Our generation may not be aware of the term "Sarbat Khalsa". It means the congregation of the entire Khalsa Panth that is scattered all over the globe. "Sarbat Khalsa" came into existence after the demise of Banda Singh Bahadur when the entire community was divided into 12 jathas or misls namely:
From the origin of the "Sarbat Khalsa" we draw an image about a community event in our mind which is held with really high esteem. But fact of the matter is that all the sikh misls were subject to infighting in that era just like the different sikh organizations and political parties are subject to infighting out of their different ideologies and different political ambitions. Last time when "Sarbat Khalsa" was held in 1986, it was the time when the sikh community was going through one of the darkest periods of the modern history and it was a period of extreme crisis for sikhs and also the Khalsa Panth. Last time it happened twice in 1986. This is what happened then:
After the 1980's Sant Baba Thakur Singh Jee Served the khalsa panth and the khalistan movement in various ways, under the guidance of Damdami Taksaal and Baba Jee the Panth Observed the Sarbat Khalsa in 1986. Baba Jee helped the families of the shaheeds and inspired many thousands of youth into the khalsa fold. On 26th of January 1986 the Damdami Taksal organized a Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh national gathering) at the Akal Takht in Amritsar, Punjab where a resolution for Khalistan was passed.
Later that same year on April 29 a second Sarbat Khalsa was held, also at the Akal Takht in Amritsar, where a declaration of the independence of Khalistan was made and a 5 member Panthic Committee was constituted in order to carry out the objective of overseeing the independence of Khalistan.
Initially after the demolition of the government sponsored Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, different Sants were given the seva of re-building it, but none of them were up to the humongous task ahead of them. The re-building had a stop and start fashion to it and in the end Baba Jee took on the leadership of the re-construction project, after which, the re-construction made steady progress.
In short, the following resolutions were passed at Sarbat Khalsa 1986:
It is also worth watching some videos of the same on youtube. The following is video of Declaration of Khalistan by Sarbat Khalsa in 1986:
Now the Sarbat Khalsa is scheduled to be held this Diwali. It is because various sikh outfits feel that pardoning of the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for impersonating like Guru Gobind Singh ji was an anti-sikh decision and as a revolt of which they have given a call for the Sarbat Khalsa. This can be read in detail on the following link:
http://sikhsiyasat.net/2015/09/27/sikh-bodies-hold-to-announce-sarbat-khalsa-on-diwali/
Interestingly after this announcement, this news hasn't featured in any of the Indian newspapers or any news-channels. And after the announcement, the very next day there was an interim meeting called upon by the SGPC where 80 out of the present 90 members (out of a house of 185 where 170 are elected and 15 are nominated members), supported the Akal Takht Jathedar for his decision. Though the appointment of the Jathedars of various Takhts have always been under a shadow of doubt and skepticism, the role and responsibilities of a Jathedar can somehow be defined and I tried to do it in my article "Jathedar- the CEO of takht" the link to which is:
http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/jathedars-ceos-of-takhats.html
Now in the present scenario we can clearly see the community divided into two factions. One comprises the SGPC owing allegiance to the government and the mainstream political party SAD (Badal) which is in power in the state. On the other hand, the faction consists of various radical outfits like Damdami Taksaal, Babbar Khalsa, United Akali Dal, SAD (Amritsar) that aren't a part of the government. And there is a clear indication that the former group will try to snub the event best under their capacity whereas the latter group will give it everything they have to make it a success and hype it as much as they can. But what should a common sikh like me do under such circumstances ?? My answer is simply maintain a neutral opinion and adopt a balanced approach to the series of events.
Though the venue of the Sarbat Khalsa has not been announced yet but it is most likely to be held at Akal Takht sahib in the Golden Temple complex which is considered to be a territory of the SGPC task force but as per the last Sarbat Khalsa's resolution, SGPC is a non-entity for them but I believe that SGPC is important to carry out the day to day activities and the maintenance of the holy shrines. Hence, I can foresee a huge congregation at the event and heavy deployment of police and para-military forces around Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib.
