I got introduced to Sikh struggle when I was 7. The day was 6th January 1989. We used to live in Ambala as my Father worked there. At morning 5 am, a Parbhaat feri passed in front of our house. I woke up and asked my mother what was the reason for Parbhaat feri today, as it was not any Gurpurab today? She told me that today Satwant Singh and Kehar singh were being hanged in Delhi. I curiously asked why they were being hanged. She told me whole thing. I listened to their story of valour from my mother.
We lived in first floor and on ground floor lived a Sikh army man’s family. His name was Bahadur Singh. Whenever his wife’s brothers used to visit, they used to do Naam Abhyaas in closed doors. One of them, Bhai Bhajan Singh ji was very high awastha Gurmukh. One day I and his nephew peeked in his room when he was doing Nitnem. We say him 3 feet above ground, and as we saw this, we both jumped and came running to our mothers and told them what we saw. Aunty, Bahadaur Singh’s wife, told us not to tell this thing to anyone as his brothers were of high awastha and didn’t want anyone to know about this. I still rememeber, the day was 18th April 1990, I saw aunty sitting at her door and crying. I came to my mother and told her about this. My mother went to her and asked why she was crying? She broke down and told my mother about Shaheedi of her youngest brother, Gurjeet Singh. He was studying in B.A and had left home few months ago, had joined KLF and started operations. Today he was killed in an encounter with security forces. He was in Baba Jugraaj Singh ji’s Jatha and police was looking for him after Babaji’s Shaheedi on 8th April. That was first day I saw and felt the pain of a Shaheed Singh’s family. After few months, Bhai Bhajan Singh ji was picked up by Punjab Police and tortured badly. He was made to sit on heaters, hung upside down and beaten up, given electric shocks but Bhai sahib didn’t reveal anything about other singhs. Afterwards he too was killed and his body was given to his family, so that other people will see his fate and desist from joining Movement. Aunty returned from Antim Sanskaar of her second brother and revealed that Bhai Bhajan Singh ji too was a Jhujharoo of Babbar Khalsa. Her Father and only living brother Darshan singh were also lifted and tortured badly. Her brother was rendered impotent as Police had tried to tear him in two parts but left after his private parts were damaged, while laughing that now he’ll not be able to produce any more Kharkoos! Bapuji too was given electric shocks and was left handicapped.
This was destruction of a Sikh family I saw at young age with my eyes. I saw very closely how Sikhs were sacrificing their lives for Guru and Panth that time, facing every torture, every suffering with determination. How families were getting destroyed and how mothers were sacrificing their sons. But things changed after 1992. And today we stand at a point in our history where we are direction-less, aim-less, leader-less, have lost the vision and courage to do the things which our elders did 25 years ago.
When I look back at the blood soaked history of those ten years, when every true Sikh family of Punjab had to bear the brunt of Imperialist brutality, my heart cries out loud. Not only mine, but every Sikh’s heart who has met and seen the tears of those mothers and sisters and daughters who lost their Sons and brothers and Fathers feels the pain. Have we been able to do anything for their honour? Have we been able to do anything for their families? What have we done for widows of Nov.84 riots? Their children have grown up and in absence of any employment or education have taken to drugs and anti-social activities.
We are good in highlighting the problems but don’t know how to solve them. Our enemy knew this thing, so he started created problems for us, and we really failed to solve them. So their number has increased to such a level that we have become a Panth of Problems. And unable to carry on the weight of problems, we have started breaking down. We are breaking up in different parts, getting weaker and smaller day by day. And there is no hope that we’ll unite in coming some time and sit down together and solve our problems we have today, instead our enemy will keep on throwing issues at us and we’ll keep on dancing as puppets in his hands and fighting within Panth. Who’ll help us? No one I’ll say! What a pity it is, This is the Panth which saved others from tyrants and restored their honour and today it has grown so weak that it has to hold banners and candles and beg for Justice! This is the Panth which demolished established empires and created its own empire in Northern part of Indian sub-continent, and today this panth is begging from others for its rights and freedom and justice. Remember one thing, take out as many candle vigils you want, hold as many rallies you want, hold as many marches you want, NO one will give you Justice and Khalistan. Guru Gobind Singh ji gave you sword to fight for your rights and you held candle in your hands, Shame! Sant ji aroused that warrior spirit in us again, where is that gone? Truth is, you will have to shed your blood, face tortures, die inhuman deaths, only then will you achieve freedom and until you are afraid of dying and tortures and government agents spying on you, you cannot do anything. Leave everything else, just think about this, our military struggle ended 15 years ago, what a shame it is that in last 15 years, we haven’t been able to unite and create a Political group which will fight politically for our rights, our freedom and Justice. We have parties like Dal Khalsa, SAD (bittu), SAD (Maan) and numerous federations, all these haven’t been able to join hands and start a political struggle for freedom in Punjab. In western countries, I have seen these parties and people shout slogans of Khalistan and collect funds from people in name of Khalistan and Shaheeds, but when it comes to India and Punjab, there is no one doing something significant on ground. All are good in giving out statements, but truth is, Sikhs of Punjab don’t trust these people. They have seen what these groups and Dals did in last 26 years. No one thinks about Panth, no one is ready to die for Panth, no one is ready to shed blood for Panth, how will we achieve something? And then there are groups, who are good at fighting just with Sikhs over an issue like Santji’s Shaheedi! Why don’t these groups start a political or military struggle, a mass movement, a revolution in Punjab to achieve Santji’s mission and fulfil dreams of Shaheeds? Are they good for just collecting money and creating issues in names of Santji and Shaheeds? It so sad that these people who call Santji a Sant-sipahi and Great Sikh call his Taksal a ‘Bahmanvaadi Jatha’, same Taksal which was virtually finished in 84 holocaust, same Taksal which bore the brunt of Government’s and its agents’ brutality! When question of money and Khalistan comes, for these people Bhindranwale Sant is a Sant, but when it comes to following Maryada or baani or Dasam baani, Then he is a bahmanvaadi! Isn’t this sheer hypocrisy?
