Editors: Kharak Singh, G.SMansukhani and J.S.Mann Chandigarh, Institute of Sikh Studies
Reviewed by Dr. I.J .Singh. NY University
The invasion of the Golden Temple in 1984 and the subsequent reign of terror in the Punjab have left a lasting effect on Sikh psyche. I see one silver lining in those dark events: the exponential increase in self-awareness among the Sikhs evident by the spate of books and other literature which examine Sikhs and Sikhism from all facets of their existence identity, faith, politics, history, literature, and so on. More has been written on or about the Sikhs in the past eight years than in the previous 100. That is good.
This book should be reviewed in tandem with its companion volume edited by Mann and Sraon and published in 1989; some of the contributors to both volumes are the same, as are some topics such as Sikh identity. The 1989 volume consisted of papers presented at the Conference of Sikh Studies at Los Angeles in December 1988. The papers contributed at a sister conference in London are collated in this 1992 publication. The historical sweep attempted is impressive though it was broader at the Irvine conference.
In this (1992) work, the presentations run the gamut from Sikh theology and ideology (Gum Nanak, Mysticism, Sikh Identity for example) to limited forays into some present day dilemmas like the Punjab river waters dispute which have provided an impetus to Sikh separatism in India for the past decade. The essays attempt to many of the major issues confronting Sikhism today, from the mystical vision of Guru Nanak to the present political quagmire, their treatment however, is very uneven.
Thirteen luminaries of Sikh letters have contributed to this book. The section on Sikh ideology opens with a particularly good essay on Guru Nanak, the prophet of a unique ideology by Daljeet Singh. It concludes with contributions on Sikh identity (Dalject Singh) and on the concept of ‘Saint soldier” by Kharak Singh. The latter covers the territory competently; the thread of continuity between Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singhis clearly delineated. Daljeet Singh contributes an excellent discussion on Sikh identity, and makes a solid case for Sikhism as distinct from other systems, whether Hindu Vedantic or Semitic/Islamic. Shan has a rich, fact filled essay arguing for Sikhism as a discrete, revealed and complete religious system.
Bagga wrestles in vain with the attempt at defining “mysticism” in Sikh terms and underscores the paucity of human language and of the thought process in coming to grips with a concept which transcends intellectual formulations. He provides a thought provoking but unusual interpretation of moolmantra, the basic Sikh belief. In another chapter on “Chardi Kala”, I feel Bagga fails to explain the concept fully but goes around the rosebush rather well. Admittedly, these notions are difficult to articulate, neither of his chapters carry any references or bibliography of source material.
Gumam Kaur emphasizes succinctly the unity of reason and revelation in the Guru Granth, and makes a clear distinction between divine light and divine birth, rejecting the idea of God taking human form. The role of moral philosophy in Sikhism by Avtar Singh has only one page with no references. The subject deserves better treatment; either a fuller study should be presented, or it need not be included.
The chapter on Sikh women by Kanwal jeet Kaur covers an important and timely topic and, if only for that reason, should have been more exhaustive. Hindu and Muslim positions are lumped together though they are diametrically different. Again, this chapter has no bibliography. On this subject, lam sure most readers would like a more comprehensive and comparative treatment with other religions on I) Sikh theology and teaching, 2) Sikh practice through history and any changes therein. Any divergence between Sikh theory and practice would deserve particular focus. Also of interest would be individual Sikh women who have earned a place in our hearts and in our history.
The second section on history consists of seven essays but I fail to discern a unifying thread amongst them. Nevertheless, many of the essays are full of hard to find nuggets of useful information. The Punjab Rivers water dispute is well addressed by Kharak Singh. However, more recently he has published a much more comprehensive analysis of the current Punjab imbroglio in Abstracts of Sikh Studies in response to an article on Sikh fundamentalism by T.N. Madan. For some inexplicable reason, the same section Caries Kohli’s discussion in which he goes over the well-trodden ground of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s life and sacrifice. It is Witten in an anecdotal style and carries no references. The essay on Sikh ideology by Kharak Singh is devoted entirely to an analysis of one paper by Harjot Oberoi, thus becoming a major critique of a minor scholar’s little noticed paper.
I feel that as a major belief system Sikhism need not go through intellectual gymnastics to justify the authenticity and uniqueness of its Vision, particularly when it is in response to irresponsible writing that is deemed derogatory or fallacious. Conceptual exposition for enhancing understanding of Sikhism would be welcome, in other words, to pro act is desirable, to only react to unfounded criticism does little except to focus attention on that which best deserves a quick burial in an unmarked grave.
Madanjit Kaur presents credible Critique and rejection of repeated canard that Guru Gobind Singh held a ceremony to propitiate a Hindu goddess, and Gurtej Singh presents a useful analysis of the controversy on the authorship of the writings credited to Guru Gobind Singh. Kharak Singh and Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon present a non-apologetic, clear analysis of the of repeated couplet “Raj Karega Khalsa. Their commentary is particularly welcome in these troubled times.
Mansukhani’’s essay on the development of Sikh studies is good, but limited to the literature in English during the Bntish and the post Bnitsh periods. The whole panorama of Sikh literature in Punjabi is neglected. He points to areas that need further study such as the period between the Gurus and Ranjit Singh, and analyzes concepts such as Gurmalta or Jathedar. The references in text and the bibliography do not always match; bibliography is incomplete and inadequate and many books are mentioned without reference. I found no mention of concepts such as Hukum which remain unexplored.
In the third section, Wahiwala presents in general terms the Sikh Code of Conduct approved by the SGPC in 1936, He describes the Code, presents the ratification procedure and the committee that undertook the task, but provides no history of the attending controversy or how the differing versions of the Code were reconciled. No references are provided. The book concludes with a passionatc plea by Kharak Singh for a World Institute of Sikhism. An agenda for the future certainly deserves our serious deliberation.
It is a useful book though it makes for less than easy reading because of differences in writing style and treatment of topics, and because of the heterogeneity of the subjects.
It could have benefitted from more vigor, vigor and consistency in editing policy; editorial comments interspersed between topics could have served to bind and interconnect the seemingly unrelated essays.
The past 20 years or so have seen a quantum leap in the number of academic programs in hitherto neglected areas; look at the growth of Black studies, Islamic Studies, Hebraic Studies and Women Studies, for example, It is time that Sikh Studies emerged to take its rightful place alongside these new academic disciplines. Despite my reservations about aspects of this publication therefore, I welcome it adds to the newly developing domain of Sikh Studies. This field is still young and its dimensions yet to be defined, but it is a vigorous product of a vibrant people.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 8, 1993
