(Provided by: Pritpal Singh Bindra, Miss., Ontario Canada)
By the mid-1940s the social and political consciousness had developed into the student ranks in India. The Muslim student association was well established. The Communist oriented Student Federation was dominating. The majority of the Hindu youth had gone into the folds of Youth Congress.
But the Sikh youth was still in doldrums. They were facing the problem of their identity. They felt shy of their uniqueness even; at the Jon Mela(Commemoration of Guru Arjan’s Manyrdom Day) at Lahore, Sikh students were standing outside a large marquee, inside a speaker was addressing the audience. Inderpal Singh, later a pioneer in youth movement, inquired who were the people inside. The gentleman replied, “There were no Bande (men)
“But the place seems to be full of men?” Inderpal asked an “They are all Sikhs,” came the reply.” ‘And such happenings started to stimulate the consciousness of some of the Sikh youth,
Khalsa College, Amritsar was built on the land denoted by the Sikhs, with the money contributed by the Sikhs and on the sweat and blood of the Sikhs, But for the presidency of a Ceremony in 1944, to be held in the College, the Christian Maharajah of Kapurthala was invited, Although tolerance is the basic characteristic of a Sikh, it awakens with roar ‘when an arrow of injustice and humiliation is pierced through his heart. The Sikh students, under the leadership of Amar Singh Ambalvi rallied a strong protest, and this ushered the element of realization that brought the Sikh Youth together, and the first All Indie Sikh Students Federation was inaugurated at Law College Lahore in 1945.
To commemorate the occasion a Conference was held at Ontario Khalsa Darbar, Sikh Temple, Dixie Road, Mississauga on July 28, 1995, Gurbakhsh Singh Shergill, Principal Khalsa College, Amritsar initiated the proceeding after the welcome address by Harbhajan Singh Pandori, President Ontario Khalsa Darbar. Mr. Shergill was a founder member of the Federation. He presented a historical prospective of the movement. The Sikh Youth overwhelmingly took part in the process of achieving independence but it was betrayed by the egocentric Sikh leaders. The Congress leadership went back on its promises, He could not see any contribution made by Baldev Singh to the Sikh cause, he was merely interested in his industries. Had leaders, such as Baldev Singh, insisted on the safeguards for the Sikhs, independence might have been delayed for a year or so but there would have been no injustices meted out to the Sikhs, and the genocide of thousands of innocent souls since the independence could have been escaped. He elaborated how Sikhs were beaten by the Sikhs themselves, particularly by those who had emerged out of Sikh ranks; K.P.S. Gill, Beant Singh, Buta Singh, all those now on the side of tyranny were the product of Sikh Student Federation. He felt sorry how the Sikhs, living in India outside Punjab, we initiated their own version of Sikhism; they have started stressing, ‘we have come out of Hindus and we are part of them.’ Such tendencies could annihilate the Sikh from India, the way Buddhism had been, He laid stress upon the consolidation of the leadership; without collective leadership no goals could be achieved Kamaljit Singh, formerly a journalist of Daily Ajit, Jallunder congratulated the organizers for the commemoration of the day. He narrated how all his business and property Were destroyed by the Punjab Police just because he had refused to withdraw a slory regarding the atrocities committed by the police ‘on an innocent family of a mother and daughter, He also deplored the present Sikh leadership: it was in disarray and had no specific goals, and without a Nishana success could not be achieved. Gurcharan Singh, Editor Sanjh Sayera.
Toronto, who has been an ardent member of the Sikh Student Federation, lamented on the altitude of the leadership too. Here ferried to a book by Khushwant Singh, which had predicted that in 50 years Sikhs would not be traceable. But contrary to his assertion Sikh have grown in most countries of the world, and in all spheres of life, with great vigor. ‘We are in the South year of the life of the Sikh Student Federation, We must look back and see if we have accomplished our goals?” To him games and sports sponsored by the Gurdwaras were needed and Shabd Keertan was required, but, he stressed that the need for diverting attention towards the education of the youth was much higher. Along with the Keertan and the games, public aware‘ness was most essential and to this end Tittle was done, He also paid a touching tribute to Late Principal Satbir Singh. Kuldip Singh, Toledo, a founder member of the All India Sikh Student Federation, accounted the history of the Federation starting from the Khalsa College agitation. After 1984 its name was changed to Sikh Student Federation. He informed that it was in 1946, in a resolution sponsored by Amar Singh ‘Ambalvi and Seconded by Swaran Singh (later Foreign Minister of India), it was resolved that, for a honorable living, the Sikhs must demand for a separate entity, Most of the leaders of the Federation have forgotten their real aim and they either have gone into their professions or running after the leadership. He fell sorry that the present Sikh leader ship was running away from the ul ‘mate goals. Unity is essential but, along with that, we must make sure our basic ethics are not trodden upon and the education of the Sikhism is led in proper direction, A number of universities, in India and abroad, are trying to tamish the Sikh image and the critical fact that it was Guru Nanak University that honored McLeod. Bhai Dr. Harbas Lal was the keynote speaker, He belonged to a predominant Muslim city of Hari Pur Hazara, in the Northwest Frontier Province (now in Pakistan—the only new town established during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh in the memory of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa). To meet the challenge posed by the majority community he came in contact with Principal Saibir Singh and Dr. Jaswant Singh through Akal Takht Sahib and joined the ranks of the ALS.S.F. Immediately after it’s in cooption. The main task before Federation Was the establishment of proper Sikh spirit and doctrine among the Sikh youth. He became the President of the Federation in 1954, The Federation always aimed at the unity of the Sikh intellectuals and the Sikh leadership. Considering the fact that a Nation needed environments to progress freely, the ‘Panth Azad!’ resolution was passed in 1946, The Federation wanted the students to go out to propagate Sikhism that had no boundaries, The Federation, in maintaining high calibre, had instructed its member to work hard in their academic field too; any body who. failed the examination, had no place in the Federation. He expounded that Mr. Jinah wasready to announce and sign a directive for the Creation of a slate for the Sikhs but, regretfully, it was the Sikh leadership of the time which defaulted and lost the ‘opportunity. The credit to start Sikh Youth Camps goes to the Federation as well, Its first camp was held in Paunta Sahib in 1949 under the guidance of Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki, The SSE members Continued their lives successfully in the fields of education and other professions. They were instilled with the spirit f Sikhism; none of them accepted dowry, and they never used their last name signifying the caste, He also commented on the derogatory work conducted by people like Trumpp and McLeod.
The next honorable guest, Jaswant Singh Neki, narrated how a Hindu approached Darbar Sahib for the safeguard of the Sikh students, and to that Hindu, Bhai Harbas Lal, he said a befitting tribute, He explained how, facing great obstacles they arranged the first camp of SSF. The Federation was the first to enunciate the slogan of a ‘Sikh State,’ He warned that the Nation, to day, was in be wilderment and Khalistan could not be achieve until the Nation itself was ready. He grieved that the Sikhs were becoming the Sikhs of Khalistan it was essential that they first become the Sikhs of the Guru, and for that their education and the education of their children, in Sikhism, was most essential. He emphasized the need for an international Sikh students federation to accomplish such goals.
Dr. Beant Singh of Oshwa who had coordinated the conference, recognized the services of the speakers and the Ontario Khalsa Darbarand thanked them for their participation and cooperation, At the end he acknowledged the efforts of the Sukhminder Hansra of Ankheela Punjab and Joginder Bassi of Gaunda Punjab Radios for helping to make the Conference a success.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 4, 1995