When I see in this darkness around, there is no ray of hope or light! But as people say, ‘as the night darkens, have faith that daylight is near’! This night is darkening, no one is there whom I can trust, and there is no one whom I can look upon. But then a voice resounds in my ears, ‘Sant ji is in Charhdi Kala,he’s here on this planet, he’ll not go without freeing Panth, he’ll not go until he fulfills his ardas of 18th july 1982 which he did at Akaal takhat Sahib at feet of Guru Hargobind Sahib, Have faith’! This sound gives me hope, gives me courage to live and move on, to continue my mission, to look towards these dark skies for that ray of light, which will bring Sun back and there will be daylight.
I know My Akaal Purakh loves his Panth, Guru Gobind Singh ji and Guru Granth Sahib ji love their Panth and this is the reason , I have this Faith that their blessed and chosen general, Sant Jarnail Singh ji Khalsa is in Charhdi kala and waiting for their Hukam to lead this Panth again.
Akaal Ji Sahai!
We lived in first floor and on ground floor lived a Sikh army man’s family. His name was Bahadur Singh. Whenever his wife’s brothers used to visit, they used to do Naam Abhyaas in closed doors. One of them, Bhai Bhajan Singh ji was very high awastha Gurmukh. One day I and his nephew peeked in his room when he was doing Nitnem. We say him 3 feet above ground, and as we saw this, we both jumped and came running to our mothers and told them what we saw. Aunty, Bahadaur Singh’s wife, told us not to tell this thing to anyone as his brothers were of high awastha and didn’t want anyone to know about this. I still rememeber, the day was 18th April 1990, I saw aunty sitting at her door and crying. I came to my mother and told her about this. My mother went to her and asked why she was crying? She broke down and told my mother about Shaheedi of her youngest brother, Gurjeet Singh. He was studying in B.A and had left home few months ago, had joined KLF and started operations. Today he was killed in an encounter with security forces. He was in Baba Jugraaj Singh ji’s Jatha and police was looking for him after Babaji’s Shaheedi on 8th April. That was first day I saw and felt the pain of a Shaheed Singh’s family. After few months, Bhai Bhajan Singh ji was picked up by Punjab Police and tortured badly. He was made to sit on heaters, hung upside down and beaten up, given electric shocks but Bhai sahib didn’t reveal anything about other singhs. Afterwards he too was killed and his body was given to his family, so that other people will see his fate and desist from joining Movement. Aunty returned from Antim Sanskaar of her second brother and revealed that Bhai Bhajan Singh ji too was a Jhujharoo of Babbar Khalsa. Her Father and only living brother Darshan singh were also lifted and tortured badly. Her brother was rendered impotent as Police had tried to tear him in two parts but left after his private parts were damaged, while laughing that now he’ll not be able to produce any more Kharkoos! Bapuji too was given electric shocks and was left handicapped.
This was destruction of a Sikh family I saw at young age with my eyes. I saw very closely how Sikhs were sacrificing their lives for Guru and Panth that time, facing every torture, every suffering with determination. How families were getting destroyed and how mothers were sacrificing their sons. But things changed after 1992. And today we stand at a point in our history where we are direction-less, aim-less, leader-less, have lost the vision and courage to do the things which our elders did 25 years ago.
When I look back at the blood soaked history of those ten years, when every true Sikh family of Punjab had to bear the brunt of Imperialist brutality, my heart cries out loud. Not only mine, but every Sikh’s heart who has met and seen the tears of those mothers and sisters and daughters who lost their Sons and brothers and Fathers feels the pain. Have we been able to do anything for their honour? Have we been able to do anything for their families? What have we done for widows of Nov.84 riots? Their children have grown up and in absence of any employment or education have taken to drugs and anti-social activities.