I'm sure that some really aggressive decisions are likely to be announced at the congregation and it will be interesting to see how aggressive they can get. One such resolution that is likely to be passed is "Ostracism of Parkash Singh Badal from Khalsa Panth or Scrapping away the honor of "Panth Rattan" from him". Another aggressive decision could be "Scrapping away the title of "Jathedar" from Giani Gurbachan Singh, an alleged Badal loyalist." But if I'm allowed to give an honest opinion on this subject, I do not want to see any social unrest or ruthless courage to be shown at the gathering. The entire Sikh diaspora and the Khalsa Panth should realize that the whole world will be having eyes on us and we need to pass resolutions which are in the greater interest of humanity and not just sikh community or Khalsa panth and our ethics, morality, long-term vision and foresight should be reflected from those resolutions. Hence ''Sarbat Khalsa" should not be reduced to just a ceremonial event which is low on substance and high on flamboyance. Though I'm not affiliated to any political party or a right-wing "Jathe-bandi" but I'm just a concerned sikh about my community trying to do something for its welfare by writing this article.
On Gurmeet Ram Rahim, I want to say that both the Indian and the NRI sikhs should realize how regressive is the state of affairs in Punjab where "religion and spirituality" is still, one of the most lucrative industries and cult leaders like Gurmeet Ram Rahim are still among the economic elites of Punjab. I've written an article dedicated to this subject and the link is:
http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/cult-leaders-economic-elites-of-punjab.html
Though I have also mentioned about the other Deras like Nirankaris operating in Punjab which are even more powerful than Dera Sacha Sauda but something which is worth mentioning here is that in any industry an upcoming product or a brand is subject to criticism, once it gets established it is never challenged by anyone. The same has happened here but as a collateral damage some people have even lost their lives in order to provide resistance to the uprising of these Deras and it's upsetting to see their deaths going in vain.
During Baptism, every sikh is educated about a few institutions that he has to boycott and these deras lead that list. But I want to convey a message to all the separatists who believe in Khalistan- Somewhere in my heart I believe that Khalistan is a fantasy that may come true one day but why is it that the struggle to attain it gets diluted every time ?? I don't think that this movement which otherwise has some substance attached to it gets diluted by unnecessary violence or assassinations.
Now looking at the picture from the perspective of being a sikh as well as an Indian, I don't need to live in dilemma about whether to support the separatists or whether to support nationalist forces. Being a rational human being, I would support logic and my religious sentiments make sure that I stay sensitive to my own and other people's religious beliefs. As an Indian, I know that there are many extra-constitutional authorities that operate in the Indian polity and as a sikh I ask that question to myself "why can't Akal Takht be one of them" ?? As an Indian I know that Khalsitan is a demand of separatists and has little rational value in our lives and there are many ambiguities in multiple theories floating about Khalistan, but as a sikh, why can't I convince my fellow sikh brothers to shed-off that spirit of separatism or come out with a crystal clear theory of Khalistan ?? As an Indian I know that government holds the power to arrest anyone indulging into anti-national activities and it's always a bad idea to mess with the government, but as a sikh, I know that there are my fellow community brothers sitting on very high constitutional offices of the government and they will save me in the name of the community when I need them ??
On the whole if we take pride in being Indians, we have the right to take pride in being sikhs and we can think and contribute for the betterment of our community whether we are in or out of the government. Hence, it is my heartiest wish to see everyone shedding-off their differences, getting along and making "Sarbat Khalsa" constructive and successful to pave way for a better future for our community and the rest of the world.
