torture 

perpetrated by Mahant who posed himself as custodian of Nanakana 

Sahib. He had much to lose, i.e., a vast jagir of 760 square of fertile 

land besides huge offerings of the devotees. His corruption and low 

mentality had become widely known. 

Bhai Dalip Singh, a friend of the Mahant on learning about the 

massacre, ran to the Gurdwara with his colleague Bhai Waryam Singh,

46 


and saw Mahant on his horse, firing ruthlessly. He asked him what he 

was doing At this Mahant fired at him saying, “Your end was destined 

at my hands. You also go with your Akalis”. Waryam Singh ran to 

protect Bhai Dilip Singh, but next bullet was aimed at him. While still 

alive, they were dragged to a bhatti of potters. Both Sikhs joined their 

palms upwards, as if they were offering last respect to Baba Nanak. 

A message was sent to Dy Commissioner (Mr Curry) who was 

camping at Mangtanwala, about 11 miles from Nanakana Sahib. He 

rushed to the place with some District Officials and visited the scene. 

Mahant’s hoodlums started complaining: 

“Sahib ji, Akalis have killed sadhs”. 

He could have arrested the Mahant and his henchmen, but he 

remained insensitive. At about 8:00 PM, 200 army troops reached 

Nanakana Sahib in a special train in which Mr King, Commissioner, I 

G Police, S B Mahtab Singh, Govt Advocate and some Sikh dignitaries 

including Sardar Amar Singh, Editor, Sher-e-Punjab, reached. The 

Gurdwara was handed over to the Army. Next day, the Mahant and 

some of his sadhs and 26 Pathans were arrested and taken to Lahore 

Central Jail. All trains to Nanakana Sahib were cancelled, but in spite 

of this about forty thousand Sikhs reached Nanakana Sahib. Panthic 

leaders, Master Tara Singh, Sardar Harbans Singh Attari, Prof Jodh 

Singh and Sardar Teja Singh Samundari reached there. Sardar Kartar 

Singh Jhabbar demanded that Gurdwara Janamasthan be handed over 

to the Sikhs immediately, otherwise, it would be occupied by force. 

He also cautioned that Sikhs could not remain nonviolent. English 

rulers threatened to use sten guns, but situation was getting out of 

control. Sardar Mehtab Singh asked the DC to act calmly so that the 

situation may not deteriorate. At last, the Gurdwara was handed over 

to the Sikhs. 

On 22-2-1921, what they saw was horrible. Amongst them 

were children, sisters, brothers, wives, parents and friends of the 

martyred Sikhs. The whole compound was splattered with blood, a 

place sanctified by Guru Nanak’s feet who had, throughout his life, 

spread the message of love and tolerance. The Governor Punjab 

(Maclagan) also visited. He simply said “Justice will be done”. Mr 

Curry was transferred and S Hardit Singh Malik posted as DC 

Panthic leaders planned the last rites of martyrs. Bhai Takhat


47 

Singh (Ferozepur) and Bhai Hira Singh, the lengendary ragi, were 

selected for this purpose. Angeetha about 20 feet long and 8 feet high 

was prepared to cremate limbs and bodies of shahid Sikhs. Prof Jodh 

Singh performed the ardas.Thousands of Sikhs from all parts of Punjab 

assembled and uttered, "maron ta har ke dwar". With tearful eyes, they 

bade fairwell to their shahid brothers . 

Mahatma Gandhi reached Nanakana Sahib on 3.3.1921 with 

Lala Lajpat Rai and Ali Brothers. All of them walked from railway 

station to the Gurdwara. After paying obeisance to Granth Sahib they 

saw half burnt Jand tree, blood splattered parikarma and broken doors. 

Gandhi ji could not hold his tears and said that this saka was worse 

than Jallianwala Bagh. Then British rulers had attacked peaceful men 

and now Indians, aided and abetted by the British, committed this 

crime. 

Sikhs who achieved martyrdom were bound by the pledge to 

remain nonviolent, otherwise they could easily destroy the entire clan 

of murderers. In fact, this saka was not accidental. It was planned to 

teach a lesson to the Sikhs, so that they would desist from future 

participation in India’s independence struggle. Did Sikhs stop to run 

in the vanguard of struggle for independence after this brutal massacre 

Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Dr Pattabhi Sitaramya, Congress 

presidents wrote that Sikh’s participation was 80% of the those 

executed or imprisoned though they were merely 1½% of the total 

population of India. This struggle became a model for future struggles, 

and they showed to the entire world that they could suffer death and 

face oppression for a cause dear to them. 

1. Guru Nanak had said that, “dying is the privilege of brave men, 

provided they die for a cause acceptable to God”. 

2. Kabir ji said “Kabir jis marney te jag dare, mere man anand. Marne hi 

te paiye puran paramanand.” 

(“Oh Kabir ! Death which the whole world fears has a joy for 

me. It is by dying that the perfect bliss is attained.) 

Bhai Lachhman Singh and about 200 Gursikhs will continue 

to inspire men of all times, will be cherished as martyrs and will ever 

be remembered with love, faith and veneration. 

¤

48 


SIKHS' CONTRIBUTION IN NATIONAL 

INTEGRATION AND COMMUNAL HARMONY 

JASWANT SINGH * 

Recently, I participated in a National Seminar on National 

Integration and Communal Harmony, and was surprised that none of 

the celebrated speakers mentioned anything about the sterling role 

Sikhism has played in this vital direction. Hence my motivation to 

share with you these thoughts. 

A country is a geographical concept, State a political concept 

and Nation a cultural concept. People make the nation, in fact, people 

are the nation. Mainly there are three criteria for the people to constitute 

a nation : a) those people who regard the country as their motherland; 

b) common sharing of history; c) shared value system. Culture is 

nothing but value system – standards to judge good from evil. 

According to Ernest Renan, a French author of twentieth century – a 

nation is a soul, a spiritual principle – two things which are really one. 

The Nation, like the individual, is the fruit of a long past sport in toil, 

sacrifice and devotion. The most salient feature of our culture is 

respect for plurality, diversity and inclusivity. 

Harmony presupposes plurality. In a monolithic society, the 

question of harmony does not arise. But we are a pluralistic society 

with different faiths, beliefs, languages and food habits in harmony. 

This sense presupposes tolerance. Our different beliefs with mutual 

tolerance keep us in harmony. But once a set of people decide to 

bring all others to their path by fair or foul means, the so-called 

compulsive conscription, due to their superior material / muscle power, 

disharmony or discord is bound to take place. That is what is happening 

on the borders of our country. Let us look inwards, our exclusivist 

* Maj Gen (Dr), AVSM, # 1801, Sector 33-D, Chandigarh

SIKHS CONTRIBUTION IN NATIONAL INTEGRATION AND COMMUNAL HARMONY 

49 

ideology of the majority is creating problems for the minorities, putting 

a dark spot on our nation. To feel inter-related or integrated is a 

psychological reality. It has to be cultivated. 

We boast of a civilization which is 5000 years old. Some of the 

divisive factors may be inherent in the history, geography and culture 

of our country, but there are forces, which accentuate these causes: 

a) Religious fundamentalism; 

b) Linguistic Parochialism; 

c) Regionalism, exacerbated by unequal development in different 

regions of the country, Bihar / Punjab and Haryana; 

d) Old caste system, e.g., Dalits / Khatris, Jats / non-Jats. 

The euphoria of independence was short-lived, as the partition 

of the country brought in its wake senseless killings of Hindus, Sikhs, 

Muslims across the newly created borders. As a school-going child, I 

was a sufferer and witness to stabbing and firing when we migrated 

from Pakistan to India. Our train was halted at Mughal Sarai near 

Lahore for three hours with a constant threat of being butchered. A 

godly hand saved us. On reaching Amritsar we learnt that Sikhs and 

Hindus had stopped two trains full of Muslims for a similar fate. 

However, sanity prevailed on both sides. There were residual issues 

like demarcation of boundaries, equitable sharing of water resources, 

and control over Kashmir. The last problem lingers on as an 

international issue even after 57 turbulent years. Five hundred and 

sixty two (562) independent princely states were given the option to 

join Pakistan or India. Hyderabad (population about 14 million) and 

Junagarh (population 5,45,000) had to be annexed with India after 

‘police action’ and promise of privileges to the rulers. Hindu Maharaja 

Hari Singh of predominantly Muslim Jammu and Kashmir state 

remained uncommitted till armed tribesmen and regular troops from 

Pakistan infiltrated his domain inducing him to sign the Instrument of 

Accession to India on Oct 27, 1947. Pakistan refused to accept its 

legality and fought wars in 1965, 1971 and 1999. Till today it is a 

source of friction. 

SIKHS' ROLE IN NATIONAL INTEGRATION 

Indian society was caste-ridden. The four water tight castes of 

Brahmin, Khatri, Vaish and Shudra were Manu’s gift to the society

50 


among Hindus, and there was hardly any social intermixing among 

them. Muslims were absolutely a humanity apart. At that time Guru 

Nanak appeared on the scene and galvanized Indian citizenry by the 

slogan of ‘Oneness of God and Brotherhood of all mankind’. By 

associating with Bhai Mardana, a Muslim of the same village as his 

life long friend, he broke the religious barriers and traveled 39,000 

miles throughout the world including Mecca, Jagannathpuri and 

Haridwar. He stayed with Bhai Lalo rather than Malik Bhago breaking 

the high/low barrier. The institution of Sangat and Pangat was a 

revolution in Indian social intermixing. 

Now I come to Guru Arjun Dev. The foundation of Golden 

Temple, the most revered Sikh shrine, was laid by a Muslim Faqir Sain 

Mian Mir in December 1588. 

The compilation of Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjun Dev and 

its installation in Harmandir Sahib on 1 st September, 1604, deserves 

special deliberation. This eternal Guru of the Sikhs - nay the entire 

humanity, has some striking features. 

The Granth contains, besides the writings of the Sikh Gurus, 

compositions of almost all the medieval Hindu Bhaktas, like Kabir, 

Ramanand, Ravidas, Surdas, Sain, Bhikhan from UP; Jaidev from 

Bengal; Namdev, Trilochan and Parmanand from Maharashtra; Pipa 

and Dhanna from Rajasthan; and Beni, then popular all over North 

India. The writings of four Muslims — Baba Farid, Bhikhan, Satta, 

Balwand are also incorporated in the Granth. Here is then national 

integration at its best. 

By far, the largest portion of the Granth is composed in a mixed 

language, a mixture of western Hindi, Prakrit, Braj, Punjabi and the 

then current vocabulary of Persian and Arabic. So, not only in subjectmatter, 

or religious affiliations of its authors, but also in language the 

Granth upholds the creed of integration as against exclusiveness. 

Oneness of God was Guru Nanak’s cardinal principle : 

God first created Light; all beings belong to nature. 

Since from one Light is the whole world created – who is noble, 

who inferior 1 

THE ABOLITION OF CONCEPT OF HIGH AND LOW 

The contribution to Guru Granth Sahib came mainly from the


51 

lower strata of society : Kabir (weaver) Nam Dev (calico printer) 

Dhanna (cultivator) Sadhna (butcher), Sain (barber), though Pipa was 

a king and Tirlochan a Brahmin : 

The sinner, whom no one offers refuge 

If he seeks Thy protection, then immaculate becomes he. 2 

ABOLITION OF UNTOUCHABILITY 

From one clay has the Creator shaped innumerable forms : 

Neither is the clay-vessel defective nor the Potter. 3 

EQUAL STATUS FOR WOMEN 

Guru says in Asa Di Var : 

Within a woman, the man is conceived and from a woman he is born. 

With a woman he is betrothed and married. 

With a woman man contracts friendship and 

With a woman the system of propagation keeps on going. 

When one’s wife dies another lady is sought for. 

It is through a woman that man restrains his passions. 

Why call her bad, from whom are born the Kings 4 

The Guru elevated their status in a society which treated them 

as door-mats and raised them to the male’s level. Now according to 

UN Charter also, their status has been brought at par with men. Our 

Gurus had the foresight five centuries back. Almost half of the world’s 

adult population is made up of women. Their equal status and 

integration in the mainstream of life is not only economically, ethically, 

religiously desirable but essential for societal peace. 

INTEGRATION OF INDIA/GLOBE 

The present chaotic state of the world on the basis of rich and 

poor, high or low caste, religions, geography, political polarisation, 

requires healing, soothing, integrating teachings of the Holy Granth. 

Save by Thy grace, the world in flames; 

Save it at whatever portal it may be saved. 5 

Here is this integrating message from the Guru Granth : 

All are called partners in Thy grace. 

Thou art seen alien to none. 6 

The Bhagats came from all over the country. The language of 

the Granth is Hindi, Prakrit, Braj, Punjabi, Persian and Arabic. Here

52 


is a practical demonstration of national integration. Our political 

disintegration on the basis of language, boundaries, castes, river waters 

and such other issues is the antithesis of the teachings of Guru Granth, 

which are very relevant today. 

CONCEPT OF SEVA IS A GREAT INTEGRATING FACTOR 

Concept of selfless service sB[, wB[ ns/ XB, i.e., physical, mental 

and material service is well brought out in Guru Granth Sahib's 

teachings. 

The earthquake in Gujarat highlighted all this type of service 

from the world around — Sikhs were in the fore-front. World Trade 

Centre holocaust in New York on 11 th September, 2001, has brought 

out how Sikh taxi drivers ferried the victims to places of safety. 

He, who performs Guru’s service without 

desire for reward, attains the Lord. 7 

Let us go to Guru Tegh Bahadur. The greatest sacrifice for any 

human being is self-sacrifice. The Guru was martyred not for his own 

religion, but for human dignity or principles for safeguarding Kashmiri 

Pandits'/Hindus' rights to profess their own religion. Where else do 

you find a parallel in the world 

Guru Gobind Singh fought fourteen battles against tyrant rulers 

and won most of them. These were not against Muslims or Hindus, 

but against tyranny and treachery. He had devout Muslim followers. 

Ghani Khan and Nabi Khan, carried him on a palanquin as Uch Da 

Pir, Pir Budhu Shah’s two sons and five hundred murids died fighting 

valiantly along with Guru’s army. 

Now I come to Banda Bahadur’s army which included a lot of 

Muslims who fought against tyrant Muslim Wazir Khan and other 

battles along with Sikh soldiers. He never desecrated mosques, and 

treated Muslim women with dignity and honour. Coming to Maharaja 

Ranjit Singh, the distinguished Sikh monarch, he ruled extended Punjab 

for forty years as a secular king (1799-1839) with Sikh, Dogra, Muslim 

ministers and all his subjects with equal benevolence and munificence. 

BHAI KANAHAYIA JI CONCEPT 

Let us come closer still. In the national and international disasters 

like the Gujarat earthquake, 9/11 World Trade Centre of America’s


53 

holocaust, Sikh drivers ferrying the victims to safety / medical center 

is praiseworthy. In very recent Tsunami calamity, Sikhs miniscule 

minority sending wagon / truckloads of relief material to the victims 

is a loud testimony of this community’s integrating philosophy and 

liberal national outlook. 

SIKHS CONTRIBUTION TO INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE 

Total Hindustani killed Sikhs percentage 

1. Hanged 121 93 76% 

2. Life Prisoners 2646 2197 81% 

3. Holocaust of Jallianwala Bagh 1300 799 61% 

4. Bajbaj Ghat 113 67 60% 

5. Kuka Movement 91 91 100% 

Total 4171 3247 76% 

It will be interesting to know that the Sikhs who form 2% of 

India’s population contributed 76% to the galaxy of Indian martyrs in 

the freedom movement. 

