The Sikhs are on a double trial: They are threatened from within and without; externally they are in the danger of being run over by the speeding vehicle of Hindu fascism; and internally they are threatened by the erosion of the changing values and deviation in form. Both the vital aspects ‘Content’ and ‘Form’ (Bani and Bana) are being neglected. The external threat can be faced and countered if there is no erosion from within; but the internal danger of erosion is more subtle and knotty.
The crux of the problem is that if we ourselves do not feel proud of the Sarup (form) of the Khalsa why should anybody else do so? In any case what are we fighting for? Is it not a fight for identity of the Sikhs and freedom of their faith? But if we do not love our Guru our form our culture and our traditions what sort of a distinct identity are we struggling for? Those of us who slight the Khalsa by violating tenants of Sikhism would know that they are not only damaging the cause of their faith bur are in fact helping their oppressors in their task of destroying the identity and distinctiveness of the Khalsa.
The saddest part of the erosion of the Sikh values and Khalsa Sarup is that it has deeply if not irretrievably affected the younger generation who following the footsteps of their parents has totally aborted the Khalsa form and appears to be on their way to a complete departure from Sikhism. A deeper cause of this deplorable state of affairs is negligence on the part of parents in not teaching their children the Gurmukhi script with the result that neither can the younger generation read and enjoy Gurbani nor can they learn and enjoy Shabad Kirtan
Thus modern materialism has made us completely extrovert and has eroded our inner self with the result that we are not able to draw any happiness and bliss from within us. In the race for materialism we have lost both Baniand Bana (Nam and Form) but we still claim to be Sikhs of the Guru: we neither have inner faith nor the Outer form but we still wish to be honored as the mighty.
Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh What a contradiction!
Article extracted from this publication >> March 29, 1991