We are good in highlighting the problems but don’t know how to solve them. Our enemy knew this thing, so he started created problems for us, and we really failed to solve them. So their number has increased to such a level that we have become a Panth of Problems. And unable to carry on the weight of problems, we have started breaking down. We are breaking up in different parts, getting weaker and smaller day by day. And there is no hope that we’ll unite in coming some time and sit down together and solve our problems we have today, instead our enemy will keep on throwing issues at us and we’ll keep on dancing as puppets in his hands and fighting within Panth. Who’ll help us? No one I’ll say! What a pity it is, This is the Panth which saved others from tyrants and restored their honour and today it has grown so weak that it has to hold banners and candles and beg for Justice! This is the Panth which demolished established empires and created its own empire in Northern part of Indian sub-continent, and today this panth is begging from others for its rights and freedom and justice. Remember one thing, take out as many candle vigils you want, hold as many rallies you want, hold as many marches you want, NO one will give you Justice and Khalistan. Guru Gobind Singh ji gave you sword to fight for your rights and you held candle in your hands, Shame! Sant ji aroused that warrior spirit in us again, where is that gone? Truth is, you will have to shed your blood, face tortures, die inhuman deaths, only then will you achieve freedom and until you are afraid of dying and tortures and government agents spying on you, you cannot do anything. Leave everything else, just think about this, our military struggle ended 15 years ago, what a shame it is that in last 15 years, we haven’t been able to unite and create a Political group which will fight politically for our rights, our freedom and Justice. We have parties like Dal Khalsa, SAD (bittu), SAD (Maan) and numerous federations, all these haven’t been able to join hands and start a political struggle for freedom in Punjab. In western countries, I have seen these parties and people shout slogans of Khalistan and collect funds from people in name of Khalistan and Shaheeds, but when it comes to India and Punjab, there is no one doing something significant on ground. All are good in giving out statements, but truth is, Sikhs of Punjab don’t trust these people. They have seen what these groups and Dals did in last 26 years. No one thinks about Panth, no one is ready to die for Panth, no one is ready to shed blood for Panth, how will we achieve something? And then there are groups, who are good at fighting just with Sikhs over an issue like Santji’s Shaheedi! Why don’t these groups start a political or military struggle, a mass movement, a revolution in Punjab to achieve Santji’s mission and fulfil dreams of Shaheeds? Are they good for just collecting money and creating issues in names of Santji and Shaheeds? It so sad that these people who call Santji a Sant-sipahi and Great Sikh call his Taksal a ‘Bahmanvaadi Jatha’, same Taksal which was virtually finished in 84 holocaust, same Taksal which bore the brunt of Government’s and its agents’ brutality! When question of money and Khalistan comes, for these people Bhindranwale Sant is a Sant, but when it comes to following Maryada or baani or Dasam baani, Then he is a bahmanvaadi! Isn’t this sheer hypocrisy?
When I see in this darkness around, there is no ray of hope or light! But as people say, ‘as the night darkens, have faith that daylight is near’! This night is darkening, no one is there whom I can trust, and there is no one whom I can look upon. But then a voice resounds in my ears, ‘Sant ji is in Charhdi Kala,he’s here on this planet, he’ll not go without freeing Panth, he’ll not go until he fulfills his ardas of 18th july 1982 which he did at Akaal takhat Sahib at feet of Guru Hargobind Sahib, Have faith’! This sound gives me hope, gives me courage to live and move on, to continue my mission, to look towards these dark skies for that ray of light, which will bring Sun back and there will be daylight.
I know My Akaal Purakh loves his Panth, Guru Gobind Singh ji and Guru Granth Sahib ji love their Panth and this is the reason , I have this Faith that their blessed and chosen general, Sant Jarnail Singh ji Khalsa is in Charhdi kala and waiting for their Hukam to lead this Panth again.
Akaal Ji Sahai!
i concur with your views that sikhs are breaking apart.no doubt external enemies have planned such hopes ,yet it is we sikhs who are to blame..for the rot is from the inside-out. we are more focussed on outer ritualistic shows then inner divine strength.we have turned our gurdwaras into empty circuses of pomp and pleasure. we have idolised the granth instead if applying its teachings.so we have become 'brahmanical" and thus lost the original sikhi spirit. the only hope is in the awakened white sikhs who altho'practice kundalini yoga are in fact more sincere in sikhi than punjabi sikhs!as a half-punjabi myself i too find the punjabi-sikhs laying more importance in punjabi culture rather than sikh way of living.here in malaysia too young sikhs are turning to christianity and islam as gurdwaras only focuses on jodh melas and empty akhand paaths devoid of meaning to youths. feeling empty at heart many turn to christianity. what should be done is to have more sikhs focussed on the mystic side of sikhi plus historical knowledge of sikh shaheedas. this combination will awaken and spur sikh youth..not merely kesh-daadi looks but rottrn inside. thank you. i love ur site and will spread it to others. let us share our ways to bring back our glorious sikh heritage.sat sri akaal from me,malaysia.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear the views of the brother above. But Veer Ji, we still have to keep our brothers strong and spread the word of true Guru, Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with your point.