A unique nation was formally christened on the historic Baisakhi day of 1699. On that fateful day Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa to champion the cause of religious freedom and to fight against the oppressive unjust and fanatically intolerant Mughal order. Guru Gobind Singh transformed as though with a magic ‘wand, the underprivileged, exploited and the virtual scum of the earth into a proud, valiant and dedicated army of Saint-Soldiers. Guru’s Khalsa steadfastly adhered to his teachings and consistently maintained an exemplary Code of conduct even in dealing with the enemies. Khalsa was instrumental in bringing about the downfall of the mighty Mughal Empire. The establishment of khalsa Kingdom by Ranjit Singh was the realization of the Sikh concept of a truly secular order.
During the British regime, Khalsa registered victories of far reaching consequences through peaceful and non-violent morchas. In the struggle for independence also Khalsa remained in the forefront making more than 80% of the total sacrifices made for the liberation of India.
On the Baisakhi day of 1986, two hundred eighty seven years after the historic christening at Anandpur Sahib, Khalsa Panth again finds itself arrayed against an adversary far stronger, far shrewder and far more fanatical than the fundamentalist Mughal tyrant, Aurangzeb. Today the adversary has the additional advantage of the backing of self-seekers who are shamelessly engaged in the task of sabotaging the aspirations of the Khalsa Panth from within. The unenviable predicament in which Khalsa Panth finds itself to day is largely because most of its leaders are ambivalent and insincere.
Leaders who surrendered “Perhaps by prior arrangement” to the Indian Army, despite their wild protestations that army would enter the Golden Temple on their dead bodies, are back on the scene, greedily trading Sikh aspirations for their narrow power politics.
Yet another brand of saboteurs have surfaced who pose as champions of the Sikh cause but are actually engaged in the destructive task of undermining the credibility of all those Sikhs who are truly promoting the cause. They operate by spreading baseless and fabricated stories or by distorting truth. They thrive by misleading the credulous among the Sikhs. Sikhs must not accept any story blindly and must verify the antecedents of all such saboteurs. Sikhs must ask them to tell what they had done or were doing for the cause besides spreading rumors and casting aspersions on others.
The Baisakhi of 1986, therefore, demands that Khalsa must be vigilant. The day has come to recreate history and once again demand “‘heads”. Khalsa Panth, as the collective form of the Guru, must perform the miracle of Guru Gobind Singh in transforming the convulsing Sikh anger into a veritable tempest that would sweep both Saboteurs and tormentors off their feet and throw them in the all-consuming dust-bin of history. Khalsa Panth must proclaim unambiguously that freedom will not be compromised, identity will not be compromised, dignity will not be compromised, whatever be the cost and howsoever long be the struggle, Panth cannot be beguiled into any kind of dishonorable settlement simply to satisfy a handful of self-seekers. Let the decision be made by the Sarbat Khalsa and not by a handful of leaders with questionable antecedents. We owe if to the great martyrs like Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gen. Shubheg Singh, Bhai Amrik Singh and thousands of committed Sikhs who smilingly laid down their lives in the best traditions of the Khalsa to uphold the honor of the Kesari flag and to shake the shackles off the Khalsa Panth,
Article extracted from this publication >> April 11, 1986
