For various reasons the Indian Press and Media have been building up hostility against the Sikhs noticeably since 1978, as evidenced by the following observations.

The people at large, including the Parliament, acquiesced in the way Sikhs traveling through Haryana were humiliated during 1982 at the time of the IX th Asian Games. The Sikhs complained about the maltreatment at every forum, but no one thought it fit even to acknowledge, much less to express regret about, this deliberate abuse of a minority.

Lakhs of Sikhs had courted arrest in anon violent morcha during the Akali agitation which commenced in August 1982. The “Satyagrahis” were fed by SGPC in jails. But the government succeeded in misrepresenting this peaceful morcha as a struggle of Sikhs against Hindus. The tempo of propaganda in the press and media was so successfully built-up against the Sikhs that when “Operation Bluestar” was precipitated by the Center, it was welcomed by all Hindus as the correct step and the Prime Minister was compared to goddess Durga.

Till today, we Sikhs have not been able to disseminate the truth or expose the diabolical injustice perpetrated by the Center. Many articles and books have been written by Sikhs explaining the truth or at least their version of it about the events and their effect on the Sikh psyche. But all this matter has remained either confined to the Punjabi Press, or limited to a few thousand copies of books like G.S. Dhillon’s ‘India Commits Suicide. Average Indian is completely ignorant, even wondering why the Sikhs did not appreciate entry of the army into the Golden Temple to contain terrorism.

Equally tragically, the November 1984 massacre of Sikhs was also accepted by most Indians with a shrug: “the Sikhs deserved it.” The few score Hindus who helped the victim families who had lost their kith and kin in cold blooded daylight murders became and still are persona non grata with dichard Hindus of every political persuasion.

The whole world knows as to who were the real culprits behind the organized violence against the Sikhs in November 1984. The government have no intention to punish anyone involved in the massacre because they have succeeded in molding the public opinion against the Sikhs. A few voices, that those responsible be punished, are made from time to time to derive political mileage and to confuse the Sikhs.

Operation Bluestar was like a hammer blow to the head of Akali politicians, resulting in severe concussion followed by mental confusion. Had they been farsighted they could have projected this as their victory, but they accepted it as their defeat and signed the instrument of surrender, virtually giving up all their demands, in the Rajiv-Longowal Accord. Now they are busy blaming one-another and trying to win over the Sikh masses to their diverse camps. Conferences like the Sunam meeting attended by lakhs of Sikhs witnessed the Akali leaders blame the successive regimes at New Delhi. Blaming the government for the present plight of the Sikhs is not going to solve the Punjab problem. It is an exercise in futility to establish the supremacy of one group over the other. Even if all Akalis unite under one leader and one program, win the elections and form an Akali government, it would not last more than a few months. The Sikhs have to educate the Indian public as to what has been, and is still, going on in Punjab before they can find an honor able place in the Indian psyche ever again.

The Sikh intellectuals have been quite active in the last 12 years. In the main, their activity can be divided into three categories: writing articles and books about the planned genocidal attack on the Sikhs – both political and economic. They have also become more keenly aware that their theology and history are under a systematic attack, and they have been active in putting before the Sikhs and the Sikh clergy about such attacks on the Sikh fundamentals. Hundreds of these scholars and intellectuals are busy hopping from one conference to another all over the world, churning out words and pamphlets.

There are others, mainly government stooges who stage-manage functions in Delhi inviting the elite of non Sikh politicians, bureaucrats etc. primarily to curry favors and win personal publicity. The world Panjabi conferences are a good example of this activity. Consequently, a decade after the disastrous 1984, the average Indian by and large is completely ignorant as to who are the Sikhs, what is their religion, what is written in the Guru Granth, what is their history; what is their contribution to the freedom of the country and its welfare. Unless and until one makes an all-out effort to give a true picture of our community to our fellow Indians, we will continue to suffer. What can we do about it?

Currently we have two well written, sober journals in English which are correctly bringing out the truth about ourselves. We can use them in a sort of information campaign to project ourselves in the following manner.

Provide five copies each of ‘The Sikh Review, Calcutta and the English ‘Spokesman Chandigarh to the libraries of the Parliament and every State Assembly. This can be done by the donation of five life memberships of The Sikh Review at a cost of Rs.5500 and similar five years subscription for the Spokesman at Rs.5000, or a total outlay of Rs. 10,500 by 25 Sikhs of ordinary means. Provide one life membership of The Sikh Review@ Rs.1100 and five year subscription of the English Spokesman at Rs.1000 for each of the 5,000 important colleges all over India. This would mean a gift of Rs.2100 by 5000 Sikhs from Daswandh,

Over 60% Sikhs do not know Punjabi, or even the names of our 10 Gurus. The best time to teach fundamentals of our religion and Sikh history is the primary and Middle School age. If we can provide the following three journals in Punjab to all such schools in Punjab, then the teachers would be able to impart some knowledge to young pupils.

Let each Sikh who wants to do some thing for our community and is able to donate Rs.2100 donate the following journals to one such school out of this Daswandh.

Five year subscription of Punjabi “Spokesman’ at Rs. 1000.

15 year subscription of ‘Sant Sipahi at Rs. 800.

15 year subscription of ‘Sikh Phulwari at Rs. 300.

The Sikhs settled abroad should donate The Sikh Review, Calcutta and “Abstract of Sikh Studies’ Chandigarh to libraries of colleges and universities of their respective countries.

The above noted contribution by about 20,000 Sikhs all over the world could pay rich dividends and improve our image not only in our own eyes but in the imagination of intellectuals of the world.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 3, 1995