Let us take a leaf from Gurus' lives, teachings and be a pillar of 

strength for national integration and communal harmony. 

~~~ 

REFERENCES 

1 ntfb nbj B{o[ T[gkfJnk e[dos e/ ;G pzd/ .. 

J/e B{o s/ ;G[ ir[ Tgfink e"B Gb/ e' wzd/ .. (gzBk 1349-50) 

2 ijsu pwpI kau imlY n FoeI ] srix AwvY qW inrmlu hoeI ] (pMnw 1141) 

3 mwtI eyk Anyk BWiq kir swjI swjnhwrY ] 

nw kCu poc mwtI ky BWfy nw kCu poc kuMBwrY ] (pMnw 1350) 

4 BMif jMmIAY BMif inMmIAY BMif mMgxu vIAwhu ] BMfhu hovY dosqI BMfhu clY rwhu ] 

BMfu muAw Bmfu BwlIAY BMif hovY bMDwnu ] so ikau mMdw AwKIAY ijqu jMmih rwjwn ] (pMnw 

473) 

5 jgqu jlµdw riK lY AwpxI ikrpw Dwir ] ijqu duAwrY aubrY iqqY lYhu aubwir ] (pMnw 

753) 

6 sBy swJIvwl sdwiein qUM iksY n idsih bwhrw jIau ] (pMnw 97) 

7 syvw krq hoie inhkwmI ] iqs kau hoq prwpiq suAwmI ] (pMnw 286) 

¤

54 


PUNJAB RIVER WATERS 

– UNLAWFUL AND UNJUST DISTRIBUTIONS – 

MEWA SINGH * 

The problem of Punjab river waters has been made complicated 

by its distribution to other non-riparian states in the last few decades. 

These states had no legal or valid claim to these waters, which were to 

be exclusively used for Punjab lands in accordance with riparian law. 

The state of Punjab and its legislature have got the exclusive 

jurisdiction over Punjab river waters under the provisions of 

Constitution of India. Punjab has no surplus river water to spare, as it 

does not meet even its own needs. The total annual flow of all the 

three rivers of Punjab is 32.5 MAF, while its need is 52.5 MAF. The 

distribution of Punjab river waters to other states has left the river 

waters for only twenty five per cent of Punjab lands. The remaining 

seventy five per cent are irrigated by tube wells. There are about a 

million tube wells in the state. It has resulted in over exploitation of 

the underground water, lowering its level too much. If this process 

continues at this rate, it may become impossible to pump out the 

underground water in the near future. Even now the centrifugal pumps 

have become unworkable, and are being replaced by submersible 

pumps at very high cost, which the farmers cannot afford. Experts 

point out that the water at the lower table may be saline and unfit for 

agriculture. It would cause serious problem even for the availability 

of drinking water in Punjab. Bulk of Punjab lands would become 

semi-deserts, unfit for agriculture. It is time now to let Punjab river 

waters be exclusively used for Punjab lands, so that the people of 

Punjab may be able to improve their ruined economy. It can never be 

in the national interest to reduce Punjab lands to desert and to ruin its 

* Judge (retd), Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, Presently in New Jersey, USA

PUNJAB RIVER WATERS – UNLAWFUL AND UNJUST DISTRIBUTIONS 

55 

economy. No doubt, the lands of other states need waters for irrigation, 

but it should not be at the cost of Punjab, particularly when other 

states have no legal claim to it. The Government. of India, with the 

vast resources at its command, should tap other resources in this 

regard, like canalizing the Ghagar river waters and the Yamuna river, 

etc, to which these states may have valid claim. The distribution of 

Punjab river waters to these states is unlawful, unjust and 

unconstitutional. 

Constitution of India separates the powers of the union and the 

states. India is a union of states as defined in Article 1 of the 

Constitution. Schedule VII of the Constitution gives the state list, 

and the subject of river waters is included in it at entry 17. Article 

246 of the Constitution lays down that the states have the exclusive 

jurisdiction over the subjects enumerated in the state list, while union 

has exclusive jurisdiction over the subjects of the union list. Punjab 

river waters are thus under the control of Punjab state and its 

legislature, exclusively. Govt of India and Parliament having no 

jurisdiction over it. The distribution of Punjab river waters by the 

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi obviously violates these constitutional 

provisions and is, as such, unconstitutional and void, having no binding 

effect. 

Similarly the sections 78 to 80 of Punjab Reorganization Act I 

and section 14 of Inter State River Waters Disputes Act 1956 are 

unconstitutional, as the Parliament has no jurisdiction over Punjab 

river waters. These unconstitutional provisions do not confer any 

legal powers on Govt of India to intervene in Punjab river waters. 

The Eradi tribunal set up under section 14 of the Inter State River 

Waters Disputes Act automatically becomes illegal when this section 

is held unconstitutional. This Act can have no application to Punjab 

river waters, being not inter-state rivers as these flow in the Punjab 

territories, and not in any other state to which these waters have been 

distributed. 

Punjab has the exclusive right to Punjab river waters on the basis 

of riparian law. The other states to which these waters have been 

distributed are non-riparian, having no valid claim to it The riparian 

law is based upon justice and equity, having international acceptance. 

It has been approved by the United Nations. In India it has been

56 


followed in all other states, Punjab being the only exception. On the 

reorganization of Madras state, some of its areas were allocated to 

Tamilnadu, Andhrapardesh and Karnataka. The rivers of the erstwhile 

Madras state, namely, Krishna, Godawari, and Mahanadi did not flow 

in the reorganised Tamilnadu state, and so it was not given the waters 

of those rivers, since it ceased to be a riparian state. The case of 

Haryana is idenictical, as it ceased to be riparian state. Punjab rivers 

do not flow in Haryana territories, and so it is not entitled to waters of 

Punjab rivers. Rajasthan state made an application in the tribunal to 

claim waters of Narbada river, which had been set up in the dispute 

between Maharashtra and other riparian states, which was rejected, as 

it was not a riparian state and not entitled to the waters of that river. 

Rajasthan is a non-riparian state for Punjab rivers also, and is thus not 

entitled to the waters of these rivers. Similarly, Delhi is not riparian 

state for Punjab rivers and as such not entitled to waters of these 

rivers. Thus, none of these states has any right to Punjab river waters. 

There is no lawful agreement for the distribution of Punjab river 

waters to other states. The essential ingredients of an agreement are 

consideration of agreement, free consent of parties, and competency 

of the parties to enter in to agreement. In the so-called agreements to 

distribute Punjab river waters, none of these ingredients are present, 

viz-a-viz, neither consideration, nor free consent and nor competency 

of the parties to the agreement. The provisions of Indian Contract 

Act specifically lay down that the agreement or contract which is 

without consideration or without free consent (as the consent having 

been taken under undue influence or the parties being not competent 

to enter into agreement) is null and void and of no binding effect. In 

the case of agreements by states, there are further requirements laid 

down in Article 299 of Constitution of India, that it must be in 

accordance with the procedure prescribed therein and in the name of 

the Governors of the states. None of these constitutional procedures 

have been followed in these so-called agreements. In fact, these cannot 

be called lawful as agreements, at all. 

The 1955 distribution of Punjab river waters was made by 

recording in the proceedings of the meeting of deputy secretaries, 

held in the irrigation department at Dehli, that Punjab can spare 8 

MAF waters for Rajasthan, but Punjab needs will be met first, and


57 

that this arrangement will be reviewed from time to time. Deputy 

Secretaries are not even heads of the departments and had no powers 

to take such a decision. For lack of consideration, free consent, or 

competency, it is null and void. 

The 1976 distribution of Punjab river waters, was an award of 

the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi vide which Rajasthan was allocated 

8.6 MAF, Haryana 3.5 MAF, Delhi 0.2 MAF and Punjab 3.5 MAF out 

of 15.8 MAF which was declared as surplus, though there was no 

surplus water, and this entire water was much less than the needs of 

Punjab. The Prime Minister had no power and jurisdiction to distribute 

Punjab river waters. There was no consideration, no free consent and 

no competency. It was null and void. Punjab Govt challenged it in 

Supreme court as illegal and void, but Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister, 

got the case withdrawn ftom Punjab Chief Minister Darbara Singh 

under political pressure to withdraw the case or resign; he preferred to 

retain his post. 

The 1981, distribution of Punjab river waters was also made by 

Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi with an imaginary increase in surplus 

waters to 17.17 MAF. The allocations of Rajasthan, Haryana and 

Delhi remained the same, but that of Punjab was increased to 4.2 

MAF: while J&K was added in the list with allocation of 0.65 MAF 

waters. This time it was got signed from the Chief Ministers of Punjab, 

Haryana and Rajasthan. The same strategy was employed to get the 

signatures of Chief Minister Punjab, Darbara Singh, to sign or resign. 

There are witnesses in this regard besides the press statement of 

Darbara Singh himself. This so-called agreement is also null and void 

in the absence of consideration, free consent, or competency for 

agreement and non compliance of Article 299 of the Constitution, 

besides lack of decision of the council of ministers, and approval of 

state legislature. The Chief Minister has no authority to give away 

state property without consideration. The state Govt cannot do it, as 

it is only a mere custodian to manage it for the benefit of the people 

of the state. The river waters are most valuable state asset and the 

Chief Minister or the state Govt and even the state legislature have 

no powers to give it without consideration. These institutions are 

elected by the people of the state for the best management of its 

affairs in the best interests of the state and its people. And they are

58 


duty-bound to discharge their bonafide duties for the benefit of the 

people of the state; if they waste any state property or give it away to 

anyone without consideration, for their vested interests, even to retain 

political power or to get monetary gains or for any other reason 

whatsoever, it would be null and void. The construction of SYL 

canal was also a part of this so-called agreement. It does not confer 

any benefit on the state or its people. Can it ever be in the interest of 

state and its people to waste thousands and thousands of acres of 

land belonging to thousands of land owners to construct a canal to 

take Punjab river waters to Haryana without any consideration and 

make the remaining Punjab land semi-desert and unfit for agriculture 

No land for such a purpose could even be acquired under the Land 

Acquisition Act, being not for public purpose, rather anti-public 

purpose. 

Punjab state and its people were not allowed to get the judicial 

verdict in these unlawful and unjust distributions of Punjab river waters. 

The case filed in the Supreme Court by Punjab state was got withdrawn 

by Indira Gandhi by putting undue pressure on the Congress Chief 

Minister Darbara Singh. The cases filed in Punjab High Court against 

1981 distribution were fixed for hearing by Chief Justice S S 

Sandhawalia for Nov 15, 1983, by the Bench to be presided over by 

him, but he was transferred a day earlier to Patna High Court. Those 

cases were transferred to Supreme Court on Nov 18, 1983 on the oral 

request of the Attorney General, and have not been fixed for hearing 

as yet in the last over two decades. Supreme Court rather, on the 

application of Haryana state directed the Govt of India on June 4, 

2004 to get the SYL canal constructed through its agency, as Punjab 

Govt had not constructed it as per the agreement. Govt of India 

authorized Central Public Works Department to construct the canal. 

Punjab Legislature, in a special session in July 12, 2004 enacted 

the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004, terminating 1981 

Agreement and all other agreements relating to Punjab river waters 

unanimously. It exhibited unity in the matter of Punjab river waters 

that these waters must be exclusively for Punjab, as it can no longer 

afford to give it to any other state. Punjab legislature has the 

jurisdiction to enact such law, the river waters being under its exclusive 

powers being the subject of state list. It is perfectly legal and


59 

constitutional. However Govt of India made a Presidential reference 

to Supreme Court to seek its advice as to whether it is constitutional 

and its effect on Supreme Court directions on SYL canal, etc. Supreme 

Court will now give its judicial verdict on the matter. 

This problem has to be solved by Govt of India, who created 

and complicated it. Courage, honesty and the farsighted statesmanship 

are needed. Two very sensitive issues are involved in it, which should 

never be over-looked. One is the basic feature of the Constitution; 

the division of powers between union and states, as enumerated in 

the Union and State lists. Govt of India should no longer intervene in 

state list to maintain cordial relations with states and neither oblige 

one state at the cost of the other nor transgress over the lawful rights 

of a state and its people. The wrong done in the case of Punjab river 

waters, needs to be undone. The other is that there should be no 

communal tinge or feeling to the problem. Sikhs feel and openly express 

it that perhaps Punjab river waters have been distributed to other states 

without any claim, to ruin their economy and to oblige others at their 

cost. The cause of this feeling is the continuous conflict between the 

Sikhs and Govt of India after independence, centre refusing to 

implement the pre-independence agreements, refusing the 

reorganization of Punjab on linguistic basis, making the capital of 

Punjab, Chandigarh, as union territory at the time of reorganization, 

taking the Punjab Dams, power houses, river headworks out of its 

control, besides the Sikh agitations over the emergency imposed by 

Indira Gandhi, and for Sikh and Punjab rights. Sikhs are the victims 

of Punjab river waters distribution to other states, as mainly they are 

the owners of the Punjab lands and are dependant on agriculture, 

whose lands are likely to become semi-deserts and unfit for agriculture 

resulting in the ruin of their economy. These sensitive issues, if not 

resolved with honesty of purpose, may cause serious problems as to 

peace, unity and integrity of the country. 

It must be ensured that river waters do not create conflicts between 

one state and another, and between the states and the Union. This 

aim can only be achieved by honoring the constitutional dictums, legal 

norms, justice and lawful rights. Punjab river waters are exclusively 

for Punjab lands, and cannot be spared for any other state. 

¤

60 


‘FREE SPEECH AND THE SARDARJI JOKE’ 

– A REJOINDER – 

KHARAK SINGH * 

The Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, dated 27th February, 

2005 carried an article by Shri Vir Sanghvi under the above 

title. The author asserted his right to ridicule a whole 

community under freedom of speech. He tells, ‘any Sikh 

who finds Sardar ji jokes offensive not to go to see the film. 

For, just because some Sikh is offended by a Sardarji joke, it 

does not follow that the rest of us lose the right to enjoy the 

jokes’. With equal bluntness the Christians are asked ‘to stay 

at home, avoid seeing the film and cling to their naivete. 

They have no right to deny me the opportunity to see the 

film’. Readers should please note that the esteemed paper 

appears to endorse this policy. For, it did not agree to publish 

the Rejoinder reproduced below. 

– Editor 

In his article under the above title, Mr Sanghvi has raised the 

issue of Free Speech, which, he appears to believe, is not subject to 

any limitation. If Sikhs protest against a Sardarji joke in a movie, or 

Christians object to Jesus not being shown in good light, it irritates 

him, since it violates his fundamental right to ‘freedom of speech’. If 

the Board of film Censor refuses to certify such a film, it is an act of 

‘eternal shame’. Likewise, it is argued that the Minorities Commission, 

referred to as ‘ludicrous avatar’, has lost its right to interfere, since it 

failed to utter ‘one word of condemnation against Narendra Modi 

when Muslims were being massacred in the streets of Gurjarat.’ 

* Editor, Abstracts of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh

‘FREE SPEECH AND THE SARDARJI JOKE’ – A REJOINDER 

61 

The above attitude reflects a gross indifference towards the 

feelings of minorities, and the disregard for their sensitivities almost 

amounts to contempt. Arrogance could hardly go farther. Our only 

hope is that this attitude is not shared by saner elements among the 

majority community. The minorities will certainly not accept his 

verdict. If Mr Sanghvi expects that they will hail his views, the naivete 

is on his side, rather than that of the minorities. 

The learned author of the article has obviously missed some vital 

points. For example, he makes no distinction between humour and 

ridicule. A healthy joke is one that is enjoyed by all. One laughs with 

others, not at others. Sikhs enjoy humour and jokes as much as, if not 

better than others. But when they are shown as an object of ridicule, 

they must protest. And in case the kind of attitudes shown by 

Chauvinists of the majority community persists, the protest can assume 

serious proportions, which should be avoided by all responsible persons. 

Another distinction that cannot be ignored is the one between an 

individual and a whole community. It is the latter which the minorities 

in general and Sikhs in particular, will not tolerate. This demands 

caution on the part of the press as well as responsible leaders of public 

opinion. 

What is offensive and what is not offensive to a minority, has to 

be decided by members of the minority community themselves. Mr 

Sanghvi and his ilk can spare themselves the trouble of advising them. 

Mr Sanghvi carries a strange notion of free speech. No freedom 

can be absolute. It has to be exercised within limits of decency. 

Otherwise, there would be no need for legislation on defamation or 

libel, which is nothing but irresponsible exercise of freedom of speech. 

What we should be preaching, is restraint and gentlemanly decent 

behavior, which promotes goodwill and does not vitiate the already 

tense atmosphere. 

The advocates of Free Speech need to be reminded that a protest 

is a legitimate extension of this right, and that it should not irritate 

them. 

Reference to the joke in Sabd appears necessary. Mr Sanghvi 

argues that ‘Aishwarya dissolves into helpless giggles at the very 

mention of Sardarji’. That shows that indulgence in such jokes is 

widespread. Mr Sanghvi himself concedes that ‘we have all told Sardarji

62 


jokes at some time or the other’. Is this situation not fraught with 

unpleasant consequences Can it be allowed to continue indefinitely 

Incidentally, the remark that ‘Aishwarya giggles incessantly, no 

matter whether you ask her what the time is or tell her a joke’ also 

deserves comments. Dictionary meaning of ‘giggle’ is to laugh with 

repeated short catches of breath. Aishwarya was adjudged as the most 

beautiful woman of the world not merely on basis of her looks, but 

also other qualities of mind and heart that make the personality of a 

perfect woman. To say that she giggles when asked what the time is, 

is certainly not a compliment to the great young lady. And in no case 

can it be offered as defence of the joke. 

In the end let me repeat that Sikhs value the freedom of speech. 

Let us not damage its cause through unscrupulous use. The freedom 

certainly does not cover a right to ridicule a whole community. 

¤ 

If I were to study thousands of learned books 

And understand all their import; 

If I were to write with an ocean of ink 

And with the speed of the wind; 

I would still be unable, O God, 

to estimate Your value 

Or say how great is Your name ! 


nwnk kwgd lK mxw piV piV kIcY Bwau ] 

msU qoit n AwveI lyKix pauxu clwau ] 

BI qyrI kImiq nw pvY hau kyvfu AwKw nwau ]

MCLEOD & FENECH AS SCHOLARS ON SIKHISM 

AND MARTYRDOM * 

SANGAT SINGH ** 

Falsehood gets dissipated, O Nanak, 

And, truth ulitimately prevails. 

– Guru Nanak Ramkali Var, 13.2 SGGS, p. 953 

Here is another genre of McLeodian literature. It seeks to follow 

the precepts laid down by Louis Emanuel Fenech’s mentor and guide, 

W H McLeod. 

I 

Before going into Fenech’s enunciations, it will be of interest to 

briefly highlight his guide McLeod’s inspirations and formulations that 

have gone into his makeup to emerge as the guru of the anti-Sikh 

school of thought, out to denigrate and demolish Sikh values and 

concepts. In building up his school of thought, McLeod, like Trumpp 

in the 19th century, was assisted by Brahminical forces: these, at the 

time, were involved in suppressing the Sikhs and their aspirations, 

revolving around their demand for linguistic re-organisation of Punjab. 

The process started shortly after January 1961 Nehru-Tara Singh 

standoff at Bhavnagar, when Nehru hurled threats to liquidate the 

small Sikh community in India, as Greeks had, once, done to Melians 

around 410 BC. Tara Singh’s discomfiture led Partap Singh Kairon, 

then Punjab’s Chief Minister and a willing Nehruvian tool in Punjab, 

to, firstly, play upon the supremacy of distinct Jat culture, vis-à-vis, 

* This paper was read over at a seminar organized in May 2000 at Los Angeles, CA, 

USA 

** Dr, # S-181, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi

64 


non-Jats among the Sikhs; secondly, develop contacts with the small 

group of foreign Christian scholars at Baring Union Christian College, 

Batala, working on Sikh studies and to motivate them to serve the 

cause of Hindu chauvinists; and, thirdly, work upon Jat Sikh lecturers 

in History Department of Punjab University, Chandigarh to pursue 

studies on Sikh historiography in a partisan manner, and collaborate 

with the Christian scholars as required. 

Jawaharlal Nehru was quite shaken, firstly, by the Chinese 

onslaught in October 1962 crippling him both in body and mind, and 

