by Dr.Sukbir Singh Mann
Demagoguery galore: Don Quixote’s are riding again fighting giants of wind mills! Bitterness of hopefuls their supporters and Surrogates, who lost to Dr.Pashaura Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann for the plum jobs, is understandable; but we now have the disgraceful spectacle of inflamed religious prejudices, innocent victims of libelous charges, and very happy beneficiaries of a sordid plot of greed all under the pretext of scholarly debate! Unfortunately, it has damaged professional reputations and careers. The drama is neither educational nor entertainment; it is unfair, irresponsible, and a tragedy of trashed academic future of the American Sikh Community the ultimate looser!
Monopolized WSN: Sadly, WSN has tamely consented its columns to inflict the grievous injuries: Privileged forum of “letters to the editor” is now a subterfuge to “feet off steam,” and to launch nasty and intimidating words. No representative politico religious Indian groups are using it to inflame the American Sikh Community, malign its members, and advocate their exclusion from its associations. Curiously, the anti Pashaura/ Gurinder lobby which exploits WSN columns so liberally, is openly hostile towards any financial contributions to the vary two educational programs of the Community’s and Sikh Studies! WSN readers do deserve as a minimum, some thoughtful arguments in decent prose.
True Sewadars: For once we have the makings of Sikh scholars trained to impart learning through hypothesis, honed to arouse curiosity in inquisitive minds, and to settle queries of non-Sikhs and first generation American Sikhs of Punjabi ancestry. The two subject young scholars are known to have sterling characters, an unbroken a uatamished reputation of devotion and service to Sikh causes, and scholastic credentials which are the envy of any college graduate. They have achieved the ultimate academic honors, and met every criterion to be where they are. When others pursued exotic professional fields, Pashaura and Gurinder choose to serve the Sikh cause; nay, they made it their career to study and disseminate Sikhism, and to train others in spreading the knowledge; they are the true Sewadars of Panth. Whereas others claim exalted titles, these two have earned them.
To research or not? Some project research as a threat, and mock it because “what is the use of research when Sikhs already know the truth”! However, they will permit it if conducted within “defined parameters,” otherwise “it could have disastrous results”! The suggestion stinks of phoney openness: “You are free to look around, as long as you take the guided tour, and stay away from forbidden areas”! Research a reasoned analysis of a subject, is meant to dispel paranoia and ant scholarship attitudes, and to cleanse exaggerated images of organized conspiracies. Research is incumbent upon societies fueled by sciences knowledge and scholarship built upon measurements under controlled experiments. It is an essential tool of training, and intellectual, analytical and enlightened scholarship. Research is an indispensable part of academic life.
Dare to be different? Imagine how different the history be if the Guru had in those dire circumstances, suppressed doubts, stifled dissent through coercion and intimidation, and blocked the voluntary exit of the would be Chali Mukte, We now have the self-righteous trying to “throw out” Sikhs who may lack maturity and tact, but dare to see things differently! Grant that some may have hidden agenda to harm Sikhs = to eam heavenward passage! What possible motives could Pashaura and Gurinder have to dismantle Sikhism, discredit its doctrines, or deflate its heroes? None, we can think of; and certainly not the one to “research themselves out of their jobs”! They have displayed tremendous courage, and calmness and courtesy under fire the hallmarks of a great Sikh.
Condemn evil, not evil doer: Whatever happened to that noble Sikh refrain durmat dekh dayal hoye? As a seeker of knowledge Pashaura Singh sought and acquired it wherever available. Should we fault him that his thesis guide is alleged to harbor some dark motives to harm Sikhs? Some may suggest it to be undesirable, but we value it as completeness of education and strength of his scholarship.
Hijacked Conference: Accounts of recent Sikh Arts and Culture Conference in Berkeley, describe how civility, culture and scholarship were overcome by rudeness, and unkind and angry words: Folks: with exclusive rights to “what is right or wrong” shouted down speakers until they vocalized what they wanted to hear! The printed accounts of their triumphs over the “heretics” remind of tragic Punjabi fable Pundit vs Bahman: The Pundit passing through this village was tricked into participating in a shastrarth religious discourse, with the local Bahman a genuine village idiot reputed to be an oasis of religious expertise in an otherwise desert of ignorance. The Bahman turned Pundit’s polite and monosyllabic inquiries into volleys of profuse gibberish, the supporters of Bahman thoroughly amused and impressed by his eloquence, declared him an instant winner!
