Starting from a mere trickle 50 years ago, the All India Sikh Students’ Federation (AISSF), presently runs like blood in the veins of the Community today Its members and alumni are found in every sphere of activity v religious, political, educational, administrative, judicial, trade, industry and commerce where they retain the unmistakable leaven of their former association and grounding in the Federation, Two of its former presidents, Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki (194850) and Bhai Harbans Lal (195455) are currently in North America and will be speaking at the Jubilee celebrations at various places.

AL the time of AISSI’s birth, the Sikh leadership in every sphere was aging and the breeding stock to replace them, the Sikh Youth, was going astray from its heritage. The Sikh Youth was indifferent not because it found its heritage wanting but because it could not evaluate and assess its inheritance, The interest in Sikh religion, and heritage was declining by default and that was precisely where the AISSF stepped in to fill in that vacuum. It started in earnest to inculcate the love for Gurbani and Sikh heritage in the Sikh youth which yielded rich dividends,

The Federation relied on methodical and painstaking work to achieve this measurable success. In addition to organizing branches at various college campuses and holding conferences, itrelied largely on regular study circles and training camp: ‘The Federation took great care to educate itself taking the Guru Granth Sahibas the only valid teacher. This is because it found the existing set of preachers wholly inadequate, ill-educated and ill fitted to ignite any spark in the Sikh Youth. The workers trained at one camp went and spread that education in their respective areas with the result that the Federation (alumni included) was able to cover every part of the world with a network of camps and study circles. This has been a very remarkable feature of the work of the Federation, This pattern of activities attracted the attention of the community and presently thousands of Sikh youngsters and their parents organize camps and study circles all over the world.

Politically, the Federation stood and) still stands for the creation of an environment in which the national expression of the Sikhs would find its full satisfaction, a consistency, wise uncharacteristic of Sikh politics, Basically, the Federation felt that its main duly Was to prepare and train the sikh Youth to take an honorable part on the broad canvas of Sikh affairs in comprehensive manner in their post study lives. However, as the Sikhs were passing through a very convulsive period of their history during the years of the Federation cra, many members and alumni were drawn into the vortex of politics wherein they ‘made notable contributions, The year of inception of the Federation and thereafter were the years of transfer of power from the British hands and creating a place of dignity for the Sikhs in Indian subcontinent. This took a violent turn in the Punjab and took heavy toll of human life, loss of property and uprooting resulting in a eat human misery. The Federation took full share of the sufferings and fast many lives in the process: Among the Martyrs of the Federation are in clouded its two former presidents; Sardar Bhan Singh (victim of State terrorism) and Sardar Amrik Singh (while defending the sanctity of Harmander Singh during the Bluestar operation.

The Federation did a remarkable job in giving birth to many Sikh scholars on the long neglected rewriting of literature on Sikh theology and Sikh history, both presented in modem idiom, It also claims its share in activities of Sahajdharilimb of the Sikhs, and in creating the right atmosphere for establishing the two Universities viz., the Punjabi University and Guru Nanak Dev University.

The history of the Federation has been a saga of service and sacrifice, Federation has been able to achieve all this, despite its meager resources and despite distracting fields of activity. It had its period of recession as all organizations do have, but it is in a state of full resurgence, now in foreign land as well, which is truly remarkable for a mere Students’ organization. 1t would be highly invidious and unjust to name any particular worker of the Federation. On the whole it was and is still being served by a band of selfless and self-effacing workers and sympathizers, They are devoted and dedicated and Whose only re Ward seems to be the sense of being engaged in the service of Panth” ‘The aims and objects of the AISSF 3(1) to organize the Sikh students with a view to protect and promote their interests; (2)to in cwiicate in them love for the lofty teachings of our Great Gurus and to make them conscious Of their rich heritage as Sikhs; (3) 10 arouse consciousness of their separate entity and Nationality amongst the Sikh students and to: pre~ Pare and train them for the creation of an environment in which our: National expression can find its full satisfaction; (4)to hold: discourses on Gurbani, Sikh History and Sikh culture and to reveal their implications on life, and) (S) to create zeal for Missionary work for the social, moral, economic, political educational, and cultural uplift of the Sikhs.

As a brief history of the formation of AISSF, it was sometime in 1943 that a number of Sikh students circulated a letter asking other students in Punjab colleges to organize in view of many challenges of survival their community was facing, This letter aroused many Sikh students to meet in 1944 in a dormitory of the Law College at Lahore, Pakistan, Thirteen of those students issued a call under the heading “Sikh students Organize,” In Tune 1945, the Federation organized a historic first Amrit Parchar Conference for college students in F.C. College, Lahore, where 51 students were baptized at the hands of five Piaras namely, Master Tara Singh. Bawa Harkishan Singh, Principal Jodh Singh, Prof. Sahib Singh and Jathedar Mohan Singh. The first Annual Convention of the Federation at which the first national president was elected took place in October 1945 at Gujranwala. The newly elected AISSF leaders called upon the Leadership to fight for the separate entity of the Sikhs and to be more assertive about the Sikh rights. The second Annual Convention of the AISSF was held at Maharaja Dalip Singh Nagar, Gol Bagh, Lahore, on March 9, 1946, where the slogan of an independent Sikh Slate was adopted, As a resolution to that effect was moved by Sardar Amar Singh Ambalvi and was supported by Sardar Swaran Singh, the former Defense Minister of India, and S. Ishar Singh Majhail. The above resolution was also adopted by the Shromani Parbhadhak Comities in ils general meeting held on March 9, 1946, Under the slogan, the Federation supported the Akali candidates to victory in the following assembly elections in 1945 and 1946, AISSE leaders S. Sarup Singh and S. Amar Singh Ambalvi also met Mr, Jinnah for exploring the feasibility of the demand for the Sikh State and at their instance, two meetings between Master Tara Singh and Jinnah were arranged. Source: The illustrated history of the Sikhs by Gur Rattan Pal Singh.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 28, 1995