then by the publication of Alistair Lamb’s India’s China War (OUP, 

1963) the following year. This quite placed him in the dock. That 

buttressed Nehru administration’s realisation of importance of the 

role of intellectuals in shaping human destiny. The result was 

Government of India’s promoting a host of literary works. For instance, 

the Ministry of External Affairs oversaw publication of a number of 

books to project and articulate a particular viewpoint. I would not 

like to go into the manner in which a work countering Alistair Lamb’s 

devastating thesis was got prepared and printed. There were threefour 

other works enunciating India’s stand on various aspects of 

Kashmir question, a host of other works on neighbouring countries, 

including this writer’s Pakistan’s Foreign Policy (written in four months 

in 1967) (Bombay, London, New York, Asia Publishing House, 1970) 

This made an independent enunciation of Pakistan’s India centeredness 

in external relations, vis-à-vis, President Mohamad Ayub Khan’s Friends 

Not Masters, (OUP, 1967). Besides people inside the government, the 

authors included leading scholars from universities and institutes, senior 

journalists/editors of newspapers, who were paid handsomely for their 

exertion. However, the employees of the Ministry including this writer 

got nothing extra. 

It was in this melee that the Union Home Ministry discretely 

worked upon the contacts developed with three-four white scholars 

at Baring Union Christian College, Batala. They were a success in 

penetrating this group consisting of W H McLeod, Gerald Barrier, 

Jurgensmeyer, and John C B Webster, despite the fact that the college 

then was headed by Dr C H Loehlin, who, in the words of Dr Trilochan

MCLEOD & FENECH AS SCHOLARS ON SIKHISM AND MARTYRDOM 

65 

Singh, “served as the noblest bridge-builder between Sikhs and 

Christians”. (Trilochan Singh, Earnest Trump & McLeod as Scholars of 

Sikh History, Religion & Culture, Chandigarh, 1994, p.321) 

Of the scholars with whom contact was established at Batala, a 

choice had to be made giving one primacy in the scheme of things. 

W H McLeod emerged quite on the top, because he was more 

unscrupulous and anti-Sikh, the qualities that were needed to pursue 

the given task. I shall come to that shortly. 

The task before McLeod could be spelled out in terms of known 

pan-Hinduism’s aspirations to absorb Sikhism, vis-à-vis, independent 

existence of Sikhism. Obviously, the guidelines were: 

“Here we are, the Hindu race, whose vitality, whose life principle, 

whose very soul, as it were is in religion... I think that it is Vedanta, 

and Vedanta alone that can become the Universal religion of man, 

and no other is fitted for the role. Excepting our own, almost all 

the other great religions in the world are inevitably connected 

with the life or lives of one or more of their founders. All their 

theories, their teachings, their doctrines and their ethics are built 

around the life of a personal founder from whom they get their 

sanction, their authority and their power, and, strangely enough, 

upon the historicity of the founder’s life is built, as it were, all the 

fabric of such religions. If there is one blow dealt to the historicity 

of that life... if that rock of historicity is shaken and shattered, 

the whole building tumbles down, broken absolutely, never to 

regain its lost status.” 

– Swami Vivekananda, Works, vol III, p 177 

“Even Guru Nanak never said that he was not a Hindu nor did 

any other Guru. It cannot be said that Sikhism, Hinduism, 

Buddhism and Jainism are separate religions. All these four faiths 

and their offshoots are one. Hinduism is an ocean into which all 

the rivers run. It can absorb Islam and Christianity and all other 

religions and only then can it become the ocean.” 

– M K Gandhi, December 1947, 

Collected Works, (CW) Vol 90, p 177 

“I read your Granth Sahib. But I do not do so to please you. Nor

66 


shall I seek your permission to do so. But the Guru has not said 

anywhere that you must grow beards, carry kirpan and so on.” 

M K Gandhi, January 1948, 

Collected Works, Vol 90, p 470 

These were to be supplemented by writings of Swami Dayananda 

and Arya Samaj, of earlier Christian Missionaries like Ernest Trumpp 

and others, Minas, Handalis and Brahminical infiltrators’ writings on 

Sikhism - an immense treasure house of destructive and subversive 

writings on Sikhism. McLeod apparently accepted these assignments. 

In short, McLeod’s brief was to, one, strike at the roots of Sikhism 

by distorting Sikh scriptures, history and traditions; and, two, contend 

that Sikhism falls within the framework of Hinduism to conform to 

M K Gandhi’s evil designs towards Sikhism, and pan-Hindu aspirations. 

The tenor of the whole gamut of McLeodian literature, including the 

people of his school of thought, is to be seen in that light. It was a 

command performance. Pursuant to that, McLeod had to be 

unscrupulous and intellectually dishonest in use of his material. A 

sample of the extent to which he could fall follows. 

Dr C H Loehlin, Principal, Baring Union Christian College, Batala, 

Punjab, read a paper, “A Western Looks at the Kartarpuri Granth”, at 

the very first session of Punjab History Conference, organised by 

Punjabi University, Patiala, November 12-14, 1965. He was one of 

the three observers entrusted in a court case to examine the Kartarpuri 

Granth in 1946. The other two were, Dr J C Archer of Yale University, 

USA, and Bhai Jodh Singh of Khalsa College, Amritsar. Dr Loehlin 

incorporated his observations and those of Dr Archer in his threeand-a-half 

page observations. Bhai Jodh Singh’s two-and-a-half page 

observations followed immediately after that. (A note on Kartarpuri 

Granth, Punjab History Conference, 1965) 

Dr Loehlin on retirement settled at La Mesa, California, USA, 

and sent the manuscript of his Doctorate thesis written in 1957, The 

Granth of Guru Govind Singh and Khalsa Brotherhood, (Lucknow, 1971), 

for publication to Lucknow Publishing House, Lucknow. He obviously, 

entrusted his lieutenants in Batala to do the proofreading. It was at 

this stage, according to Dr Trilochan Singh, that McLoed and his


67 

collaborators who added as appendix I, Loehlin’s paper, said to have 

been read at Punjab History Conference in 1965. But this was not a 

clean affair. Firstly, as may be seen, he gave it a new title, “The Need 

for Textual and Historical Criticism”. Thereafter follows the actual 

title of Loehlin’s paper, with f.n.1 superscribed over it, and it reads, 

“A paper read at the Punjab History Conference and published in the 

Proceedings, 1966”. 

A few observations need to be made here. One, though published 

in 1966, the proceedings relate to year 1965 when the paper was actually 

presented; two, the footnote gives the impression that appendix was 

nothing but a faithful reproduction of the paper presented by Loehlin 

at the Punjab History Conference in 1965, but that was not the case; 

three, McLoed and his collaborators drop last few lines, but add four 

more pages to it to give it teeth. In the additional material, firstly, they 

quote from Giani Partap Singh’s writings in Gian Amrit, January 1966 

issue (This is probably why McLoed gives the year of Loehlin’s paper 

as 1966, instead of 1965). Then follow some telling observations of 

“Drs J S Grewal and S S Bal, of Punjab University History Department”, 

the two collaborators, from their joint work, Guru Gobind Singh 

published by Punjab University, Chandigarh, 1967, casting aspersions 

on what happened at the Baisakhi of 1699, giving McLoed a vaster 

brief than the life of Guru Nanak, of which he was seized already. 

Though McLeod puts off the paper read by Loehlin from 1965 

to 1966, that does not explain, how Loehlin could have used a writing 

published in 1967 in his paper. Dr Trilochan Singh’s enquiries made 

at La Mesa, California, revealed that Loehlin never wrote that 

appendix. Dr Trilochan Singh had family relationship with Loehlin 

family. As a matter of fact the footnote, “A paper read at Punjab 

History Conference and published in the Proceedings, 1966,” itself 

was suspect, superfluous, and not needed, if it were put in there by 

Loehlin himself. 

To add a full-fledged appendix or to incorporate additions to 

another’s writings, is simply criminal, to say the least, by any standards 

of law, behaviour or morality. Also, collaboration between McLeod 

and J S Grewal and Dr S S Bal started at least by mid-1960s if not

68 


earlier, and that McLeod had pawned himself to Hindu chauvinists 

much before he published his first work on Sikhism, Guru Nanak’s 

Biography, in 1968. 

INDIAN COLLABORATORS 

Now, we may look into how Dr J S Grewal, a prime collaborator 

has sought to cover up this aspect of intellectual dishonesty of the 

main actor, McLeod. In his Contesting Interpretations of the Sikh Tradition, 

(Delhi, 1998, p 109), Grewal says, “Loehlin’s Appendix on ‘the need 

for Textual and Historical Criticism reproduces the short paper he had 

presented to the Punjab History Conference in 1965". Readers may 

have a look at Appendix I for the actual short paper and Appendix II 

for Loehlin’s alleged Appendix. It is simply surprising after publication 

of Dr Trilochan Singh’s work exposing the hypocrisy of McLeod and 

his collaborators or proteges, Dr Grewal still thinks that the people 

have not seen the short paper and the appendix together, to compare 

and note down the distortions and discrepancies, and that the two are 

not the same. Again, despite Dr Trilochan Singh’s work, which Grewal 

quotes, he ignores Loehlin’s work, Christian Attitude to the Sikhs 

(Edinburg, 1966), from the canvas of his discussion of Loehlin’s works, 

(or even in the bibliography), because the facts stated therein were 

inconvenient and glaring. 

Shri P K Nijhawan, a leading journalist, who has had the 

opportunity to get closer to the Indian Intelligence including the 

powerful RAW (Reseach and Analysis Wing) setup, tells us that the 

appointment in post 1984 era of Dr S S Bal as Vice Chancellor of 

Guru Nanak Dev University and of Dr J S Grewal (who earlier rose to 

be Vice Chancellor of GNDU) as Director of the prestigious Indian 

Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla, was because of RAW’s 

recommendation (Cf P K Nijhawan, Suppression of Intellectual Dissidence 

and How left-Nehruvians Destroyed Punjab. (Delhi, 1997, pp 80-81, and 

ad passim) 

Dr J.S. Grewal and Dr S.S. Bal, two clean shaven members of 

History Department, Punjab University, Chandigarh, donned long hair, 

with one of them suppressing his cigarette smoking, and both of them


69 

were appointed Professors in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 

and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, respectively, while 

McLeod must have got his returns in other terms. A long-lasting 

association was established and they kept one another in harness. Indira 

Gandhi’s splitting up the Congress party, and running the Union 

Government with the help of Left Front including Communists, made 

a lot of dubious scholars to don leftist/pseudo leftist mantle and occupy 

Chairs in Indian Universities with Government patronage. 

Will it be farfetched to say that McLoed’s position now was that 

of Dr Faustus, who, in dictionary terms, sold his conscience for material 

gains The intelligence allover make payment in cash, without taking 

receipts. Even in case where payment was made in my presence, it is 

difficult to prove anything: it would be a case of one affidavit against 

another. To say that McLeod was an independent scholar pursuing his 

scholasticism objectively will be a traversity of truth. 

Before proceeding further, one may cite here a couple of other 

glaring instances of McLeod’s intellectual dishonesty. Quoting Bhai 

Gurdas’ Var 26, Pauri 24, (in his The Sikhs, p 93 and Who Is A Sikh, p 

23-24), he purposely drops one of the eight lines besides mistranslation, 

to deliberately distort its meanings, in the process seeking to achieve 

his objectives of denigrating the image of Guru Hargobind. Besides, 

he completely ignores Pauri 34 of the same Var 26, emphasising oneness 

of spirit of Guru Nanak and Guru Hargobind, as it strikes at his very 

theme. 

One’s attention may also be drawn to McLeod’s imagination 

running riot at a single couplet in Rag Ramkali (The Evolution of Sikh 

Community, pp 76-78) and his weaving of demeaning postulates despite 

the fact that he was in possession of Bhai Jodh Singh’s clear assertion 

that the couplet stood as it was in Kartarpuri Bir: “Dr Jodh Singh assures 

us that there has been no obliteration at this point”, continued McLeod 

(p. 178). Nonetheless, he still regards issue as open. He completely 

ignores Prof. Sahib Singh’s work, Ad Bir Bare, (Amritsar, 1970), giving 

a rational explanation regarding Kartapuri Bir vis-à-vis Bano Bir, as that 

does not suit him. Even his one time collaborator, J.S. Grewal concedes 

that, “It is also clear form the research done so far that the authenticity

70 


of the Sikh scripture is beyond any doubt” (Contesting Interpretations p. 

305) The point is that there was absolutely no need for him to raise 

this point at all. 

McLeod’s basic mischief in denying the originality for Guru 

Nanak’s thought and starting a nirmal panth, a sovereign entity, by its 

own right, stands apart. He denies the very import of Guru Nanak’s 

revelation as one would deny Lord Buddha’s revelation or that of 

Christ. To begin with, I repeat here what I stated in The Sikhs In History 

(New Delhi 1999) pp14-19: 

“Guru Nanak during the process of revelation gained new vistas 

of cosmic consciousness that divine light permeates the entire 

universe and it’s the only source of light in all human beings. 

Universal brotherhood of humankind and common heritage shorn 

of any limiting angularities, formed an essential part of the 

revelation. The issues that agitated the minds of the people were 

naturally the divisions within Hinduism and Islam, and relevance 

of God as a factor in social interaction as between various sectors 

of society. 

“Basically, the issues impinged on social responsibility. These 

were beyond the pale of any school of the Hindu thought. Neither 

the Vedas, the Shastras, and Smritis, nor the various religious 

teachers and law-givers – none of them – laid down social 

responsibility on anyone, much less a section of the society, to 

ameliorate the socio-political condition of the people. Rather by 

laying emphasis on asceticism and world-withdrawing doctrines 

that caused withdrawal from productive work and dependence 

on alms for sustenance, the Hindu socio-religious orders had 

become parasitic and irresponsible. Even the Bhaktas who were 

critical of the caste system and repudiated essentials of 

Vaishnavism, advocated individual moksha, deliverance. They 

were not for acceptance of social responsibility. None of them, 

in consonance with Hindu thought, raised his voice against the 

prevalent political oppression, despite some of them including 

Kabir and Namdev facing personal persecution at the hands of 

the rulers... 

“It was reserved for Guru Nanak to charter a new order by an


71 

inter-mixture in equal measure of religious, social and political 

responsibility into a composite whole, encompassing both spiritual 

and temporal spheres. 

“Throughout his discourses in the sub-continent and beyond, Guru 

Nanak did not quote Hindu scriptures as an authority for what he 

was saying. He was relying on the revelation, his personal 

experience of the Lord. That was an overriding authority for the 

views he formulated and the course of action he adopted. 

“He repudiated all the essentials of Hinduism… 

“What, however, set apart Guru Nanak’s mission was his 

comments on, or delving into, the political situation. He called 

for social responsibility in public administration and introduction 

of the concept of a welfare state.” 

McLeod ignores all that. He says he must resort to “assumptions 

and conjectures”. That helps him to present a distorted and demeaning 

image of Sikhs Gurus and Sikhism. “To start with”, in the words of 

Dr Trilochan Singh, “Hew McLeod attributes special meaning and 

definitions to two key words, ‘Saint’, and ‘Bhaktas’ which are not 

accepted by any existing Sanskrit or Hindi dictionary, nor are these 

definitions accepted by any learned scholar, eastern or western, of 

Kabir and his contemporaries or of other eminent medieval Saints.” 

So what McLeod is born avataar to lend new meanings to Hindi 

lexicography ! 

Another point that needs attention is McLeod’s treatment of Jats, 

the first assignment given to him by Partap Singh Kairon, then Punjab’s 

Chief Minister. It is another matter that he did so three decades later. 

McLeod concedes that Bhai Gurdas mentions prominently of caste 

names of early Sikhs from Guru Nanak Dev down to his own times, 

of Guru Hargobind (The Evolution of the Sikh Community, pp 51-52), 

and according to Dr Trilochan Singh, they constituted hardly five 

percent of them. McLeod also says, “It seems clear from Bhai Gurdas’s 

evidence that Khatri leadership within the early panth must have 

extended well beyond the actual time of the Gurus.” Even when Khalsa 

was manifested in 1699 only one Jat, and that too from Hastinapur in 

UP, offered himself to be one of the Five Beloved Ones. 

The preponderance of Jats in Punjab comes only after 1750s, and

72 


McLeod duly takes notice of that. He, however, deliberately makes 

two cardinal mistakes. One, he says maliciously, “This is widely 

regarded as a great pity, even within Sikh society where the numerically 

preponderant Jat community bewail the fact that there was never a 

single Jat Guru.” (pp 87-88). This issue has been raised by him, for 

the first time, out of extraneous considerations. Two, Ranjit Singh 

who seemingly got “total ascendancy” in Punjab was not a Jat but a 

Sansi, and it was only that class of Sansis that was admitted into Jat 

class, whereas other Sansis continued to be enumerated as criminal 

tribes under the British. 

Now look at his tradition of Khalsa which he says, borrowed 

heavily from the Jats’ cultural pattern. He says, “Uncut hair was a Jat 

custom which was evidently observed by Hindu and Muslim Jats as 

well as by Sikh Jats.” Further that, “With these two symbols may be 

paired the comb and the bangle, respectively. “Of the breech”, he 

continues, “it seems safe to assume that this symbol must also relate 

in some way to the same situation.” (McLeod, p 52) 

On Jats, McLeod is not supported even by his once collaborator 

J S Grewal, who says that McLeod’s views that Jat cultural pattern 

provided ingredients of Khalsa code was untenable. It was “contrary 

to historical facts” and “McLeod’s assumption that Jats wore uncut 

hair remained unsupported by evidence.” One wishes these were so. 

But it seems that McLeod must have been under the influence of 

bhang, hemp, when he wrote atleast this paragraph, if not the entire 

book. Again, when he says that Khalsa “slate must be wiped clean”, 

he only reflected what (Mahatma) M.K. Gandhi once said, “the Guru 

has not said anywhere that you must grow beards, carry kirpan and so 

on.” McLeod was obviously following the brief held for him. 

One can say that the Evolution of the Sikh Community published 

after 1994 when the Indian state gained ascendancy over the Sikh 

youth in making them discard keshas, hair, in a way reflected an 

extraneous situation, and came quite handy to the Indian setup. 

It is these asinine qualities that form McLeod’s postulates and 

perverse presentation of Sikh ethos and tradition. Some one else 

shall be presenting a detailed analysis of McLeodian shenanigans.


73 

These, however, help to show McLeod in real colours, of his being an 

organised campaigner, a committed advocate, rather an instrument, 

and not a dispassionate scholar of Sikhism. 

It is another matter that McLeodian school of thought has 

successfully penetrated the North American University system, and 

his proteges man the chairs on Sikh Studies created with Sikh money 

to defeat the very Sikh purposes. For that, one has to look into other 

causes, like Christian efforts to overwhelm the Sikh immigrant 

community in the West. Another was Government of India’s hostility 

to the institution of Sikh Chairs in the West to scuttle Sikh revivalism 

in the diaspora. The disclosures made in The Sikhs in History, (NY, 

1995, Chapter 11, p.152), about Indira Gandhi’s exertions to change 

the character of the Sikh Chair in Vancouver University from Sikh 

History to Punjabi language, and placement there of Harjot Oberoi, 

who was quite alien to that language, made Vancouver University to 

remove Oberoi from the Chair. It, however, caused no positive gain 

to the Sikhs as the character of the Chair was reduced to a phantom 

of its earlier self. That sort of thing had earlier happened to the Sikh 

Chair at Toronto. That raises the question, what sort of 

multiculturalism is Canada promoting And, why do the North 

American Universities find fit only McLeodian scholars to man the 

Sikh Chairs 

It is this background that helps to understand McLeodian 

persistence to distort Sikhism, its religion, history, scripture, cultural 

ethos and tradition. It is an about, multifaceted, widespread attack. 

All sorts of hostile forces have joined together to deliver, what they 

regard, final blows to the young faith. These include people of diverse 

hues back home – the votaries of Hindutava, the pseudo-leftists placed 

at position of vantage, for instance in Government of India setup 

NCERT (National Council for Educational Research & Training) 

(which gets written school text books), time servers and opportunist 

in Indian setup, who have taken a vow not to took at a fact straight, 

not to interpret any event in its true sense, but to falsify, misrepresent 

and pervert Sikh studies. 

Punjab and Haryana High Court’s orders to NCERT to withdraw

74 


their highly tendentious and demeaning writings on Sikh Gurus in 

Text Books for XI & XII classes, speak for themselves. 

S Daljit Singh, Prof Jagjit Singh and Justice Gurdev Singh in 1986, 

and Dr Trilochan Singh eight years later, have gone into great depths 

to analyse the irrationality of McLeod and his methodology. Justice 

Gurdev Singh attributes extraneous motives in McLeod’s designs to 

undermine Sikh tradition. Dr Trilochan Singh talks of “logic of state 

terrorism and unrelenting despotism of anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh Delhi 