- Bhangi misl
- Ramgarhia misl
- Kanhaiya misl
- Ahluwalia misl
- Sukarchakkia misl
- Nakai misl
- Dalewalla misl
- Nishanwalia misl
- Karorsinghia misl
- Shahid or Nihang misl
- Faizalpuria misl
- Phulkian misl
From the origin of the "Sarbat Khalsa" we draw an image about a community event in our mind which is held with really high esteem. But fact of the matter is that all the sikh misls were subject to infighting in that era just like the different sikh organizations and political parties are subject to infighting out of their different ideologies and different political ambitions. Last time when "Sarbat Khalsa" was held in 1986, it was the time when the sikh community was going through one of the darkest periods of the modern history and it was a period of extreme crisis for sikhs and also the Khalsa Panth. Last time it happened twice in 1986. This is what happened then:
After the 1980's Sant Baba Thakur Singh Jee Served the khalsa panth and the khalistan movement in various ways, under the guidance of Damdami Taksaal and Baba Jee the Panth Observed the Sarbat Khalsa in 1986. Baba Jee helped the families of the shaheeds and inspired many thousands of youth into the khalsa fold. On 26th of January 1986 the Damdami Taksal organized a Sarbat Khalsa (Sikh national gathering) at the Akal Takht in Amritsar, Punjab where a resolution for Khalistan was passed.
Later that same year on April 29 a second Sarbat Khalsa was held, also at the Akal Takht in Amritsar, where a declaration of the independence of Khalistan was made and a 5 member Panthic Committee was constituted in order to carry out the objective of overseeing the independence of Khalistan.
Initially after the demolition of the government sponsored Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib, different Sants were given the seva of re-building it, but none of them were up to the humongous task ahead of them. The re-building had a stop and start fashion to it and in the end Baba Jee took on the leadership of the re-construction project, after which, the re-construction made steady progress.
In short, the following resolutions were passed at Sarbat Khalsa 1986:
- SGPC was disassembled
- Panthic Commitee chosen
- Independence of Khalistan was declared
- Jathedars of Takhts chosen
- "Sarkarreee Thakht" made by Government and touts was not accepted and was torn apart
- Akaal Takht Sahib seva was restarted as kar seva by the taksal.
It is also worth watching some videos of the same on youtube. The following is video of Declaration of Khalistan by Sarbat Khalsa in 1986:
There are many more video available on the same subject on youtube.
Now the Sarbat Khalsa is scheduled to be held this Diwali. It is because various sikh outfits feel that pardoning of the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for impersonating like Guru Gobind Singh ji was an anti-sikh decision and as a revolt of which they have given a call for the Sarbat Khalsa. This can be read in detail on the following link:
http://sikhsiyasat.net/2015/09/27/sikh-bodies-hold-to-announce-sarbat-khalsa-on-diwali/
Interestingly after this announcement, this news hasn't featured in any of the Indian newspapers or any news-channels. And after the announcement, the very next day there was an interim meeting called upon by the SGPC where 80 out of the present 90 members (out of a house of 185 where 170 are elected and 15 are nominated members), supported the Akal Takht Jathedar for his decision. Though the appointment of the Jathedars of various Takhts have always been under a shadow of doubt and skepticism, the role and responsibilities of a Jathedar can somehow be defined and I tried to do it in my article "Jathedar- the CEO of takht" the link to which is:
http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/jathedars-ceos-of-takhats.html
Now in the present scenario we can clearly see the community divided into two factions. One comprises the SGPC owing allegiance to the government and the mainstream political party SAD (Badal) which is in power in the state. On the other hand, the faction consists of various radical outfits like Damdami Taksaal, Babbar Khalsa, United Akali Dal, SAD (Amritsar) that aren't a part of the government. And there is a clear indication that the former group will try to snub the event best under their capacity whereas the latter group will give it everything they have to make it a success and hype it as much as they can. But what should a common sikh like me do under such circumstances ?? My answer is simply maintain a neutral opinion and adopt a balanced approach to the series of events.