Bull in China shop! What could have had noble consequences spread of “correct” knowledge, has turned into a nightmare; The vainglorious have ~ through grandstanding, browbeating, muscle managing, and misdirecting energies chasing monsters, harmed the Community more than the “spurious, heretical and blasphemous writings:” Conferences. have been disrupted, religious prejudices and passions manipulated, and book boycotts mounted; all to promote “up-to-date highly advanced enhanced extremely difficult and ultimate word” collections, repackaged with regurgitated ramblings and class lectures of Indian academia; compiled for the devote, and full of namedropping, pious assertions and oft repeated “it conclusively proves.” Anyone with some decent education, training, independent thinking, and clarity of writing, has been branded, ridiculed and hounded ala Iranian mullahs.
Concerns of Sikh doctrine tampering genuine: Concerns of Sikhs unexposed to “research” system of higher education in North America, about possible tampering, and eventual corruption of Sikh doctrines, are well appreciated: Some parties in the past, did it to serve their immediate ends; but Pashaura/Gurinder are not known to be frontend dupes of any such’ conspiracy! American system of higher education requires “unrestricted and free flowing” research to isolate truth from fiction: For instance, it has explained the present by understanding the past and successfully preserved human heritage. It has reconstructed dying traditions and extinct civilizations; it has rebuilt from scratch billions of years of history of life on earth, its well-tried “methods to madness” with built-in checks are well established. Examine and validate all available evidence/information, hypothesize alternatives, measure and evaluate against agreed criteria, and drop the untenable. The emergent truth is thus a logical and triumphant Output of the scientific methodology, and logical and triumphant output of the scientific methodology. And when enough evidence is unavailable or is unsupported, the system looks for newer and different ways to continue the search!
The sordid plot: For over a decade most Sikh scholarly gatherings whatever their agenda, get commandeered into Meleodroasts! Expediency, good senses, social ostracizing, and better part of valor have combined to swell the ranks of “true believers.” The alleged transgressions of Meleod a cause celebrate of some, and a. stratagem of couple of Indians to do multiple book promotion tours of Americas (Forget restrictions: on and horror stories of travel by Sikhs!), have been ingeniously transformed from an academic debate into a never ending “defense of motherhood.” Undeniably the benefits of one issue Indian scholars and familiar phraseology of their books are many; but their de facto monopoly on American Sikh scholarship, has jeopardized the academic future: of the community; the community has been prevented from exposure to fresh and new scholars with different viewpoints and perspectives. Many scholars Sikh and non-Sikh, afraid of Meleod treatment, have shied away from Sikh issues; and others are hiding to shed the stigma of being “Meleod lovers.” Dr.Pashaura Singh and Gurinder Mann are a threat to the monopoly!” Appeal to heal unintended injury: Condemnations of Pashaura and Gurinder witnessed in WSN do not behoove the enlightened readership of WSN. Some irreversible and unintended injury has been done to these two by Weli meaning folks with noble intentions: Format and forum of WSN is not conducive to debate lack of Tiger and give and take of academic arguments prejudices uninitiated and audiences. We appeal to readers secure in their specialties and livelihoods, to desist inflicting further injury. Besides such “ragging” discourages prospective scholars contemplating the field as a career, stifles free spirit of inquiry, and timeout “scholars” with emasculated minds but with keen sense of survival! Pashauras and Gurinders need our support and encouragement to establish in communities which traditionally are suspect of scholars of git mit variety, and from which, they must draw support. Please help them rehabilitate; let us not be a lynch mob! Editor’s Note: WSN has one more article dealing with this matter.
Which will be published in the next issue?
It will be our final chapter. The SGPC has requested that this issue be held from discourse in the press until they have an opportunity to clarify these matters with the authors concerned. WSN has given a Great deal of time and space to these arguments but WSN is not the appropriate forum for such a debate, we thank everyone who has taken time to comment.
Please do not send anything further for publication on this issue.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 26, 1993