rulers” in having surrogate intellectuals in whose hands “truth suffers 

in more ways than one.” 

McLeod has excelled himself in inventing, fabricating, mutilating, 

falsifying, distorting and tampering with facts. He has lost all hope of 

getting Christ’s benediction on the Day of Judgment. If he now 

contends that he is not a missionary, not a Christian, and not even an 

atheist, one should accept that at face value. For, McLeod by 

enunciating all these falsifications now falls within the framework of 

Hinduism, with mumbo-jumbo doctrines. He emerges as an agent of 

Hindu fundamentalism as enunciated by, (Mahatma) M K Gandhi. 

Keeping in view how the intelligence agencies allover work, I leave it 

to McLeod to spell out how he was compensated. The quantum of 

damages done to the Sikh cause, and also for the work done under his 

supervision by his proteges has been tremendous. This possibly 

accounts for his publishing thin, lean, volumes rehashing his arguments, 

attacking the basics of Sikhism, over the years and showing his 

importance. 

McLeod’s storehouse of lies is getting exposed and his 

falsifications are increasingly getting dissipated. One of McLeod’s 

associates in Delhi told me that though McLeod, in his words, one of 

great scholars of Sikhism, cannot enter a Sikh shrine. This is so because 

of the hostility he evokes from the Sikh community, for there is quite 

an odium attached to his name. He is lucky, for there is no Ayatollah 

Khomeini among the Sikhs. His caricature and demeaning references 

to Sikh Gurus and Sikh scriptures are in no way less blasphemous 

than what Salman Rushdie in Satanic Verses did to the Prophet, his 

wives, and the holy Qoran.


75 

II 

Fenech’s thesis Playing the Game of Love : The Sikh Tradition of 

Martyrdom opens with a 500 word abstract of 3 paragraphs which seek 

to present the theme in “context of the past ten years” from operation 

“Blue Star” in June 1984 “and the subsequent anti-Sikh pogrom”. This 

was followed by a sustained campaign of Sikh genocide at the hands 

of “an intractable merciless foe” which reminded the people of the 

situation in the 18th century. Then Fenech makes the startling 

statement attributing it to ‘popular history’ (wherefrom he gets this 

stupid ‘popular history’ he does not disclose, neither do any 

contemporary sources disclose this so-called popular history) that 

people in 18th century saved themselves “by renouncing their faith 

and external insignia with which it is associated”, to say that 

contemporaries could adopt “a similar alternative to ensure one’s 

continued survival”. 

He qualifies it in the next paragraph by saying that, “This is, 

however, one alternative which the majority of eighteenth century 

Sikhs had never chosen.” He implies that some of them discarded 

“the external insignia”, and throughout his thesis, or the works of 

McLeodian scholars, there is nothing from contemporary or near 

contemporary history to give that meaning or that sort of reporting. 

McLeod himself quotes the case of a boy, among Banda Singh 

Bahadur’s group of prisoners, who disowned his mother and kissed 

the scaffold. The Mughal persecution slowed down the process of 

Khalsaisation of the Sikhs but no Khalsa in 18th century renounced 

his faith or external insignia. Let McLeod and his cronies interpret out 

clearly whether the Sikhs did or did not renounce their faith! There 

can be no midway in the two propositions. 

My first reaction in reading this was to use for the author a much 

stronger expression. But since it is generally advisable to keep the 

literary criticism in somewhat restrained language, I will prefer to term 

him a McLeodian puppy, shorn of his brain-power, the need to use his 

brain. I, however, would make it a soft one. Even Kabir in Adi 

Granth says, “We are puppies in Thy mansion. We speak to Thee with

76 


our mouths wide open”. The difference is that whereas Kabir talks of 

puppies speaking to God, Fenech does not speak to even Lord Christ 

for munificence, but to McLeod, obviously, for worldly gains. I would 

prefer to call them yuppies – young urban professionals out to seek 

McLeod’s munificence for material gains. 

It is in this view that Fenech proceeds to examine the Sikh tradition 

of martyrdom to belittle, if not demolish, in his own style the whole 

concept and achievements of the Sikh martyrs, often contradicting 

himself, not knowing what stand to take. 

III 

Fenech starts his first chapter, Introduction, with two grievous 

misstatements. Firstly, the opening sentence is preposterous. It reads, 

“To many contemporary Sikhs and non-Sikhs the concept of martyrdom 

or Sahadat also Shahidi is fundamental to Sikhism and represents an 

exceptionally important institution.” The question immediately arises, 

who are these “many Sikhs”(), and “non-Sikhs”() and, what is 

“fundamental to Sikhism” To all Sikhs nam-simran, meditating the 

name of God, is fundamental to Sikhism. The only non-Sikhs who 

could give that much importance to Shahadat or Shahidi could be agents 

of Indian intelligence set-up, or its various branches, who had 

masterminded the militancy movement in Indira Gandhi’s second term 

as India’s Prime Minister, or these could be McLeodian yuppies and 

people belonging to his school of thought in North America. With 

this type of misstatements, which could only be result of briefing by 

Indian intelligence set-up, McLeodian stalwart proceeds to build up 

his thesis. 

Secondly, in the very second sentence of chapter three, this yuppy 

proceeds to contradict what he wrote in the very first sentence of 

chapter one. He proceeds to say, “Of course, even a cursory glance at 

popular Sikh accounts will invalidate this claim,” by Mona Kang that 

“one can say that Sikh history is the history of martyrs.” He continues, 

rightly, that, “At any stage in the diachronic development there was 

far more to Sikhism than martyrs and martyrdom,” The point is, that 

this McLeodian stalwart is not sure as to what is the real position-the


77 

concept of martyrdom or not Since mutual contradictions form part 

of McLeodian style and the brief given by him, neither McLeod nor 

his yuppy is bothered about that, so long he gets his degree and is 

established as a McLeodian scholar. 

This raises another concomitant, important, question as to why 

do the universities like that of Toronto give doctorate on such stupid 

works which have neither head nor tail to stand upon Why should 

the universities like that of Toronto pawn themselves to scholars like 

Hew McLeod, specially when “Canada talks of multi-culturalism” 

Another question that comes up is whether the University of Toronto 

is a captive organization, or does it have a poor standard like some of 

the universities in India. Someone shall have to address himself to 

these questions. I shall have to come to some of them later. 

Coming back to Fenech’s first chapter. In the second paragraph, 

Fenech garbles the basic facts of Sikh history and attributes victory of 

Panth “to Ranjit Singh’s capture of Lahore in 1799", bypassing the 

Sikh’s capture of Lahore in 1765, striking their coins, and establishing 

their rule over Punjab under the Sikh Misls. This indicates that Fenech’s 

understanding of Sikh history is partial, flawed and imperfect. 

Thereafter, Fenech struggles to discuss why the Sikhs used the 

Arabic word Shahadat (martyrdom) or Shahid (martyr). He concedes 

that such a term does not exist in Hindu lexicon. He brings in the 

Hindu concept of animal sacrifice which is miles away from the Arabic 

concept of Shahadat, or rather has no relevance at all. He maliciously 

fights shy of accepting G S Talib’s centention that Sikhism’s adopting 

the term Shahid was with a view “to chalkout a line of orientation for 

itself away from Brahminical orthodoxy and other religious side as 

rooted in Hinduism”, and “to buttress non-Hindu identity”. That 

strikes at the roots of his guide McLeod’s basic precepts and the brief 

given to him to prove Guru Nanak only within the Hindu framework. 

Fenech, therefore, has nothing but to fall for Harjot Oberoi’s contention 

that all aspects of pre-colonial Sikh thinking was rooted in “Indic 

cultural thinking,” to exclude the impact of Islam on the current Indian 

thinking. But Fenech continues to be confused, not knowing whether 

to term the Sikhs, he is dealing with, as martyrs or otherwise. Though

78 


for the Sikhs of Gurdwara reform movement and others, perforce, he 

has to use the term martyrs, he is in lookout for terms to denigrate 

them, to keep himself in tune with his guide, McLeod. 

IV 

For the next four chapters, II to VI, Fenech confines himself to 

the main subject of Sikh martyrs. 

The second chapter Sikh Martyr Tradition : The Tradition and its 

Transmission opens with a Dhadi’s narration in June 1990 at Gurdwara 

Rakab Ganj, New Delhi. That gives Fenech the handle to say that 

similar presentation is made all over Punjab. “These provide an 

interpretation of Sikh history that pits dauntless courage against vile 

deception, truth and justice against tyranny and oppression, courage, 

defence, endurance, fearlessness, loyalty, altruism, and martyrdomthese 

are the traditions within Sikhism which are today sung in the 

Dhadi tradition.” Then, Fenech makes a startling statement: “Within 

the present discussion the concern is not with history as it actually 

happened, but with history as it is popularly understood by the vast 

majority of Sikhs today” Though he does not spell out, he means that 

there is a vast difference between the two. Also, Fenech is not interested 

in deciphering the true history, but the spurious one, inspired by 

Brahminical infiltrators, as seen by McLeod and his school of thought. 

To them, “popular history” also comes from “comic books”. He quotes 

Dhadis to say that the Sikh soldiers, who fell in two world wars, or 

Indo-Pakistan wars, were martyrs. In that context, he cites Sikh jingle 

about Mir Mannu’s atrocities in 18th century, belittling misfortunes, 

as also Baba Dip Singh’s sacrifice, that a Sikh continues fighting even 

after being decapitated. 

The meaning of all these narrations is served by Fenech’s terming 

ordinary Punjabi dacoits being acclaimed as martyrs! Similarly, he terms 

“Bhagat Singh” and Udham Singh both of whom were executed as 

political terrorist.” Fenech does not know that even (Mahatma) M.K. 

Gandhi, whose name is universally mentioned for nonviolence, was at 

one time proclaimed by the British government as an extremist and a 

revolutionary, and could have earned that very approbation given to


79 

Bhagat Singh or Udham Singh. He would certainly have been 

acclaimed as a martyr from Indian viewpoint even if India had 

continued as a British Colony for another fifty years ! 

Fenech thereafter narrates Sikh Ardas rejoicing martyrdoms, but 

maliciously observers that these were “intended to magnify the heroism 

of those who stoically died these deaths.” Fenech brings in “popular 

art” and “bazar poster” as a means to depict 18th century Sikh martyrs, 

especially Baba Dip Singh. He is aware of the work of S. Kirpal Singh 

who drew various paintings, including that of Bhai Mani Singh, in 

1950s, showing “Khalsa fearlessness, bravery, loyalty, and endurance.” 

This was motivated by an oral tradition, which did influence Bhagat 

Lakshman Singh’s work, The Sikh Martyrs, published as early as 1923. 

He mentions numerous works since published to draw two conclusions. 

One, “such interpretations have gained a much firmer foothold since 

the events of 1984,” and, two, “an attempt albeit an unconscious one, 

at charhdi kala, to uplift and inspire Sikhs and non-Sikhs in this current 

time of crises” Both those conclusions to Fenech seem farfetched and 

irrelevant. Similarly, his mention about “Sanatan Singh Sabha of 

Lahore” seems inapt while his talk of “the descendants of the Gurus,” 

enjoining Sikhs to view the Panth as simply “one among the many 

panths which make up the Hindu mosaic”, to say the least is a highly 

stupid interpretation imposed upon the author by the Indian intelligence 

set-up. His talk of baptismal water (amrit) prepared by the doubleedged 

sword (Khanda), at initiation ceremony (pahul), “believed to have 

originated with the tenth Guru” is highly suspect and demeaning to 

Fenech himself. The attempt to misinterpret is quite glaring. 

V 

As stated earlier, the first paragraph of chapter III, “Popular Sikh 

Martyr Tradition: Theology and Personnel”, contradicts the opening 

lines of Chapter I of the thesis. 

The second para of chapter III starts with the author’s conducting 

a series of interviews near Batala in 1980s before coming to the howler, 

and one of the most stupid statements made in the thesis. “According 

to the interviews, the struggles the Panth underwent and the 

persecution to which its members were subjected since the seventeenth

80 


century was much more important than the birth of either Guru Nanak 

or Guru Gobind Singh, and even more significant than the foundation 

of the Khalsa.” If there was no Guru Nanak, or Guru Gobind Singh, 

or the foundation of the Khalsa, what was the need for any struggle 

or persecution This one statement was more “; than sufficient for the 

Toronto University, if it is not a putri-pathshala or a captive organization 

of McLeod, to refuse Fenech doctorate degree. This is one of the 

most stupid statements made in the thesis. 

Fenech chooses to hang his examination of the Sikh Gurus (about 

50 pages) and the post Guru period (another 10 pages) on these 

interviews. He goes on to mention that 35 percent of those interviewed 

mentioned the persecution and martyrdom of Guru Arjun or Guru 

Tegh Bahadur as the most important event of Sikh history. It is in this 

process that he on the one hand rebuts WH McLeod and J.S. Grewal 

that Guru Nanak “left his posterity theology and not a description of 

his period” as “the interpretation of political condition in vast majority 

of texts endures,” and on the other, supports Grewal’s thesis about 

minimising the strength of the Gurus ‘moral fibre’, because of his 

moderate language. He talks of Guru Nanak’s courage and heroism in 

Babur Vani and possession of “defiance, resistance, courage and 

fearlessness.” He looks to tradition to supply interpretation which 

scripture itself cannot supply. 

Fenech looks at heroic traditions in Sikhism -the destruction of 

tyranny as Will of God,’ and the role of Gurmukh who is attuned to 

hukam, as an instrument of God’. The Gurmukh suffers physically but 

not spiritually. He is fearless. 

Fenech is now seized of McLeodian view and says that despite 

Singh Sabha, “a plurality of, what he calls ‘tradition’ and as such 

interpretation, not necessarily of Khalsa, does exist as “we can never 

really know what Guru Nanak was thinking as he says his shabads out 

to posterity.” In this contest, he mentions Nirmalas and Udasi Sikhs as 

against the Khalsa Sikhs. Fenech brings in the relevance of events of 

1984 to interpret the text. He quotes Prof. J.S. Grewal’s Guru Nanak in 

History to say that hymns of Guru Nanak do not advocate “rebellion” 

but only “revolt”. This is frankly beating about the bush as both the


81 

words have same dictionary meaning. His bringing in Bhai Gurdas, 

and Guru Nanak’s advocacy of living a life “with honour, justice and 

self-respect”, do not mean anything different. 

He concedes that the successors of Guru Nanak, viz., Guru 

Angad (including Bhai Gurdas, or Dabistan-i-Mazahib) to Guru Gobind 

Singh reflect “the same courage, defiance and fearlessness.” He gives 

political meaning to the institution of ‘masand’, which could as well 

be against Brahminism (which he does not specify because of special 

relationship in 1984) as against the local administration. 

Fenech now comes to the fifth Guru who is the first martyr and 

raises the impertinent question, Why did he agree to undergo 

martyrdom Why not Guru Nanak or his three successors He again 

quotes “tradition” and “the vast majority of their texts” which could 

very well mean the Mina tradition that was available only to Guru 

Arjun, Niranjarias or Brahminic infiltrators’ tradition, or even McLeod 

and his collaborator’s tradition. Also involved in the process was the 

basic issue, what constituted the basic essentials of Sikhism under 

Guru Nanak and his successors. Akbar dealt with Brahmins’ false 

charges directly. 

Fenech talks of “a tolerant emperor, Jahangir” that could be 

possibly true of Jahangir’s later administration, but not the early years. 

He also talks of Chandu Shah, Prithi Chand and Shaikh Ahmad 

Sirhindi, but completely avoids Brahmins as a factor, or Dr. Ganda 

Singh’s research into Guru Arjun’s martyrdom, conducted much before 

Fenech or his rnentor McLeod conducted research. Again, Fenech does 

not talk of Tuzak-i-Jahangiri, definite historical work, but only ‘tradition’ 

which gives him much leeway. 

Wherefrom he got ‘tradition’, making Emperor Jahangir to 

“include within the sacred Sikh scripture hymns in honour of Prophet 

Muhammad,” especially in violation of what he wrote in Tuzak-i- 

Jahangiri, or the “scorching heat of July” in place of May for Guru 

Arjun’s martyrdom, one is bewildered to know. Here he quotes 

‘tradition’ four-five times in a couple of pages, and says that the Guru 

finally “died” in River Ravi, without using the word ‘martyred’ or 

‘martyrdom’, he had used earlier.

82 


In connection with the last days of Guru Arjun or the early ones 

of Guru Hargobind, Fenech talks of “Jat castes”, the “militant nature 

of Jats” without any authority or justification. McLeod’s own work 

The Evolution of the Sikh Community, 1995, containing some untenable 

doctrines about the Jats, had not yet been published, and it does not 

find mention in the bibliography. Obviously, Fenech went by direction 

of his guide, McLeod, whom he could not refuse, though as stated 

earlier, Dr. Trilochan Singh, would have us believe that Jats at the time 

constituted hardly five per cent of the Sikh congregation. 

Guru Hargobind’s battles were fought only around 1634-35; 

therefore, the question of “highway men and robbers” joining Guru’s 

army at that earlier stage of Akal Takht, Lohgarh Fort or introduction 

of Dhad (martial) instrument, i.e. all before 1611, does not arise. The 

author mistakes Guru Hargobind’s construction of a mosque at 

Hargobindpura with the one at Kiratpur. All the way through Fenech 

goes on talking about ‘tradition’, ‘tradition’ and ‘tradition’, as if the 

Bhat Vehis even did not make history, or he thought it inadvisable to 

consult them. 

Fenech now talks of martyrdom of the ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur 

as if the fifth Guru, who was earlier martyred, was not a Guru. He 

garbles the account. He gives reference to Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 

compositions, without understandings their meaning. He mentions 

Guru Tegh Bahadur’s month long incarceration at Delhi in 1665, but 

does not elaborate on the only discussion he had with Aurangzeb. He, 

thereafter, immediately brings in the Kashmiri Brahmin’s delegation 

at Makhowal, though it was after another decade that that happened. 

Then follows the garbled version of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom. 

The author brings in the peroration which later formed part of 

Bachitar Natak on the significance of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom 

as a unique act, performed for the sake of religious liberty and freedom 

of conscience. Fenech unnecessarily busies himself in time devoted 

to one Guru against another, without going into the import of what 

he said. However, Fenech is conscious that all the Sikh Gurus are 

“manifestation of the one divine light.” The word ‘tradition’ occurs 

several times without his conceding that Guru Gobind Singh’s writings


83 

do institute a different history . 

Without bringing in Guru Gobind Singh’s 24 years of life, 1675- 

1698, the author straightway brings in the manifestation of Khalsa in 

1699. He does not mention that Sehajdhari Sikhs did exist at that time. 

The author follows the Singh Sabha rendering of the Sikh history. He 

is not sure about the ‘death’ of Guru Gobind Singh at the hands of 

the Pathan assassin. 

Fenech contradicts himself grievously when he attributes to 

‘tradition’; one does not know from where, Guru Gobind Singh’s 

finding ‘feeble hearted’ Sikhs, who read only Adi Granth. That probably 

gives the origin of Dasam Granth. But the composition compiled by 

Bhai Mani Singh does not get that title. Fenech also brings up the 

compositions about the battle of Bhangani and other battles entered 

by Guru Gobind Singh during the decade 1689-99, with Hindu hill 

rajas, but he fights shy of the word ‘Hindu’ for obvious reasons. Though 

Guru Gobind Singh does write Zafarnama to Aurangzeb, ‘tradition’ 

tells Fenech that it “was apparently written” for the Mughal Emperor. 

Fenech obviously makes a fool of himself when he realises that 

‘tradition’ may here be close to history when he talks of dharm-yudh. It 

was at this dharm-yudh that the battle of Chamkaur was fought and 

Guru Gobind Singh, in the very first Gurmatta was asked to make 

good his escape. In the post Guru Gobind Singh era, Fenech mentions 

Banda Bahadur apart from Baz Singh, Bhai Tara Singh, Bota Singh, 

Garja Singh, Mehtab Singh, Sewa Singh, Gurbakhsh Singh and Baba 

Ram Singh Bedi – all in one paragraph. It is a Persian Chronicler, a 

Muslim who gives first information about a young Sikh boy who 

disowned his mother to kiss the scaffold. 

Then in the next paragraph follow Bhai Mani Singh, Taru Singh, 

Subeg Singh and Shahbaz Singh, the young boys, going upto Gurdwara 

reforms movement He mentions Sikh prayer of thanks at Vada 

Ghallughara, big holocaust. 

Fenech, now comes to the end of this chapter with a narration of 

“enormously popular” Baba “Dip Singh.” In 1757, he vowed to fight 

Jahandar Khan to Amritsar. At Tarn Taran, the fight was fierce and 

though he quotes Khushwant Singh’s A History of the Sikhs to say that

84 


Dip Singh was wounded, he quotes tradition to say that his head was 

actually severed from body. At the instance of a Sikh, Baba Dip Singh 

picked up the severed head and fought till the Gurdwara Shahidan at 

Amritsar when he was said to have thrown his head within Darbar 

Sahib. 

Fenech attributes this to ‘jat bravery’ apart from “resistance to 

tyranny, protection of Gurdwaras, the stress on fulfilling a vow taken 

before the eternal Guru, sacrifice, and martyrdom.” Actually, to talk 

