By Prof Harpal Singh Bal Iowa
Khalsa ji, the Sikh community is passing through a very trying moment of history critical for the survival of the Panth, We are all aware of the fact that the Sikh community has during delicate periods of history lacked effective and competent leaders This statement does not reflect the paucity of able, competent, effective and visionary potential leaders among the Sikh community. We have either not supported or accepted people with potential qualities of leadership or such potential prospective Readers have not come forward to serve the Panth and guide the Sikh community. Again I like to summit that good leaders like Sardar Partap Singh Kairon did uphold the implement the cause of our Punjabi language to be expressed in Gurmukhi Script. At that time every school going child started learning Gurmukhi in schools from Lahaul Spiti region of United Punjab to the remote comers of Mahindergarh District (now in Haryana), S. Hukam Singh defended the use of Gurumukhi script to express the Punjabi language in a marathon speech very convincingly delivered to the Indian Parliament in the mid-fiftes. At that time, the Hindus of Punjab had disowned their mother tongue Punjabi and declared Hindi as their spoken language. No other community of the world has ever at any period of history disowned its mother tongue except the Hindus of Punjab. Even the Patriotic Muslims of Bangladesh refused to disown Bengali and adopt Urdu as their mother tongue under any amount of pressure from the Pakistan Government of the time, Unfortunately S, Hukam Singh and Partap Singh Kairon had left the Akali Party to join the Indian National Congress. But as members of the Congress, they still served the Sikh cause, Unfortunately at this juncture of our History which is critical for our survival, we suffer from bankruptcy of Leadership.
Pethaps they need to be taught a basic ‘moral lesson that “United we stand and divided we fall”, The former leaders of the Akali Dal are mostly self-centered who have kept their self-interests above the interests of the Sikh panth, If they were really sincere, they should have quit present day politics or should have achieved martyrdom during Operation Blue Star.” Those who were sincere, sacrificed their lives to uphold the honor and respect of the Sikhs, ‘There never has been any dearth of Martyrs or Shahids in the Sikh community, No other people of the world can compare themselves with us when it comes to offering a supreme sacrifice for a just cause. Within the last few decades, hundreds of Sikhs have given their lives to liberate their Gurdwaras from the Mahants, for the independence of thankless India, defending independent India from external aggression, and to retrieve Sikh rights after independence, Among the most recent Sikh Shahids are many young brave unknown who have been killed in fake police encounters after being arrested, and of course Sardars Satwant Singh, Beant Singh and Kehar Singh. They have maintained and elevated the honor of the Sikhs to the highest imaginable level. In spite of such a heavy price in human lives that we have paid, unparalleled in the history of mankind, little else has been achieved except the liberation of our holy shrines some left behind in Pakistan.
May I’ venture to ask, what lessons have we learnt from the past as well as recent historical events after (1) the loss of our kingdom to the British (2) loss of our Gurdwaras Shri Nankana Sahib, Punja Sahib, Dera Sahib and many more (3) our most fertile land and Real Estate (4) our riparian rights to water resources (5) dilution of our beloved Punjabi language with Hindi (6) oss of our Civil Rights and Libertiesin a so called Democratic Country and in Punjab ruled by a Dictatorial Governor and ruthless anarchist Police Chiefs, Rebiero and K.PS. Gill whose retaliatory actions were willfully sanctioned by Rajiv Gandhi. I could go on and on.
Anyway Tyrant Rajiv is no longer in power, We may have to reiterate our demands with the new Government of India. We should overcome the Dynasty Mentality for the future of the Sikhs and start recruiting competent leaders, The caliber of our leaders should be such that they should be able to negotiate and have discourse with leaders of International community. I suggest that we should reiterate our demands with the new Indian government.
(Dr. HS. Bal is a professor at the Iowa State University).
Sir,
‘In our age there is no such thing as keeping out of politics’. All issues are political issues.” George Orwell,
“One sword keeps another in the sheath” George Herbert.
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” Voltaire.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 15, 1989