Though the venue of the Sarbat Khalsa has not been announced yet but it is most likely to be held at Akal Takht sahib in the Golden Temple complex which is considered to be a territory of the SGPC task force but as per the last Sarbat Khalsa's resolution, SGPC is a non-entity for them but I believe that SGPC is important to carry out the day to day activities and the maintenance of the holy shrines. Hence, I can foresee a huge congregation at the event and heavy deployment of police and para-military forces around Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib.
I'm sure that some really aggressive decisions are likely to be announced at the congregation and it will be interesting to see how aggressive they can get. One such resolution that is likely to be passed is "Ostracism of Parkash Singh Badal from Khalsa Panth or Scrapping away the honor of "Panth Rattan" from him". Another aggressive decision could be "Scrapping away the title of "Jathedar" from Giani Gurbachan Singh, an alleged Badal loyalist." But if I'm allowed to give an honest opinion on this subject, I do not want to see any social unrest or ruthless courage to be shown at the gathering. The entire Sikh diaspora and the Khalsa Panth should realize that the whole world will be having eyes on us and we need to pass resolutions which are in the greater interest of humanity and not just sikh community or Khalsa panth and our ethics, morality, long-term vision and foresight should be reflected from those resolutions. Hence ''Sarbat Khalsa" should not be reduced to just a ceremonial event which is low on substance and high on flamboyance. Though I'm not affiliated to any political party or a right-wing "Jathe-bandi" but I'm just a concerned sikh about my community trying to do something for its welfare by writing this article.
On Gurmeet Ram Rahim, I want to say that both the Indian and the NRI sikhs should realize how regressive is the state of affairs in Punjab where "religion and spirituality" is still, one of the most lucrative industries and cult leaders like Gurmeet Ram Rahim are still among the economic elites of Punjab. I've written an article dedicated to this subject and the link is:
http://mysikhism.blogspot.in/2015/04/cult-leaders-economic-elites-of-punjab.html
Though I have also mentioned about the other Deras like Nirankaris operating in Punjab which are even more powerful than Dera Sacha Sauda but something which is worth mentioning here is that in any industry an upcoming product or a brand is subject to criticism, once it gets established it is never challenged by anyone. The same has happened here but as a collateral damage some people have even lost their lives in order to provide resistance to the uprising of these Deras and it's upsetting to see their deaths going in vain.
During Baptism, every sikh is educated about a few institutions that he has to boycott and these deras lead that list. But I want to convey a message to all the separatists who believe in Khalistan- Somewhere in my heart I believe that Khalistan is a fantasy that may come true one day but why is it that the struggle to attain it gets diluted every time ?? I don't think that this movement which otherwise has some substance attached to it gets diluted by unnecessary violence or assassinations.
Now looking at the picture from the perspective of being a sikh as well as an Indian, I don't need to live in dilemma about whether to support the separatists or whether to support nationalist forces. Being a rational human being, I would support logic and my religious sentiments make sure that I stay sensitive to my own and other people's religious beliefs. As an Indian, I know that there are many extra-constitutional authorities that operate in the Indian polity and as a sikh I ask that question to myself "why can't Akal Takht be one of them" ?? As an Indian I know that Khalsitan is a demand of separatists and has little rational value in our lives and there are many ambiguities in multiple theories floating about Khalistan, but as a sikh, why can't I convince my fellow sikh brothers to shed-off that spirit of separatism or come out with a crystal clear theory of Khalistan ?? As an Indian I know that government holds the power to arrest anyone indulging into anti-national activities and it's always a bad idea to mess with the government, but as a sikh, I know that there are my fellow community brothers sitting on very high constitutional offices of the government and they will save me in the name of the community when I need them ??
On the whole if we take pride in being Indians, we have the right to take pride in being sikhs and we can think and contribute for the betterment of our community whether we are in or out of the government. Hence, it is my heartiest wish to see everyone shedding-off their differences, getting along and making "Sarbat Khalsa" constructive and successful to pave way for a better future for our community and the rest of the world.