of ‘Jat bravery’, is to belittle Baba Dip Singh’s contribution; he was 

foremost a Gurmukh and a Gursikh. 

To Fenech, malignantly, Baba Dip Singh is of use not for his 

supreme sacrifice for a secular, Punjabi cause, but -his unnatural death, 

in order not to manifest himself into “harmful bhut or spirits.” He is 

not bothered about the factual account given by Khuswant Singh but 

a certain ‘tradition’ of which he is enamoured. He mischievously builds 

up a full fledged chapter on that. 

VI 

The objective of Chapter 4, “The Indian Environment: Roles in 

an Enchanted Universe”, is simply to denigrate whatever even in the 

name of ‘tradition’, he has said earlier. 

The author starts with four entries in Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha’s, 

Mahan Kosh, on term Shahid ‘evidence’ ‘testimony’ ‘witness’ jihad or 

dharmyudh in Punjabi - the last one especially meant for members of Shahid 

misl. Then he mischievously adds, does Islamic term testimony signify 

‘testimony in a court of law’. This only reflects his hujat, an immodest 

mind, because his objective seems to be to fill the bulk of over 30 pages 

of the thesis. We may confine ourselves mainly to Sikh issues. 

He gives Bhai Kahn Singh’s application of the word Shahid in a 

very broad sense, and also, to be on the safe side, contends that 

Macauliffes Six Volume, The Sikh Religion, was as much a work of 

Kahn Singh. For that there was no need. 

He now brings in Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom, that the Guru 

according to what he terms, later Sikh historiography, “died for the 

benefit of a community other than his own, the Hindu community of


85 

Kashmir”. Then follows the author’s description of it as “a powerful 

myth”, one firmly lodged by Tat Khalsa discourse. This, according to 

him is not borne out by earlier written evidence. Then he quotes “Guru 

Gobind Singh’s peroration that Guru Tegh Bahadur died for protection 

of sacred thread and frontal mark of theirs i.e., the Hindus; he reflects 

his intellectual dishonesty by disputing as if the “sacred thread and 

frontal mark, were not recognised as religious emblems by the Sikhs 

‘as by the Hindus”. He goes on to say that even this understanding of 

Guru Gobind Singh could only be attributed to Khalsa. He quotes 

Oberoi about Sanatan Sikhs, a product of 19th century, who could be 

as comfortable in Haridwar or Amritsar. He also brings in Brahminical 

infiltrators of 18th century to say unfaithfully that Guru Gobind 

sacrified 125,000 Sikhs to the goddess. He even brings in the support 

of Nirmala Sikh Scholar, Bhai Santokh Singh. The point is that he 

brings in all sorts of hostile writings which should have been rejected 

without a second thought. Fenech concedes that Guru Tegh Bahadur 

died as a martyr that he died for his own community. He does not 

mention that even Hindus don’t dispute Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 

maryradom for their cause. 

The author now brings in one Ghazi Mian whose head was severed 

from his body, a man of karamat or miraculous power. His shrine was 

revered both by Hindus and Muslims. There was also one Baba Chuda, a 

Bhandari Khatri, who too was a headless martyr at Batala, during Nadir 

Shah’s invasions. He makes mention of numerous others. Some were 

malevolent, others not. He would like to indicate that “the status of martyr 

was awarded to far more people than our Sikh sources indicate.” Some of 

them did appear as the malevalent ghosts “known in Punjabi folk called 

birs (heroes), bhuts, prets and churels”. He wants to suggest that “Indian 

martyrs were indeed both figures of universal powers and a variety of 

malevolent ghosts”. He also brings in Sau Sakhian. 

The whole objective of his exercise becomes clear when he 

mention of Baba Dip Singh, and prayer to him to “grant the wishes of 

all those who propitiate him.” Propitiating a bir (hero) is one thing, a 

bhut quite another. How could the Sikhs ask Guru Gobind Singh about 

the sacrifice, a Sikh makes half a century later Fenech is not interested

86 


in that. Nor is he interested in separating grain from the chaff, or the 

fact from the fiction or superstition. 

VII 

The fifth chapter “The Game of Love: The Singh Sabha and the 

Rhetoric of Martyrdom”, hangs around the public execution of a Sikh 

in the first decade of 20 th century for murdering some Muslims. Such 

happenings were every day occurrence in that period and need not 

have held him. But he spends full eight of the total 60 pages over the 

story of one Lachman Singh, which could have involved a Muslim, a 

Hindu, a Christian or even a gora like Fenech himself. The fact that he 

does that, not only shows the non-serious character of Fenech, a 

fanatic, out to sensalise what should have been a serious study. 

Whether the Charter of Toronto University permits grant of Doctorate 

degree for such non-serious studies is another shameful matter to be 

examined, by the people of Canada itself. 

At the fag end of the story comes his observation that the people 

instead of ‘giving a “chapter on Sikhism itself ” should instead include, 

“gurmat as a sub heading within the chapter devoted to Hinduism”. 

This shows him in real colours of, to borrow from the Chinese 

languages, being a running dog of Hindu chauvinism. 

It is surprising that people like Fenech learnt only during last two 

decades, i.e., 1960s or 1970s, what the convening of first Singh Sabha 

in 1873 meant. This only shows Fenech’s closed mind as to what really 

happened till even 1925, the 5th and 6th Chapter of his thesis. It 

seems he was either held in stupor or was only gesticulating what he 

read about the period. By 1879 when the main body of Singh Sabha 

under Prof. Gurmukh Singh arose, Fenech quotes Oberoi to say that 

there were a series of such identities viz. Sahajdhari, Khalsa, Nirmala, 

Nirankari, Udasi, Sewapanthis, Namdhari, Dewana and many others. 

The main body of Tat Khalsa included Prof. Gurmukh Singh, Giani 

Ditt Singh, S. Amar Singh of Bhadaur, Bhai Jawahar Singh, Giani Mayya 

Singh, Bhai Vir Singh, S. Wazir Singh, Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid, S. Karam 

Singh Historian, Mr. M.A. Macauliffe, Bhai Jodh Singh, Bhagat 

Lakshman Singh and Principal Teja Singh. Fenech, from Harjot Oberoi


87 

to also his mentor McLeod, is simply rueing. 

Through aggressive tactics such as ‘eradication campaign, 

problems and the reconstitution of the sacred outlined in what Oberoi 

refers to as ‘the manual of rites de passage’ linked with the armies of 

social change, communication and commercialisation activity – Oberoi 

maintains that ‘Tat Khalsa thinking gained ascendancy displacing to a 

great extent the Sanatan Sikh discourse which had previously 

dominated Sikh imagination. 

It became obvious to Oberoi as also his mentor McLeod that 

Tat Khalsa, the original Khalsa spirit that was overwhelmed by the 

forces of Brahminism for over a century since 1750s was overcome 

by the original forces. They should have chosen to write a dated account. 

But that was not to be. The Hindu chauvinists came into power in 

1947, and thereafter seemingly hired the services of time servers to 

cause subservience and subversion. Hence the need to review this 

yellow literature produced in Mina style. 

The Hindu-Sikhs of 19th Century did worship Guga Pir or Sakhi 

Sarwar but only till their enlightenment. Similarly, Pashaura Singh must 

understand that Jat Sikhs in Punjab made a big incursion into Sikhism 

only after 1750s and not earlier, and martial tradition of Jats, of which 

he talks, could have an impact only thereafter. Sainapati (1711) was 

well aware of the young Khalsa and its potentialities to lay down life. 

It was only with the Gurbilas and some of the Rahit Namas, heavily 

infiltrated by Brahamins, that infiltration starts in late 18th century. 

Koer Singh (1751), Kesar Singh Chhibber (1769) and Bhai Sukha Singh, 

and Bhai Santokh Singh (1844) contributed heterodox elements with 

whose writings about the goddess, the Tat Khalsa would violently 

disagree. Even Fenech justifies Bhai Vir Singh’s editing of Rattan Singh 

Bhangu’s manuscript about the “infamous incidents regarding Guru 

Gobind Singh’s veneration of the Goddess Chandi”. For Bhai Vir Singh, 

the Khalsa identity is paramount and is inherent to the theme of Sikh 

martyrdom. It was the heroic image of the soldier that was applied to 

the late eighteenth and early nineteen century Sikh soldier. 

Fenech now recalls the heroic deeds of Khalsa army recorded by 

George Forster (1798), Colonel John Malcolm shortly afterwards (1810),

88 


and ultimately Joseph Davy Cunningham (1849), after eight years of labour 

among the Sikhs. And, what he wrote about say, Bhai Taru Singh closely 

resembled Rattan Singh Bhangu’s Gurpanth Parkash, though he was not 

aware of it. It also means that oral tradition of which both Cunningham 

and Bhangu spoke, was extant during the 19th century. Herein lies the 

importance of Gianis, Kathakars and Dhadis. 

Fenech, however, attributes to Harjot Oberoi the insightful note 

that one man can rarely change the course of history, but without Ditt 

Singh the (Lahore Singh) Sabha might have been rather a different 

body. Further that, in the words of Fenech Ditt Singh felt that “the 

observance of caste, idolatry, priesthood, the veneration of gurus apart 

from the Guru Granth Sahib, and the worship of popular saints were 

charcteristics against which the Sikh Gurus had often spoken.” All 

these were designed to make the Khalsa once again assume the form 

it had possessed during its golden age, i.e., 1708-1765. Fenech talks 

of ‘Muslims persecution’ during the period, but he has soft corner for 

‘Hindu chicanery’ of which he make no mention, whatsoever. 

Ditt Singh was aware of the wholesale extermination the Panth 

faced in 18th century, and the present danger of 19th century. The 

Sikhs were, however, now well placed before the “Arya Samaj and its 

Charismatic leaders. Another enemy they faced was arrogance and 

ignorance of the contemporary Sikhs. Tat Khalsa, of course, had to 

use martyr legend which predated Singh Sabha tradition and reinforced 

a strong commitment to faith in Adi Granth that emphasized the Tat 

Khalsa spirit. 

According to Ditt Singh it was baptismal water that become a 

potent elixir to make Khalsa overcome extreme hardship. He, therefore, 

compared the contemporary Sikhs to the past 18th century. The most 

important to Ditt Singh’s martyrologies was obviously the uncut hair 

(kes) as signified in Bhai Taru Singh’s martyrdom. He sought to instill 

in them dignity, to adopt Tat Khalsa standards. It was this rhetoric and 

the numerous handouts etc. that kept the Sikh tradition alive. 

The Khalsa Tract Society founded by Bhai Vir Singh in 1893 

followed with numerous publications. According to N G Barrier, by 

1911 a million copies issued by various organisations had been made


89 

available, After Giani Ditt Singh’s death in 1901, the Chief Khalsa 

Dewan (founded 1902) played a prominent role in bringing together 

various Singh Sabhas. The Khalsa Samachar and the Khalsa Advocate, 

played a prominent role. Then followed the All India Sikh Educational 

Conference from 1907. Only those could be called Sikhs who emulated 

their ancestors. Petrie’s report of 1911 is to be seen in this light. 

The reports continue to mention of good work done by Master 

Tara Singh, Prof Teja Singh, Sant Teja Singh, Bhai Takht Singh and 

others, on the powers of amrit and katha to inspire Khalsaisation of 

the Sikhs. It was this that institutionalized the Sikh spirit ‘shorn of 

Hindu influence’. Fenech must know that became not the dominant 

but an inherent feature in Tat Khalsa interpretation of the Sikh 

tradition, and it was this spirit that liberated the Sikh Gurdwaras from 

the enemy. 

VIII 

The thesis now comes to its last chapter “Playing the Game: The 

Movement For Gurdwara Reform, 1920-25”. Harjot Oberoi’s work 

The Construction of Religious Boundaries, Culture, Identity and Diversity in 

Sikh Tradition, (Delhi, 1994), too comes to a close at this very juncture. 

Why The answer is obvious. By 1925, the Sikh identity had been 

completely established, shorn of fulminations by malcontents like M.K. 

Gandhi, the so-called father of the nation, and others. The attempts 

of people like Fenech come to a close as their effort to impose Hindu 

multi-culturation, like the scenario in 19th century comes to a close. 

It is another matter that it restarted in post-1947 era with Hinduism’s 

regaining its pristine glory. 

It is quite remarkable that Harjot Oberoi provides the first 

paragraph of his gur-bhai’s last chapter as there is an identity of outlook 

between the followers of McLeod. It was not only the powerful rhetoric 

of martyrdom as suggested by Fenech but the Tat Khalsa’s rhetoric of 

the Sikhs and Sikhism that came to be seen the only interpretation of 

the Sikh tradition. It also must be stated here unlike Fenech and his 

guru McLeod, that the Hindus who were an essential part of these 

efforts to mix up the Sikh identity, were essential part of this Sikh

90 


victory to liberate themselves and their shrines from the Hindu 

stranglehold. They were the ones who ultimately said that they were 

nothing but Hindus first and last and did not subscribe to the Sikh 

ideals, notwithstanding the onslaught launched by the supreme Hindu 

leader, M.K. Gandhi, who went to the extent of calling Guru Gobind 

Singh ‘a misguided patriot.’ Also that, Hindus were not holding the 

levers of power, as came to happen in post- 1947 era. 

Fenech is not right to say that “it underscored the Akali debt to 

the Tat Khalsa”, or that “Tat Khalsa is in fact indebted to the Akalis.” 

As a matter of fact both are the same, synonyms. Apart from the 18th 

and 19th century works of Brahminical infiltrators, it was only 

McLeodian group of scholars and their collaborators, who have been 

disputing this, with ulterior motives. 

Fenech is right that 1920-25 episode is a watershed in Sikh history, 

as significant (if not more so) as the initial reform impulse.. The readers, 

however, need not pay much attention to Fenech’s laying overemphasis 

on martyrdom rhetoric or the case of Lachhman Singh executed in 

1909, who only provides a minor link in the vast story of pristine 

purity of Sikh doctrine as enunciated by Guru Nanak-Guru Gobind 

Singh. The failure of Babbar Akalis in 1922, who alluded to Bhai 

Mani Singh, was a case in point. They were not representatives of the 

Sikh masses. 

Fenech is right that the Singh Sabha’s desire that these sacred 

places must remain undefiled, was at the roots of Tat Khalsa efforts 

to control them. Tat Khalsa was right that idols had no place in Sikh 

hierarchy. Fenech need not lament that the Sikhs had died to rid the 

temples of all things considered un-Sikh. It was Government’s benign 

attitude to the Mahants, (despite Act XX of 1863) which prohibited 

British interference in Indian shrines, that was at the root of the 

problem. It was not long, in the first decade of 20th century that Singh 

Sabha began to be considered as the sole authority in Sikh matters. 

On an affair concerning successor to Bhai Harnam Singh, Head Granthi, 

Darbar Sahib, who died of natural causes, appeal was made to all the 

classes of the Sikhs and not simply to Jat Sikhs as Fenech mischievously 

would make out. It was all classess of Sikhs that in post 1920 era


91 

provided manpower as Akali volunteers, and not simply the Jat 

community, as Fenech again, improperly would make out. Readers 

must take into consideration that for the Gurdwara Reform Movement 

all classes of Sikhs, urban or rural, played their role and any reference 

to any section of them by Fenech or McLeod, or any of his other 

collaborators is born out of malice. Another thing to be noted is that 

non-violence in the Gurdwara Reform Movement was basically because 

of the Sikh ethos and not because of Gandhi whose movement for 

swaraj within one year cut such a sorry figure. Again, though Congress 

did help the Sikhs, the same cannot be said of Gandhi despite Fenech 

mentioning of the same. 

The constitution of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee 

(SGPC) on 15 November 1920, was a momentous affair. The 

Sharomani Akali Dal with Sarmukh Singh as Jathedar to coordinate 

the activities of scattered Jathas in January 1921 followed suit. The 

Central Sikh League was soon eclipsed. The SGPC consisted of men 

who possessed critical knowledge of Sikhism and Sikh history, men 

who were imbued with nam, and followed a path “sharper than a sword 

and straighter than a hair”. Khalsa form was rigidly enforced. The 

Gurdwara Reform Movement has been narrated reasonably well with 

few exceptions of unnecessarily playing on jats among the Sikhs or 

over-emphasis on militancy which were uncalled for. 

Though Fenech uses the word ‘reformers’ for the people running 

the 1920 movement, he obviously means revivalists-suffering, standing 

true to and dying. He concludes the last chapter saying. “The Tat Khalsa 

message truly penetrated Into the very heart of the Punjab due in 

large part to the martyrdom” -instead it would be much better to say, 

the Sikh and Sikhism’s idiom. 

IX 

The author’s concluding summar,’ obviously relates to martyrdom, 

because thesis is on martyrdom. It, however, in the words of Fenech, 

underwent a considerable reduction of meaning in view of “Singh 

Sabha’s emphasis on the Adi Granth as the litmus test of all 

contemporary Sikh tradition.” Further that, it was Tat Khalsa’s victory

92 


of “their interpretation of Sikh history and religion scaling its hegemony 

for years to come.” 

Few questions that need immediate answer by the people of North 

America are: How is it that Toronto University serves as a captive to 

McLeodian scholarship and candidates with whatever thesis do find 

acceptance for Doctorate degree there What sort of multi-culturalism 

does Canada promote Why have the Toronto and Vancouver 

Universities practically done away with Chairs on Sikh Studies Why 

do only McLeodian scholars find placing in North America Obviously 

the purpose for which all those Chairs were created and the money 

collected has failed, and put to misuse. 

Mention may now be made of two new chairs on Sikh Studies 

created recently. 

The chair named after the mother of S. Narinder Singh Kapani, 

in California, has been occupied by a McLeodian scholar. The other is 

a Chair named after the father of S. Didar Singh Dhaliwal in Wisconsin. 

His father was a subedar in the British Indian army. It is debatable 

that the mother of Kapani, a simple lady from Pothohar, learned and 

deeply conscious of her Sikh origin and ethos would be happy at the 

signals of a chair named after her but occupied by an anti-Sikh, a 

follower of McLeodian school of thought. How would father of S. 

Darshan Singh Dhaliwal react to a chair named after him but likely to 

be occupied by a McLeodian protege or collaborator Obviously not 

easily: his father, trained in Sikh ethos in the British Indian Army is 

likely to have his own mental framework. 

Is there now need for some more stupid Sikhs (I am using the 

term in the same spirit as S. Kapur Singh, formerly ICS, who used the 

term in one of his papers released at Vancouver did) to create a chair 

after one of his parents or consorts That would be a worst contribution 

to their ancestors or consorts receiving painful signals from McLeodian 

scholars holding the chair. 

I think it would be much better that such efforts should instead 

be spent on creating specific scholarships for doing research work under 

known scholars, who have correct understanding of Sikhism. Another 

feature would be their making useful contribution at high school level,


93 

apart from gurmat prachar camps. 

What the Tat Khalsa gained in 1925, it lost so badly in post- 

1947, because of its inapt leadership. The Sikhs who gained in Third 

Sikh War, 1920-25, by overcoming the pitfalls of 1849 loss of power, 

lost the fourth Sikh’s War, 1975-1994 so badly, that it is having its 

repercussions to day, and shall continue to do so hereafter. 

For a proper appreciation of the current post-1947 situation, we 

shall have to look towards another paper. 

¤ 

The Guru is as a river perennially full of holy water 

By bathing in which, 

Man is rid of the impurity of his foul understanding. 

The perfect holy bath lies, therefore, 

In meeting the True Guru 

Who then turns man’s beast-and-goblin nature 

Into that of the angelic beings. 


guru drIAwau sdw jlu inrmlu imilAw durmiq mYlu hrY ] 

siqguir pwieAY pUrw nwvxu psU pryqhu dyv krY ]

94 


THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG 

JARNAIL SINGH * 

Reading editorial ‘Bani and Bana’ in Sikh Bulletin of February 

2005 has been a personal disappointment for me. There is a little bit 

of history behind it. About three years back when I was looking for a 

contact to buy books by S Gurbakhsh Singh, a friend directed me 

towards Hardev Singh Shergill. I bought the books and along with the 

books he also sent me some free literature including audio tapes by 

Veer Bhupinder Singh. He also started sending me the monthly Sikh 

Bulletin. I was impressed by all this and really felt that this organization 

was doing a very good job for Sikhism. I wrote a small article SSI a 

Step in the Right Direction which was published in the Sikh Bulletin of 

November 2003. The central idea of my writeup was the absence of 

communication between the Sikhs and the World. During the times 

of our Gurus there was a constant dialogue with the world at large. 

But nowadays the Sikhs talk and preach to their fellow Sikhs only. 

The need of the day is to listen to the world as Sikhs and speak Sikhism 

to the world. I felt as if this organization was going to fill this gap. 

That is why this editorial was a sort of personal disappointment for 

me. 

Coming back to the editorial, let us try to capture the ‘logic’ running 

through its lines. The learned editor starts with an attempt to find out 

the meanings of Punjabi words bani and bana. After perusing the 

pages of English – Punjabi dictionary for meanings of these words, 

the author discards all the meanings given in the dictionary, and 

discovers with his magic band that bana means 5 kakkars (ks) 1 . Because 

this is the only meaning that fits in the theory he has in his mind. 

However, only a couple of lines later he contradicts himself when he 

* # 415, Old Windsor Road, Winston Hills, Australia -2153


95 

says that in fact bana means only hair covered with turban and not the 

5 ks. Some of the statements or judgments made by the learned editor 

are also worth noting. He says that “to such a person that in fact is the 

only definition of a Sikh” What is the definition of a Sikh He is silent 

about it. And the word “only” prompts me to ask; are there more than 

one definitions of a Sikh He has avoided finding an answer to these 

questions, as a logical answer will for sure contradict his thesis. The 

learned editor further avers that bana gives license to religious and 

political leaders of Sikhs to be corrupt. No doubt majority of Sikh 

leaders (and scholars as well, why to pick leaders only) are corrupt, 

but to say that bana (which according to him means 5 ks) gives them a 

license to be corrupt, is stooping even below the level of yellow 

journalism. There are heaps of corrupt people who call themselves 

Sikhs but do not adorn 5 ks. There are heaps of non-Sikh political and 

religious leaders who are corrupt form head to toe. Who or what 

gives them the license Or would he classify them as unlicensed corrupt 

people Every corrupt person tries to conceal himself. But that does 

not mean that cover he hides under is a cause of his/her corruption. 

It is even more disappointing when this thesis comes from the editor 

of a journal discussing serious philosophical issues. In fact the 5 ks 

gives the world a license and a right to question a person who adorns 

them as to why he does not follow the tenets of Sikhism. This right 

has been exercised in the pages of Sikh Bulletin on hundreds of times. 

Using this license, many people have criticized Mr Badal for performing 

rituals like havan. 

The learned editor now turns his microscope on to the words 

patit or apostate. Once again his logic is weird. He finds that an 

apostate means a person who has forsaken his religion. However, he 

is upset that for Sikhs a person is apostate if he cuts his hair. Obviously, 

in his opinion, for Sikhs, cutting of hair should not amount to forsaking 

of religion. He does not bother to justify his stand with any logic, and 

closes the thread by saying that character has been reduced to 

insignificance. In what way are keeping of hair and character related 

Are they mutually exclusive or inclusive Or are these two separate 

things altogether He conveniently shifts his focus in order to avoid 

finding an answer to these questions. This technique is often used by 

many kathakars in our gurdwaras. Instead of discussing a subject in

96 


detail, they shift the focus of their talk to a popular theme to win their 

point. No one in this world will deny the significance of character. 

Both character and appearance have their own separate roles to play 

in the life of an individual. Emphasis on one does not necessarily 

mean abandoning the other. 

The learned editor now comes to his point. He starts with a 

reference to the WSC held in Sydney in September 2004. I had the 

opportunity to attend this conference on its opening day. There were 

about 50-60 people present on that day including the organizers, 

government officials and invitees from other religions. I would like to 

mention one thing about this conference, before we go further into 

the discussion about the editorial. S Hardev Singh Shergill said in his 

answer to one of the questions that in Sikhism there is no place for 

priests. But before the start of the proceedings for the day, a priest 

from a local gurdwara was specially called to perform ardaas or prayer. 

And he left immediately after the prayer. The non-Sikh attendees 

must have gone with the impression that in Sikhism they need a priest 

to say their prayer. It would have been better if S Hardev Singh or any 

one from the attendees would have come forward to say the prayer. In 

short, we are sending conflicting signals to the world. This is the crux 

of the problem. This is also one of the main reasons behind this 

confusion about the five ks. We are giving conflicting gestures to our 

kids and to the world at large. This editorial is doing exactly the same 

thing. In Sikhism there is no place for priests, because every Sikh is 

supposed to be a priest. How many of us are ready to perform the 

duties of a priest, if need be 

Coming back to the topic, S Hardev Singh Shergill refers to the 

questions about the definition of a Sikh put to him by some attendees 

during this conference. He refers to the definition given in the Sikh 

Rehat Maryada. Astonishingly, he interprets this definition as being 

silent about the uncut hair. The definition, as quoted by him, reads 

like this: “Any human being who faithfully believes in one immortal 

being; the ten Gurus, form Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh; the 

Guru Granth Sahib; the utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus 

and the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not 

owe allegiance to any other religion is a Sikh”. What S Hardev Singh 

is saying here is that teachings of our all the Gurus and the amrit


97 

initiation bequeathed by the tenth Guru, does not mean keeping 

unshorn hair. I can only say that this is not only deliberate distortion 

but a mischievous remark to confuse the readers. It will be pertinent 

here to share with you one question put to me in one of the discussions, 

on the internet regarding unshorn hair. I was asked to show a single 

line from Jap Ji Sahib wherein Guru Nanak has asked his followers to 

keep unshorn hair. I was told that since Jap Ji is the quintessence of 

Guru Granth Sahib, we must find these instructions in it. My answer 

to this question was very simple. Every line of Jap Ji asks us to follow 

the teachings of the Guru in total. This is exactly what S Hardev 

Singh is refusing to do here. If he has a mind to follow the Guru’s 

teachings in totality, he will definitely find a mention of uncut hair. 

Now S Hardev Singh starts listing his reasons for liberating 

diaspora Sikhs from the clutches of bana (which should be read as 5 ks 

as per his definition). To summarize his points: 

- S Bawa Singh from Australia has given some literature about 

Sikhism to a student. The student and her brother are impressed 

by the philosophy of Sikhism, but are scared to adorn the 5 ks 

especially the hair and the sword. 

- Claudia G S Martin from Brazil says that her country is ripe for 

conversion to Sikhism. But the traditional Sikhism with saffronised 

Amritdharis carrying long kirpans have no chance to succeed there. 

- Garon Lee, a young student corresponds about Sikhism with Mr 

Hardev Singh Shergill. He has done enough study of our faith 

and discovers that our Rehat Maryada is full of rituals. 

It is apparent that all these points are baseless. I know Bawa 

Singh here in Australia. In one of the meetings, he said that he is a 

Sikh of Guru Nanak and has nothing to do with Guru Gobind Singh. 

How can you expect a person with this opinion to be able to convince 

a student about the significance of unshorn hair S Hardev Singh has 

picked up a line that suits him from the article by Ms Claudia. Ms 

Claudia in her article has repeatedly emphasized the need for gatka 

training. At the very outset of her article she admits that she was 

“drawn to Sikhism by the fascinating code of conduct marked by 

indelible symbols – the so called 5 kakkars”. Obviously, she did not 

mean discarding of 5 ks in the quote picked by the editor. Similarly, 

the queries arising in the mind of Mr Garon Lee do not substantiate

98 


the point that S Hardev Singh is making. His query about Anand Karaj 

is due to his lack of understanding of Punjabi culture. Anand Karaj 

has nothing to do with the marriage being arranged or consensual. 

Also, the Rehat does not ask us to remember the physical existence of 

our Gurus. Instead it requires us to follow their utterances and 

teachings. 

S Hardev Singh Shergill puts forward his thesis that Sikhism should 

evolve out of the restrictions of five ks, especially the hair. In his 

opinion this is a need of the diaspora Sikhs. In his opinion, it is very 

hard for the children born and bred overseas to keep their hair unshorn. 

He quotes Kabir to support his thesis. 

Kabir preet ik sio kiye aan dubida jaye. 

Bhanvein lambe kes kar bhave gharrar mudaey. 

Guru Granth Sahib, p 1365 

(Kabir, the duality vanishes, when you are in love with one 

supreme God. It does not matter whether you have long hair or 

are clean shaven.) 

We often read in the pages of Sikh Bulletin that the so-called 

kathakars are misquoting and misinterpreting gurbani. This is exactly 

what he has done here. The long hair refer to the jattas (tangled locks) 

kept by some sects in India. Similarly, some sects were shaving their 

heads. Kabir is telling both of them that neither the unkempt hair nor 

the shaving of hair is of any help at the end of the day. What matters 

is your firm belief and love for the one immortal being. This is what 

will lead to riddance from duality. Now to use this verse from Kabir 

as something that negates the importance of 5 ks is absolutely wrong, 

and amounts to deliberate distortion of the meaning of gurbani. Both 

the sects were running away from the ordinary life style. Remember, 

Guru has not only given us uncut hair but also a comb to keep them 

neat and tidy. As a friend has said in these lines, Kabir hammers home 

the “futility of renunciation as a means of achieving eternal bliss. 

Sikhism is a life-affirming philosophy and the uncut hair symbolize 

this positive view towards life. The uncut hair (as opposed to the 

shaven head) and the comb (as opposed to unkempt hair) symbolize 

the ‘permanent renunciation of renunciation’.” 

Moreover, none of our Gurus have said that by keeping long 

hair you can attain spiritual progress. Unshorn hair is like the dress


99 

code of a student in a school and they are not meant to help the 

student to be smarter in his studies. It was none else what Guru Gobind 

Singh, who institutionalized the concept of five ks, said that keeping 

long hair does not help to gain spiritually. 

Kes dhare na mile har pyare – Swaya no 10, Akaal Ustat 

If you use fuel meant for airplanes to drive a car, it won’t work. 

Would you conclude that that fuel is useless This is what S Hardev 

Singh is doing here. Unshorn hair are not meant to help you gather 

signals of spirituality. This is what Kabir is saying. He forgets that 

Kabir has also said that 

Kabir man mundia nahee kes mundaye kanye. 

Jo kichh kia so man kia munda mund ajanye. 


Kabir when you have not shaved the mind, why did you shave 

your head Mind commits all actions, but you shaved your head 

without any reason. 

And Kabir has also given his verdict that only those who are 

committed to a code, fight to win, all others run away from the battle 

field. 

Daghe hoe so ran meh jujhe bin daghe bhag jai 


This has been true throughout the history of mankind. And it 

will remain true for all times to come. 

I agree with S Hardev Singh Shergill that it will be hard for the 

parents to make their kids keep unshorn hair. But it has always been 

hard to be a Sikh. And it will always be hard to be a Sikh. I take it that 

way. However, he is wrong when he is equating five ks with dress or 

bana. Five ks fits in dresses from all cultures. The first five persons 

(the five beloved ones) to adorn these ks were all from different cultures. 

They came from Sialkot, Dwarka, Bidar, Jagannath Puri, and Hastinapur. 

All these places are miles apart from each other and have their own 

unique culture. So the argument that five ks are only suitable for 

Punjabi dress and culture, is baseless. 

Another argument given by S Hardev Singh Shergill is that if a 

person is exposed to bani, the desire for bana or five ks will come by 

itself. This is totally wrong preposition, and he himself has contradicted 

it by giving an example of Macauliffe. It is interesting to note the way

100 


he has used this example. In his opinion, Mr Macauliffe gave up his 

promising career to pursue his study of Sikhism. Even though he 

studied Sikhism for such a long time, he did not convert to Sikhism. 

Similarly, many others who studied and praised Sikh Scriptures, did 

not convert to Sikhism. What are the reasons He does not bother to 

investigate. Instead he concludes that the Sikhs have denied them the 

experience of gurbani. How and when, he does not bother to investigate. 

But at the same time he hopes that if a person is exposed to gurbani, he 

might have the desire for five ks as well. In fact he is working on a 

flawed thesis. There is no cause and effect relationship between the 

appearance of a Sikh and the experience of gurbani. Both have their 

own separate roles to play in the spiritual progress of a Sikh. 

At the end, S Hardev Singh Shergill concludes that it is time that 

Sikhs residing outside India should liberate themselves from the 

restrictions of 5 ks. He perceives this as something immediately 

required to take Sikhism on to the twenty first century. We have seen 

above that this perception is based on illogical thinking and 

misunderstanding of basic concepts of Sikhism. It is extremely 

unfortunate that this comes from an organization established for spread 

of Sikhism and is named after the glorious Singh Sabha movement. It 

is coming from an organization that accepts donation under the name 

Khalsa Tricentennial Foundation. One can safely assume that it was 

established on the occasion of three hundred years of the advent of 

Khalsa. That is the day when Guru Gobind Singh blessed his Sikhs 

with five ks. This comes from an organization that has one of its 

objectives to “promote Sikh way of life in accordance with the 

teachings given in gurbani incorporated into the Aad Guru Granth Sahib 

and by Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct) laid down by Sri Akal 

Takhat Sahib as an institution.” 

It is not time to disassociate or delink Sikhi from five ks. Sikhism 

will never be Sikhism then. Five ks are the face of Sikhism as conceived 

and authorised by our great Gurus. It is also surprising that this advice 

is given to the diaspora Sikhs only. Why not this advice to Sikhs in 

Punjab Are we having different brand of Sikhism in different 

countries 

A Sikh is a Sikh only if he/she is a Sikh. And a Sikh is not a Sikh 

if he/she discriminates between a Sikh and a non-Sikh. That in nutshell


101 

is what the five ks stand for. I know there are people roaming about in 

this world looking like Sikhs but doing all sorts of things which do not 

behove a Sikh. This in fact is the real problem. This is what we 

should disassociate ourselves from. This is what we should expose. 

Sikhism is virtually under seizure of these people. All our gurdwaras 

including SGPC are being controlled by them. We cannot fight and 

win these people by abandoning the five ks. If we do so, the ordinary 

Sikh has no choice but to go to these people. The ordinary Sikh believes 

(and rightly so) that the instructions of his/her Guru are immutable. 

Guru never makes an error. 

~~ 

NOTES 

1 The five articles of faith in Sikhism starting with Punjabi letter 

“K”. Kesh (hair), Kanga (comb), Kara (iron wrist bracelet), Kachh 

(underwear) and Kirpan (the sword). 

¤ 

One single sun runs through all seasons, 

And their various parts and aspects. 

God is likewise One 

And permeates through all. 

Many are the forms and aspects 

In which He manifests Himself. 


sUrju eyko ruiq Anyk ] nwnk krqy ky kyqy vys ]

THE DIFFERENCE * 

I got up early one morning 

and rushed right into the day; 

I had so much to accomplish 

that I didn’t have time to pray. 

Problems just tumbled about me, 

and heavier came each task 

“Why doesn’t God help me ” I wondered 

He answered, “You didn’t ask.” 

I wanted to see joy and beauty, 

but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; 

I wondered why God didn’t show me. 

He said, “But you didn’t seek.” 

I tried to come into God’s presence; 

I used all my keys at the lock. 

God gently and lovingly chided, 

“My child, You didn’t knock.” 

I woke up early this morning, 

and paused before entering the day; 

I had so much to accomplish 

that I had to take time to pray. 

¤ 

* Sent by Baldeesh Singh Khaira

REVIEWS 

THE OTHER SIKHS – A VIEW FROM EASTERN INDIA 

103 

THE OTHER SIKHS 

– A VIEW FROM EASTERN INDIA – 

A REVIEW BY JASWANT SINGH * 

Author : Himadri Banerjee 

Publisher : Manohar Publishers & Distributors 4753/23, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, 

New Delhi 

Pages : 279; Price : Rs 550/- 

Himadri Banerjee is Guru Nanak Professor of Indian History, 

Jadavpur University, Kolkata. His in-depth and intense interest in Sikhs 

and Punjab is evident from his earlier book, Agrarian Society of the Punjab 

and the other volume, The Khalsa and the Punjab Studies in Sikh History 

edited by him. The present book is the first of the two volumes. The 

Other Sikhs – A View From Eastern India. Very few non-historian Sikh 

scholars in and outside the Punjab are aware of such a work from the 

Eastern India. In fact there are three books woven into this volume. 

To catalogue all the authors, poets, essayists and lecturers will be an 

uphill task, so that only an overall view is being attempted. 

After a comprehensive introduction about religious intolerance, 

the raproachement between the two communities as ‘healing touch’, 

the agony of the Operation Blue Star, Singh Sabha Reformers 

establishing Sikh identity including Anand Karaj as Sikh marriage, 

Gurdwara reforms, formation of the Akali Dal, the author takes up 

his main theme of Assamese, Oriya and Bengali Sikh studies in their 

regional languages. He emphasises that the Brahmos in Bengal and 

Orissa were the earliest to be interested in Sikhism. During the last 3 

decades of the twentieth century, emergence of separate Sikh identity 

as in Ham Hindu Nahi by Bhai Kahn Singh, added a further dimension 

* Maj Gen (Dr), AVSM, # 1801, Sector 33-D, Chandigarh

104 


to the studies. 

ASSAMESE STUDIES 

Punjab and Assam are the two Indian states, besides Jammu and 

Kashmir, which are ‘storm centres’. Buranji literature preserves Assam 

identity but contains few references about Punjab and Sikh history. 

Assamese literature mentions Guru Nanak’s visit to Kamrup along 

with Mardana. The story of Nur Shah through her magic spell 

converting Mardana into sheep and Guru bringing him back to human 

form is mentioned. Banikanta Kakati, Lakshminath Bezbarua, 

Harichandra Bhattacharya, Shashikanta Gogoi, Dhaniram Datta, Phula 

Singh Chhetri (an Assamese Sikh) are among the Assamese authors 

covered in the survey. The last author ‘provided a distinct regional 

flavour to Assamese Sikh studies. Jayanti, a literary magazine, evaluates 

Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a ‘Nationalist hero’ whereas an anonymous 

writer holds him responsible for the ‘fall of empire’. Arunodoi published 

from Sibsagar by American Baptist Mission, has a special link with 

Sikh studies. Gurdwara reforms movement by the Akalis, resignation 

of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh, ruler of Nabha, and a few Sikhs ready 

to die to protect the integrity of Assam, find mention. There is a 

rumour that a Sikh Battalion courted death fighting for the Ahom 

king to defend the freedom of Assam. Bezbarua had high regard for 

Guru Nanak, but was critical of Ranjit Singh! Assamese Sikhs keep 

kesh and wear turban with some modification. Sikhs have married 

Assamese girls, and are absorbed in that milieu. While returning from 

Assam as a Captain in 1960, my Taxi driver Inder Singh told me in 

chaste Punjabi that he had married an Assamese girl, and had settled 

there for more than two decades. 

ORIYA SIKHS 

The author starts with history. Guru Nanak in his eastern Udasi 

came to Puri, and composed his famous shabad, Gagan mai thal in 

Dhanasri raag. He passed through Cuttack, where Dantan Sahib 

Gurdwara is situated. There is also a locality called Guru Nanak Dihi. 

Guru Nanak lives in Oriya folk tradition also. In the seventeenth 

century, Sikhs came to Patna as traders, and later the city became a 

pilgrimage center as birth place of Guru Gobind Singh. Harimandir 

here is one of the five takhts. ‘Na Anka’, the famine, decimated one


105 

third of Cuttack division. Sikh studies in Orissa were mostly pioneered 

by Brahmo Samaj in Puri. People like Madhusudan Rao, found 

similarity in Guru Nanak and Brahmo preachings. Sevak, a weekly, 

published three successive articles on Guru Nanak. Fakirmohan 

Senapati covered Sikh history of 250 years from Guru Nanak to Banda 

Bahadur. In his poem Saptarshi he quotes the Guru extensively. But 

Brahmos never got genuinely interested in Khalsas’ message of military 

resistance. In their literary journal Satyabadi and newspaper Samaj, 

they compared Oriya’s freedom movement with the Sikhs’ Gurdwara 

reform movement. Chandramani Das’ Nanak is Guru’s Oriya biography 

in book form. Naba Kishore’s poem about Guru Gobind Singh, projects 

him as a soul of generosity. Lingaraj Mishra’s book Guru Gobinda 

Singha eulogizes his life, though Chintamani Acharya had a different 

mindset. Ghosal’s book conveyed a lesson from the way the Sikhs 

marched towards freedom from a political morass. The author salutes 

Sikhs for their love of freedom and martyrdom. Siva Prasad Das’ Sikh 

Prakash is mentioned as extensive history of Sikhs from Guru Nanak 

to the Second Sikh war. He shows blatant loyalty to the British. Oriya 

press like Samaj and Utkal Dipika aroused the sentiments of Oriyas in 

favour of Akali agitation against bloody turn at Nankana Sahib, Guru 

ka Bagh, Jaito and such other places. Sikh studies in Orissa spread 

over a large area like Cuttack, Baripada, Balasore Berhanpore and 

Sambalpore . However, the small number of Oriya Sikhs was a 

handicap in bringing out authentic Oriya books on Sikhism except 

Sikh Prakash, a commendable book. This was compensated by Oriya 

press coverage in the wake of non-cooperation movement and Akali 

agitation in the 20 th century. 

STUDIES IN BENGAL 

The author devotes two elaborate chapters about Bengalis and 

Sikh studies. He is confining to the first 250 years, i.e., Guru period 

out of 500 years of Sikh history. Bengali Brahmos pioneered the work. 

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, drawing similarity between Brahmos and Guru 

Nanak, drafted his famous book Sketch of the Sikhs. His narration 

covers Gurdwara Badi Sikh sangat in Calcutta, “Alakh Niranjan” 

salutation, Sikh shabads being sung at Brahmos meetings, as also Guru 

Nanak’s views against idolatry and casteism. Akshay Kumar Datta

106 


wrote the first article about Guru Nanak. Bhai Mahendra Nath also 

wrote Guru Nanak’s biography - Nanak Prakash on the basis of Bala 

Janamsakhi. Going through the versions of Ritendra Nath, Krishna 

Kumar Mitra and Rajni Kanta, we come over to Rabindranath Tagore. 

He explains Khara Sauda as a “foundation of a great concept and 

spiritual power.” Tagore was the pioneer in introducing Bengali children 

to Sikh culture. Sarat Kumar Roy, Rajendralal Arya’s articles, Amodini 

Ghosh, Krishna Chandra Chakrabarty and Nityanand Goswami have 

written poems about Guru Nanak. ‘Baba Nanak was a Muslim Faqir’, 

writes Haq S Omed Ali, and Ali Ahmed Ali Eslambadi emphasised 

that Guru Nanak did namaz and was respectful to Islam. Swami 

Vivekananda calls Guru Gobind Singh great political leader and 

spiritual organizer for Sikhs but aligns him as one of the Hindu race. 

Rabindranath Tagore in a span of quarter century wrote a number 

of essays and poems about Guru Gobind Singh. All these works except 

one show a respectful attitude. However, in a preface to Sikh Guru or 

Sikh Jati, he wrote “finale of Sikh history was very tragic and tenth 

Guru bore the lion’s share of the responsibility for that.” By pointing 

an accusing finger at Guru Gobind Singh, poet’s image in Sikh psyche 

suffered a great dip. Even Himadri Banerjee does not justify this change 

in the views of Tagore, keeping in mind the voice of protest by Punjab’s 

oppressed rural peasantry. “So to criticize him (Guru Gobind Singh) 

for the communal discord in eastern India in the first decade of 

twentieth century is perhaps an incorrect historical formulation.” 

Rabinderanath’s digs no doubt hurt Sikh intellectuals in distant Punjab, 

rues the author. Jatras, Guru Gobinda in five acts by Haranath Bose, 

Sikher Katha a five-act play by Jatindranath Samadar, also criticized 

Guru Gobind Singh. It appears these Bengalis did not approve of 

Guru’s Khalsa army taking up the arms for stemming Mughals’ 

oppression and wanted Gandhi’s non-violence stance. 

Behold ! Subhash Chander Bose, another Bengali, did adopt armed 

struggle for country’s independence. Tinkari Banerjee presented in 

Guru Gobinda Singha, Guru’s life with references from Suraj Parkash 

and Dasam Granth. Banerjee Basant Kumar calls the Guru ‘a spirit of 

protest against oppression, a religious preacher, a creator of martial 

race’. It is well nigh impossible to even enumerate the Bengali authors 

of Sikh study. Japji Sahib’s Bengali translation in 1900 AD shows


107 

Bengalis’ early interest, including one by Jatindra Mohan Chatterjee 

who in old age embraced Sikhism. Sukhmani Sahib, Adi Granth, Dasam 

Granth have all been studied by Bengalis. In fact in 1873, Tagore after 

his sacred thread ceremony along with his father Debendranath went 

to the Golden Temple, Amritsar, and stayed there for a month. 

Haranchandra Chakladar’s translation of Adi Granth is a landmark 

achievement. Brahmos were the pioneers of Sikh studies. They 

appreciated the spirit of martyrdom and self-sacrifice. However, 

Tagore’s criticism of Guru Gobind Singh gave rise to bitter reaction in 

Punjab, understandably. His article ‘Sikh Swadhinata’ glorified Banda 

Bahadur’s Sikh tradition of martyrdom. The poem Bandibir 

immortalised this hero. Valour of young Nehal Singh, who at the time 

of execution thunders, “I am a Sikh” is highlighted by Tagore in his 

poem. Valour of Mani Singh, Mehtab Singh, Haqiqat Rai and Taru 

Singh is brought out. Bhai Mani Singh’s martyrdom in a biography 

Sikher Balidan by Kumudini Bose is remarkable. Prinsep’s stance 

against Maharaja Ranjit Singh is mentioned. Lepil Griffins’ Ranjit Singh 

mentions the treaty of Amritsar (1809). Maharaja bashers are also 

mentioned in passing. Even Tagore obliquely blames Maharaja for 

Sikh decline. 

Also included are Manmohan Bose’s drama Duleen and, 

Kaliprasanna’s novel Samrat O Sater Shap which discusses Maharani 

Jindan. 

In fact the two chapters on studies in Bengal are full of dramas, 

essays and poems about Sikhs, concentrating on their love for 

martyrdom. I really marvel at author’s in-depth and analytical study. I 

spent many midnight hours to go through this illuminating, educating 

and entertaining book. Lesser price of the book will encourage larger 

readership. 

¤

108 


SRI GURU PANTH PARKASH 

A REVIEW BY HARDEV SINGH * 

Author : Rattan Singh Bhangu 

Publisher : Singh Brothers, Bazar Mai Sewan, Amritsar, 2004 


Rattan Singh Bhangu, the author of Panth Parkash, was the 

grandson of famous Sikh warrior, Sardar Mehtab Singh Mirankotia, 

who killed Massa Ranghar in the holy precincts of Golden Temple, to 

liberate it from the sacrilege created by the marauder. This is considered 

to be an authentic source of Sikh history after the Guru period 

pertaining to the most crucial phase of the Sikh struggle during the 

eighteenth century. The author was persuaded by Captain Murray of 

the British army to compile the history of Sikh struggle leading to 

establishment of Khalsa Raj. The author started the work on this 

project in 1809 and completed it in 1841. It is based on interviews, 

family history and the information collected by the British and French 

officers about Punjab. Panth Parkash is basically an oral history text of 

the Sikh struggle during the 18 th Century. 

Rattan Singh Bhangu had no training in historiography, and there 

were no written accounts available regarding Sikh History. So he faced 

a formidable task to complete his project. The text was written in old 

Punjabi verse. Bhai Veer Singh, the great Sikh savant, got it printed in 

Vazier Hind Press, Amritsar in 1914. Balwant Singh Dhillon, the Editor 

of the present volume has done an excellent job by comparing the old 

hand-written manuscript of Panth Parkash with printed edition of Bhai 

Veer Singh. The edited version contains footnotes to explain the 

discrepancies of the old printed editions and the textual material. Singh 

* Dr, # 360, Sector 71, SAS Nagar, Mohali

SRI GURU PANTH PARKASH 

109 

Brothers have taken pains to publish and print it in the book form. 

Panth Parkash is an epic tale of Sikh struggle. It starts abruptly 

with the exit of French presence in and around Delhi, the fall of 

Marhatta empire and the onslaught of the British empire in northern 

India. British officers were baffled to know the rise of Sikh empire in 

Punjab, and hence they were keen to explore the Sikh religion and 

culture. Thus, a dialogue starts between Captain Murray and the author, 

who was persuaded to write an account of the Sikh struggle. 

The author traces the history of Sikh Gurus briefly and explains 

the need for creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh. Surprisingly, 

Bhangu is trapped by Hindu mythology and he considers Guru Nanak 

as an avtar of Raja Janak, the father of Sita! In the same vein, he 

narrates the story of Chandi puja by Guru Gobind Singh to create the 

Khalsa. On the Baisakhi day of 1699, 5000 Sikhs were baptised into 

the Khalsa fold. Bhangu gives a vivid picture of the baptised Sikhs, 

called Nihangs, who were soldiers of the Akal Purakh. They were 

moving armies of the Khalsa, took ration from the Sikh women and, 

if need be, looted the village folk and collected the tax. 

Panth Parkash is the only source of historical account of Banda 

and the establishment of Sikh rule in the Punjab. The revolution 

started with the victories of Banda Singh Bahadur was short-lived, as 

he lost support of Mata Sundri and a faction of the Sikhs, known as 

Tat Khalsa. In fact, Sikh historians have not done justice to the role 

played by Banda in liberating Punjab and creating an egalitarian society 

based on Sikh principles. It was a nascent Khalsa democracy which 

could not survive even for a decade. The crucial phase of Sikh 

struggle leading to the consolidation of power in the form of Sikh 

confederacies (Misals) in Punjab forms the core of Panth Parkash. The 

Sikh were fighting against the Mughals, Abdalis and Durranis to liberate 

Punjab. They left their homes and hearths, and were hiding in the 

jungles. It was a fight for survival. Golden Temple (Harimandir) was 

blown up to destroy the Sikh center of inspiration and spiritual power. 

It is fascinating to read the sterling role played by Nawab Kapoor 

Singh Virk and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in guiding the Sikh affairs. The 

Sikh holocausts known as Chhota and Vadda Ghalugharas are described 

by Rattan Singh Bhangu. The internecine quarrels among Sikh 

confederacies also find some mention. Baghel Singh conquered Delhi

110 


and established Sikh gurdwaras. It was a high tide of Sikh power. 

The author gives a fair account of Marhattas, Rohillas and their 

association with Sikh Sardars. Most of these conflicts ended in loot, 

plunder or conspiracies. It was a period when Mughal empire lost its 

vitality and the British East Indian Company advanced as a sovereign 

power to establish its rule over India. The role of cis-Satluj Sikh 

states to checkmate the progress of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and siding 

with the British does not find a mention. The author has failed to 

mentioned the current affairs of Khalsa Raj established by Maharaja 

Ranjit Singh. The formation of Phulkia states and the role played by 

Ala Singh in Sikh affairs, however, do find a mention in Panth Parkash. 

It will be appropriate if this original source of Sikh history is translated 

into English. 

¤ 

God is so merciful that 

He bestows virtue on the repenting non-virtuous 

And increases blessedness on the striving virtuous. 

But I cannot think of any one 

Who can do Him any good in return. 


nwnk inrguix guxu kry guxvMiqAw guxu dy ] 

qyhw koie n suJeI ij iqsu guxu koie kry ]

CONNECTING THE DOTS IN SIKH HISTORY 

A REVIEW BY BHUPINDER SINGH MAHAL * 

Author : Harbans Singh Noor 

Publisher : Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh 

Pages 127; Price Rs 150/- 

Different writers may assess and describe the same key event 

from different angles, depending on how they translate available 

historical records in their own mind’s eye. On occasions, new facts 

may surface that change the historical dynamics. History, therefore, 

may not always reveal the full panoramic view of certain events. 

The author singles out crucial turning points in Sikh history that, 

his research shows, were not satisfactorily explained, and hence their 

import not fully understood. 

Not that information or evidence was not available to other 

writers, but that these sources may have escaped their notice, or they 

were not referred to, or lacked proper interpretation or simply passed 

over. He delves into historical documents and other sources to shed 

new light on these events. His vantage point provides an intriguing 

perspective on some key incidents. Not surprisingly, he paints a picture 

slightly different from that taught in history classes. 

The author first hit on the idea of ‘dot’ from the findings of the 

9/11 inquiry which concluded that had FBI been able to connect the 

critical information lying strewn in the files of various intelligence 

agencies, each file a dot, they may have prevented the attack. 

The ‘dot’ in the title, therefore, represents fresh data that either 

adds a new dimension to, or subtracts an untenable element from, 

current memory. For this reason, the book is not a primer. Only the 

* # 6, Golfview Cr, Dundas, Ontario L9H 6V7, Canada

112 


knowledgeable reader is in a position to weigh up the merits of the 

modified perspective. However, there are chapters offering no new 

perspective (e.g., Chapter 4 – “End of the Masand System and the Birth of 

Khalsa” – and as such dot-less). 

Writer’s prose is crisp and distinct. He expresses his thoughts 

and arguments with economy. There are publishing oversights, such 

as, presenting the appendixes as chapters rather than as addendums or 

supplements and the odd printing mistake. 

In his otherwise excellent introduction, Dr Kharak Singh 

mistakenly views the book as an anthology; and, therefore, incorrectly 

concludes that the book “is not a systematic account of any particular 

period of Sikh history”. Rather, the book is an abstract of events that 

the author believes were chronicled on the bases of incomplete data. 

Born in a devout Sikh family, septuagenarian Sardar Harbans 

Singh Noor graduated from Punjab University of Lahore in 1943, 

choosing to make a career in journalism. He retired in 1984, after 

serving 26 years as Cultural Affairs Specialist with the United States 

Information Service, in New Delhi, to devote his life in the cause of 

Sikhism. He resides in Baltimore (USA). 

The author begins his quest by a fairly grim portrayal of Europe 

during Guru Nanak’s life. He describes an ecclesiastical Europe under 

the religious dominion of a corrupt papacy. The author blames Pope 

Sixtus lV for “establishing the Spanish Inquisition” that was intended 

to purify Spain and Portugal from heretics. 

In reality it was the devout Isabella, a Castillion, and Ferdinand, 

an Aragonese, who executed the Inquisition in order to wipe out the 

Jewish and Muslim religions from their domain. Pope Sixtus agreed to 

issue a papal bull only under threat of withdrawal by Ferdinand of the 

Spanish garrisons from Sicily. 

Most of the author’s “ethnic cleansing” and hounding of witches 

was confined to some territories within Spain, which was not yet a 

single state, but an amalgamation of reigns, and Portugal. These two 

regions do not a Europe make. 

Rather, Europe was emerging from the dark days of Middle Ages 

into an era known as the Renaissance that witnessed the introduction 

of print technology, flourishing of artistic, social, scientific, and 

political thought, and discovery of sea routes between all continents.

CONNECTING THE DOTS IN SIKH HISTORY 

113 

The anecdote about the young Brahmin Yodhan who was executed 

on the judgement of the Ulema, in 1499, for his advocacy of sameness 

of religions - “Religion of the Musalman is true and so also is that of the 

Hindus” - may have so troubled Nanak that, on emerging from the 

river after three missing days, he uttered the revelatory words “Na ko 

Hindu, na ko Musalman”. This incident is the first of the connecting 

‘dots’. 

The author refutes the version of a few notable events in the life 

of Guru Gobind Singh as given by some historians. 

He challenges the prevailing view reporting the despatch of a 

squad of soldiers by Guru ji to help Bahadur Shah in his campaign for 

succession. According to the writer the 200-300 strong Sikh cavalry 

would have made no difference to Bahadur Shah as he “deployed 

152,000 horsemen and 178,000 foot soldiers” at the battleground of 

Jajau. He further questions, though unjustifiably, if ever there was an 

intermediary. He is referred to Dr Gopal Singh’s chapter on Guru 

Gobind Singh, in particular the footnote that asserts, “This intermediary 

is said to have been Bhai Nand Lal (who was at one time) employed as 

Mir Munshi with Prince Muazzam”. 

Guru Gobind Singh’s complaints against (a) Wazir Khan for the 

brutal killing of his infant sons, and (b) Imperial armies “joining (the 

hill Rajahs) without any justification” in forcing him to vacate the fort 

at Anandpur, fell on deaf ears of the emperor. Because Bahadur Shah 

was beholden to Wazir Khan for the latter’s help during the war of 

succession and a donation of 8 lakhs rupees to the imperial treasury. 

As reward Wazir Khan’s status was elevated, affording him 

“exempt(ion) from any conditions and obligations to the state”. 

Sada Kaur lived a colourful history. On the death of Kanahiya 

misl chieftain Jai Singh, she inherited the bulk of the misl. She continued 

to maintain her own army even during her relationship as a mother-inlaw 

to Ranjit Singh. She led her forces, in 1799, alongside that of 

Ranjit Singh to capture Lahore, then a remnant of the Bhangian misl 

headed by Sardar Chet Singh. 

Her power and influence on Ranjit Singh vacillated inversely to 

her daughter giving an heir. She flirted with the idea of an alliance 

with the British to unseat Ranjit Singh. She is described as “the most 

remarkable woman in the history of Punjab”; instead, some will point

114 


to her notoriety. Her behaviour was typical of misl leader mentality, 

in order to compete for regional hegemony or to exact vengeance from 

a confederate. 

Author makes an erroneous claim that, “At the time of accession 

to the throne of his father, Ranjit Singh, was only 10 years old”. No 

kingdom had yet been established. At the time (1790) Lahore was 

under Bhangian misl rule. Sohan Singh Seetal, in his study of the misl 

period, writes, “Maharaja Ranjit Singh confiscated the entire territory 

of the (Naqaian) misl, in 1810, and bestowed these territories upon 

Prince Kharak Singh as a jagir”. 

The author makes a persuasive case about the fate of the Princes 

of the realm. He makes a good case for the murder of Prince Nau 

Nihal Singh; and punctures the myth of it being an accident. He 

provides a fairly compelling evidence suggesting that the young Prince 

Duleep Singh was brainwashed to embrace the Christian faith by his 

tutor Bhajun Lal, a Brahmin who had converted to Christianity, and 

his guardian, Dr John Spencer Login, a man imbued with missionary 

zeal. 

The author includes a homage paid by Qazi Nur Muhammad in 

his Jangnamah (1765), that draws a quintessential portrait of the Sikh 

soldier as a noble warrior contrary to the scornfully inimical images 

(‘dogs’) promoted during Durrani’s jihad against the Sikhs. 

His narrative of the 1857 mutiny is enthralling. He discounts 

the notion of Sikh betrayal that resulted in its failure. Instead, he 

blames Sikh Rajahs and Poorbias, the duplicitous traitors who sided 

with the British. 

The book is the product of painstaking research. The author has 

sifted through a wide range of historical documents to build a case 

intended to modify our current thinking on some key turning points in 

Sikh history. His book will be a valuable addition in one’s collection. 

¤

ON SIKH IDENTITY 

A REVIEW BY KARTAR SINGH * 

Author : Birendra Kaur 

Publisher : Singh Brothers, Amritsar 


The Sikhs as a people are in a pitiable plight today. There is hardly 

anything alright with them. Their history is in shambles; a sheaf of 

hearsay stories that do not stand scientific scrutiny, a large volume of 

it. Their tradition is losing its grip on the new generations, one after 

the other. Their faith, one of the most modem and most scientific 

religions in the world, is getting more and more unrevealed. Their way 

of life is becoming out-of-fashion. Their art lies uncared for. Their 

music is neglected. Their literature has narrowed itself to the confines 

of a truncated Suba divided and subdivided time and again. They can 

no more claim heroes like Banda Singh Bahadur and Bhagat Singh, 

scholars of the eminence of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha and Bhai Vir 

Singh, freedom fighters of the grit of Baba Kharak Singh and Master 

Tara Singh, poets like Puran Singh and artists like Amrita Shergill. 

A welcome opportunity came their way in the celebration of the 

tercentenary of the Khalsa. They could realign themselves. It has gone 

utter waste in drum beating. Crores of rupees have been washed down 

the drain. The Sikh people are where they were. 

However, it has stirred some souls here and there to have a close 

look at the dismal scenario to find out where we have gone wrong. Dr 

Birendra Kaur’s volume of essays, On Sikh Identity, is one such valiant 

endeavour. I welcome it, more because it comes from a generation 

* 

MP, I am dropping ‘Duggal’ at least in this instance out of consideration for the 

author’s berating of surnames; P-7, Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi - 110 016

116 


given to the dilemma to be or not to be. 

Daughter of Dr Kharak Singh, a Sikh scholar of undisputed 

credentials, the young author has the advantage of speaking in the 

idiom of the Sikh youth of today. She relentlessly touches the raw 

nerves and soothens them with the paste of truth and plain-speak. 

And when it comes from a person who saw the light of the day about 

a decade after India became independent, it carries conviction. 

There is hardly a live issue relating to the Sikh faith and the Sikh 

way of life today which has escaped her scrutiny. Every topic she 

takes up, whether it is Sikh religion, Sikh tradition, Sikh identity, 

Gurdwara legislation, or Operation Bluestar, she brings fresh thinking 

to bear upon it and supports her argument with the impeccable candour 

of a student of science. 

A no non-sense writer, her convictions are revealed in stray 

observations. To quote only two : 

“The reason that Sikhs often cut a sorry figure today is that the 

majority of us are Sikhs by birth only. We are actually doing more 

harm than good to Sikhism. Sikhism is not a faith that you can lay 

claim to by birth. It is a faith that requires commitment and 

conversion by choice.” 

“No doubt, the hukamnama on langar was a hasty decision. Wisdom 

is not in issuing the right verdict; it is in achieving the right goal.” 

Be that as it may, as I write these lines, I am reminded again and 

again that I was, perhaps, the last fellow-writer to have been asked to 

introduce this highly enlightening work. I would fail the learned author 

in more than one aspects in my personal life. And yet I must say that 

her arguments leave me convinced, that what she says is nearer the 

truth than my postulates and practices. 

I welcome the new entrant in the gallery of meaningful writers 

on Sikh faith and the Sikh way of life. 

¤

NEWS & VIEWS 

117 

NEWS & VIEWS 

ANNUAL SEMINAR 2005 

It has been decided to hold the annual seminar of the Institute 

Of Sikh Studies this year on 12 th -13 th November (Katak 29-30, 537 

NS). The theme of the seminar is Launching of the International Sikh 

Confederation. The propsed constitution will be discussed and approved 

after considering the suggestions given by the speakers and those 

received by mail from the Sikh organisations and individual Sikh 

scholars from different countries. Many representatives of Sikh 

organisations from USA, Canada, UK, Singapore, etc., have agreed to 

participate in the seminar and formally sponsor the Confederation 

during the seminar. 

All Sikhs committed to bring back the pristine glory of the Panth 

are cordially invited to join it so that the prestigious Organisation is 

set rolling during this seminar. 

~~~ 

INSTITUTE MEMBERS HONOURED 

Dr Kharak Singh was given Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra award 

instituted by Sikh Educational Society for meritorious services to Sikh 

Panth. The award carries Rs. 51, 000/- cash, a shawl and a citation. 

~~~ 

Prof Hardev Singh Virk, an active member of the Institute of 

Sikh Studies has been appointed as Advisor to National Committee 

for Promotion of Science in India by the Chairman, Atomic Energy. 

~~~.

118 


Maj Gen (Dr) Jaswant Singh, Secretary of the Institute of Sikh 

Studies participated in a National Seminar on National Integration and 

Communal Harmony - Challenges and Action Plans at Guru Jambheshwar 

University, Hissar and chaired the first Session. 

~~~ 

SEMINAR ON 21ST INTERNATIONAL PUNJABI CONFERENCE 

The Punjabi University, Patiala organized the 21st International 

Punjabi Conference on March 10-12, 2005. Its second day afternoon 

session was presided over by Bhai Ashok Singh Bagrian, Vice-President, 

Institute of Sikh Studies. 

~~~ 

DR & MRS S S SODHI VISIT THE INSTITUTE 

Dr S S Sodhi and his wife Satpal Kaur Sodhi visited the Institute 

of Sikh Studies on March 4, 2005. They were welcomed by the 

President, Sardar Gurdev Singh. Both of them addressed the members. 

During her teaching career, Mrs Sodhi, a great scholar, conducted 

workshops and in-service trainings for school teachers and 

administrators in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is invited to give 

presentations and addresses to important conferences. Unfortunately, 

she got a stroke in 2000 and lost her speech. She thought over it and 

accepted it as the will of God and as a blessing. A miracle happened, 

slowly she regained her speech. She wrote in 2003 a popular book, 

Live Authentically and Just Be; later she authored The Message of Jap Ji. 

She has now devoted her life in the service of humanity and to spreading 

the message of gurbani. 

Dr Sodhi is already known to the readers for his articles exposing 

the intentional mis-representations of the Sikh heritage by the McLeod 

group. Dr Sodhi stated that IOSS has constantly taken sound positions 

on various issues concerning the Sikhs and the people looked to it to 

provide guidance and leadership for proper functioning of various Sikh 

institutions. Dr Sodhi further stated that he would not only marshal 

support for early organisation of the International Sikh Confederation 

abroad, but he, along with his associates in North America, would 

also come to Chandigarh in November 2005 to participate in the IOSS 

seminar that will deliberate on the subject of organisation of the 

International Sikh Confederation. He suggested that it is time to

NEWS & VIEWS 

119 

establish a Chair on Sikh Chairs in the universities so that not only the 

public but also those who sponsor these chairs know the ulterior 

motives of this group and take necessary steps to stop the distortion 

of truth (regarding the Sikh Faith) done by these chairs. His suggestion 

was well taken by the members and it was agreed that till a formal 

machanism to establish a Chair over Chairs is evolved, Dr Sodhi may 

oversee the publications of the various individuals outside India. If 

he feels some action is needed with respect to a particular publication, 

he may bring it to the notice of the IOSS and they will promptly take 

necessary action. 

~~~ 

SPEAKERS DEMYSTIFY GURU GRANTH SAHIB 

Hyderabad, Jan 8. “The Guru Granth Sahib has a message for 

people hailing from all religions.” said speakers at a seminar on the 

Guru Granth Sahib as an inter-faith guide. Most of the speakers at the 

seminar laid stress on the message of universal brotherhood and peace 

in the Guru Granth Sahib. 

Inaugurating the seminar, Justice Sardar Ali Khan, former 

chairman of the national commission for minorities, said that the holy 

book does not differentiate between religions and emphasises love 

and compassion. He said, “It provides solutions to most of the problems 

the world is facing. There is urgent need to imbibe its message.” 

Pradesh Congress Committee President K Keshava Rao said, 

“People from other religions should read it at least once in their lifetime. 

(Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle, January 9, 2005) 

~~~ 

SEHAJ PATH MOVEMENT – A BIG DRAW 

The Sikh Rehat Maryada states clearly that every Sikh, man, 

woman, boy and girl, should learn Gurmukhi to be able to read Guru 

Granth Sahib. It is desirable that every Sikh should carry on a 

continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib and complete a full 

reading in one or two months or over a longer period. 

The recitation and understanding of gurbani is the best way of 

celebrating the quadricentennial of the first installation of Guru Granth 

Sahib, at Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Therefore, Guru Gobind Singh Study

120 


Circle initiated a massive sehaj path movement in connection with these 

celebrations of the first parkash of Guru Granth Sahib. It got immense 

response from youth all over the country, especially Punjab. 

An overwhelming number of participants, 13,000 students, 

started their sehaj path all over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and 

other states. So much so, that there was a shortage of Sanchis and 

Shabdarth with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee 

(SGPC) and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee 

(DSGMC). The SGPC helped the movement by supplying the shabdarth 

at half price. 

Nearly 4000 students completed the first full reading of Guru 

Granth Sahib and participated in the examination. About 200 Hindu 

students and one Muslim girl also recited the full sehaj path. The ETC 

Punjabi Channel has recorded a full recitation of Guru Granth Sahib 

exclusively done by the students. A nine year old student of 4th class 

from Mohali recited the sehaj path which will be relayed by the channel. 

Not the leaders but the gursikhs, who themselves do sehaj path, 

were invited to give away prizes to the winners of the Sehaj Path 

competition. It was decided that the students would be awarded prizes 

in their respective schools so that others may also be inspired to 

participate. It is also noteworthy that majority of the top prizes were 

won by the rural students. Mrs Simranjit Kaur of Guru Harkrishan 

school, village Nayagaon, tehsil Samana, District Patiala won a 

computer. In district Amritsar, Inderjit Kaur, a 12th standard student 

of Guru ki Beer, and Shamsher Singh, a tenth class student of 

Ghaseetpura, Taran Tarn won refrigerators. Similarly, in other districts 

students won refrigerators, TVs, Casios, etc. Other prizes included 

cycles, wristwatches, handbags, sewing machines, table lamps, electric 

irons, blenders, etc. Maximum participants were from district Patiala, 

followed by Ludhiana, Sangrur and Amritsar. 

The impressions of the students who completed their sehaj path 

are marvellous. While many students mentioned that they got peace 

of mind by recitation, there were others who admitted that disputes 

and quarrels in their families lessened significantly. Many students 

informed that their fathers quitted drinking liquor and the abuse of 

drugs. When asked the reason, students replied that when they were 

reciting sehaj path at home, sometimes their fathers used to come home

NEWS & VIEWS 

121 

drunk or with a liquor bottle, they felt ashamed watching us. 

“Uncle ! Now only we have come to know that Guru Granth 

Sahib is for reading. Earlier, we thought only bowing to it is enough.” 

“Now that I have completed one path, I wish to start another. I 

have found an aim of my life.” 

“I got peace of my mind. My anger and stress have come down 

heavily.” 

It was felt that the sehaj path is the cure-all of all ills. One daily 

gets novel spiritual food, hence, he/she (i) will not fall to apostasy; (ii) 

will be saved from drugs and other evils; (iii) shall not fall in the trap 

of so-called ‘saints’ and deras. Furthermore, gurbani is so cosmic that 

we get answers to all our doubts/problems. 

Now on demand from students, it has been decided that the 

competition will continue till the year 2008 when the tercentenary of 

gurgaddi purab of Guru Granth Sahib will be celebrated. Interested 

participants can get a copy of Sehaj Path diary free of cost from Guru 

Gobind Singh Study Circle, Model Town Extension, Ludhiana - 141002 

or can email their demand at renukass@hotmail.com or call on 09855 

400 300. (Courtesy : E-mail report by Renuka Sarabjeet Singh 

) 

~~~ 

FRENCH BAN ON TURBAN 

January 22, 2005. The IOSS has asked the French Ambassader 

in India to take up the matter of ban on turban, with his government 

in Paris. The letter written by the President of the Institute of Sikh 

Studies, Chandigarh is reproduced below :. 

To 

The H E Dominique Ghirard, 

Ambassador of France to India, 

New Delhi 

Your Excellency, 

You must be aware of the suffering of the Sikh minority in France 

and the anguish of the Sikh community across the globe, caused by

122 


the recent French ban on wearing of turbans. Countless representations 

have been addressed to the French Govt with no results. This lack of 

response, and indifference to the feelings of the followers of a major 

world religion, adds to the widespread unrest and leads to resentment. 

I enclose herewith a brief note ‘Turban and the Sikhs’, which 

without going into philosophical or historical details, explains that 

turban is an essential and indispensable part of the Sikhs’ personality 

and religious discipline. It is not merely a symbol and is not optional. 

The French people are known for their liberal approach. They 

gave the lead to the world in this respect through the famous French 

Revolution under the banner of ‘Equality, Fraternity and Liberty’, 

inspired by great thinkers and philosophers like Voltaire and Russeau 

centuries back. We believe they will not fail to understand the depth 

of feelings of Sikhs and the grievous hurt caused to them by the ban 

on turbans, which tantamounts to encroachment on their liberty and 

the fundamental right to freedom of faith. 

We request Your Excellency, therefore, to kindly take up the 

matter with your government to get the ban withdrawn. We trust, the 

French Govt will not like to miss this opportunity to win the goodwill 

of the Sikh people. 

Gurdev Singh 

January 22, 2005 

President 

TURBAN AND THE SIKHS 

Turban is an integral part of the Sikh religious discipline and 

expression of the total Sikh spiritual philosophy. Sikh thought is 

uncompromisingly monotheistic believing in only One God who 

created the universe and looks after it with His benevolent Will. A 

Sikh is required to strictly follow His Will. This is the basic creed of 

Sikhism (j[ew oikJh ubDk). 

The Guru explains that all living beings and their forms are the 

result of His Will or hukam. The human form has also been bestowed 

by God. Hair is a prominent feature of the human male. A Sikh 

respects it as a gift of God and does not tamper with it. He respects

NEWS & VIEWS 

123 

it. Shaving is a violation of religious discipline. 

Sikh religion is a whole-life religion. Asceticism or monasticism 

has no place in the Sikh way of life. The Guru prescribed a system 

aimed at balanced and full development of the individual as well as 

society. Thus, in Sikhism, religion is not isolated from worldly life, as 

in some other contemporary systems. It demands full interest in one’s 

personal occupation, family life and social activities. It stresses the 

need for honest labour, hard work and sharing one’s earning with others 

in need. It prescribes a conduct based on highest moral and ethical 

values, considering all human beings as children of One God, or a 

belief in the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of mankind. 

The Sikh ideal is a saint-soldier. He is expected to be saintly in 

his dealings with his fellowmen. At the same time, he is expected to 

fight for the cause of the weak and for justice. 

Because of whole-life nature of Sikh religion, and because he 

has to respect the human form given by the Creator, a Sikh has to look 

after his hair. Loose hair does not go with the requirements of a saintsoldier 

or a man engaged in worldly pursuits. Turban is, therefore, 

indispensable for a Sikh. 

The complete human form has been referred to in the Guru 

Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture as the one with turban (;kps ;{os 

d;sko f;ok) . Turban is thus not merely a symbol or headwear that can 

be replaced or dispensed with for a Sikh. It is an integral part of his 

personality. 

Religion implies faith – faith in the Founder. Disciple imitates 

(emulates) him. The founders of the Sikh faith, the Ten Masters, all 

donned turban. How can their Sikhs do otherwise 

Turban carries with it responsibilities of a good citizen committed 

to service of mankind regardless of religious denomination, nationality, 

color or race. 

Ban on turban is an infringement on the freedom of faith and is 

violation of the fundamental rights of equality, liberty and fraternity, 

for which the French Revolution is remembered and which are so dear 

to the French. 

~~~

124 


PUNJAB GOVERNMENT’S STATUS REPORT ON RURAL SUICIDES 

MASR demands Waiver of Institutional Loans 

Chandigarh, January 6, 2005. Sardar Inderjeet Singh Jaijee, 

Convenor, Movement Against State Repression, has asked the Punjab 

Government to conduct a survey into the conditions leading to 

continued suicide deaths of farmers, and to take suitable steps to 

ameliorate these conditions. A letter written by Sardar Inderjeet Singh 

Jaijee to the Chief Secretary, Punjab is reproduced below: 

Dear Sardar Gill, 

The Revenue Department has been investigating rural suicides 

for some time. Their initial report on 29 cases that I presented to the 

government established that all the cases were genuine suicides, of 

which 26 were due to debt and economic hardship. This indicated 

that more than 90 per cent were due to debt. This finding was supported 

by a survey conducted by the Panjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, 

at the behest of the Central Government. The PAU survey blamed 86 

per cent of rural suicides on economic hardship and debt. I am 

enclosing a list of 231 suicides that were committed after April 1, 

2001 from the two blocks of Andana and Lehra. Apart from this, 18 

suicides are under investigation and there are 21 cases of 

disappearances. Our data reflects only cases brought to our notice by 

our informants in some of the villages. 

If full data for these two blocks were collected, there would be a 

minimum of 300 cases in three years. This represents approximately 

50 suicide deaths per block per year. Punjab has 138 blocks and one 

must presume that distress is widely distributed throughout the state 

but, as the government report suggests, Malwa, Amritsar and 

Gurdaspur are more affected than other areas. The Punjab government’s 

recently released Status Report on rural suicides sent to the Center 

mentions 2,116 suicide deaths since 1988. This is a gross underreporting. 

We have verified record of 600 cases for this period from 

Andana and Lehra alone. The rural suicides per year for all of Punjab 

would far exceed 2,116 ...the number the government report gives for 

16 years. 

Last week our researcher initiated a survey in Dhun Dhaiwala 

village, Tarn Taran Subdivision. This brought out 18 cases of suicides

NEWS & VIEWS 

125 

over the past decade in this very small village. The cause is again 

economic distress and indebtedness. We enclose the data for your 

perusal. This village is in Majha and it is a safe bet that a similar level 

of rural suicide will be found no matter which corner of the state one 

probes. It points to an already far advanced agrarian crisis. Punjab is 

witnessing the total collapse of its rural economy and the state has 

nothing to substitute for agriculture as a livelihood for the bulk of its 

people. 

The farmer is being dispossessed of his land at an alarming rate. 

Without land he is forced into share-cropping or agricultural labour. 

An investigation into the dispossession of Punjab’s traditional agrarian 

class is required. More than a decade ago, the state’s economic statistical 

abstract placed land holding of 94 per cent of the farmers at less than 

four acres. Updated findings would place holdings more in the range 

of one to two acres. For years, rural economists at agriculture 

universities in Punjab and Haryana have been saying that given the 

price structure, holdings below 14 acres are not economically viable. 

Movement Against State Repression’s (MASR) investigations have 

found that in addition to farmers, other village residents who commit 

suicide are agricultural labourers and those dependent on income 

generated by agriculture. 

For the past ten years MASR has been reporting its findings to 

the state and central government; we have no interest in either 

exaggerating the number or minimizing it. 

It is important for the state government to immediately begin 

recording and investigating rural suicides for all Punjab’s 12,500 

villages and we hope you will initiate this process. This would be 

the first step in efforts to prevent the disappearance of the farmer 

and the traditional village community from the state. We have learnt 

that the task of investigating debt-related rural suicides was 

transferred from the Revenue Department to the Agriculture 

Department. While the Agriculture Department is familiar with 

farm economy and institutional credit, it is not familiar with landless 

labour, the workings of non-institutional finance and factors 

underlying dispossession of farmland. Make investigation of rural 

suicides dating back to 1988 the responsibility of the village

126 


panchayats. Let them submit the information to the state government 

within one month. This information should then be verified by the 

Revenue Department. The Revenue Department or PAU, or a 

professional agency should be entrusted with the job of conducting 

a survey to determine the exact position on land holdings, rural 

income and extent of indebtedness. 

Meanwhile, I we hope you will pay earnest attention to a 

suggestion that, as is done in Himachal Pradesh and some other 

states, Punjab restricts sale of agriculture land exclusively to bona 

fide agriculturalists of the state and agricultural land be protected 

against alienation. 

Credible agencies estimate current rural indebtedness in Punjab 

at Rs 25,000 to 30,000 crore (2002-03). Farmers are going in loss 

year after year and have no income with which to repay debts. The 

situation is so grave that it requires total waiver of repayment of 

institutional loans. The state government must establish debt 

conciliation boards at sub-divisional level to examine legality of 

non-institutional debts and settle dues as was done by the Punjab 

Government in the 1930’s. Enforce the principle of dam-dopat and 

the law regarding presentation of accurate semi-annual accounts 

to the debtor. 

Inderjit Singh Jaijee, Convenor 

Movement Against State Repression 

l501, Sector 36-D , Chandigarh 

~~~ 

Letters To Editor 

ALL FOR IT 

Dear Editor, 

We are very pleased to learn about your decision to proceed 

to form an Organisation representing the Sikhs of the globe. Your 

phamphlet International Sikh Confederation (Sikh Apex Body) its need 

and proposed Constitution provides very well thought out proposal 

for this organization. Sikh Professional Association of Canada 

will circulate this document among its members and also pass on

NEWS & VIEWS 

127 

this information to other Sikh organisations and individuals for 

their consideration and input about the scope and constitution of 

this important institutional development for the world Sikh 

community. You have our full and considered support to evolve 

and form this Organisation. 

Tarsem Singh Purewal 

President, Sikh Professional Association 

Canada 

~~~ 

ON A REVIEW BY DR HARDEV SINGH OF IN THE WITCHES CAULDRON 

Dear Editor 

The learned critic has reviewed my above book in the Issue of 

January-March,2005 of your esteemed journal. I would like to state, 

to set the record straight, as under: 

In the critical appreciation of the chapter entitled “Fabricating 

Myths”, he has made the following comments: 

“His thesis that the concept of panch (elected five) is borrowed 

by Guru Nanak from the Greeks during his sojourn in Iraq seems 

to be a fig of his imagination…. My forays into the history of 

science convinced me that Greeks believed in the four element 

theory and Indians promoted the five-element theory (panch tatva) 

of the universe.” 

I had nowhere discussed the panch tatva theory compared to 

the Greek four element theory in the said chapter of my book. My 

analysis was regarding strong objection and criticism by Guru Nanak 

against the prevailing autocratic rule of corrupt officialdom and 

royalty in India and the outspoken comments made fearlessly by 

Guru Nanak and the succeeding Masters, for which three of them 

paid the price with their lives. Sikh Gurus envisaged a Society free 

of crime, dishonesty, bribes and tyranny. They sang of halemi raj 

and selected texts to include in the Guru Granth Sahib on Begum 

Pura. Travelling extensively in the Middle East and staying at 

Baghdad, an important centre of learning in those times, Guru 

Nanak could not have remained unimpressed by the current 

controversies there among the Judaic, Christian and Muslim religions

128 


and the popularity of the Greek philosophy. It is but natural that 

Guru Nanak seems to have been highly impressed with the Spartan 

culture and Platonic concept of Philosopher-Ruler. Plato’s works 

including the Republic were already translated into Arabic and other 

languages popular in the Middle East, about the desirability of 

clean government and society. 

Nevertheless, it has no relation with the panch tatva, theory of 

Indian philosophy. In passing, it may be mentioned that in the Vedic 

literature, an important school was founded by Brihspati, who 

propagated the four-element theory, based on sensory perception, 

which his descendents abandoned under pressure of other Vedic 

schools and scholars. 

Gajindar Singh 

# 2983, Sector 61, Mohali 

~~~ 

IF LEADERS DON’T LEAD 

Dear Editor, 

I read with great interest the book Guru Granth-Guru Panth. 

This seminar addressed the issues that are the need of the time. I 

believe there are many committed and dedicated Sikh scholars who 

have the vision to guide Sikh Kaum in right direction. First effort 

should be to involve Sri Akal Takht Sahib and SGPC. In case the 

Sikh scholars do not get proper response, they should take the lead 

themsleves. I live in Vancouver, Canada and I am close to my 

retirement from Senior Management in the Bank. I will appreciate 

receiving update on progress made since the November 2003 

seminar. 

Harbans Singh Kandola 

 

~~~

editorial articles reviews news & views - Institute of Sikh Studies

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?