The Sikh Missionary Society U.K. has always been active to produce literature and organise seminars. It is to their credit that the first edition of the popular book “Guru Tegh Bahadur The True Story” was released in 2017. This year, Sikh Youth Australia have released a revised second edition.
Let there be no misunderstanding. The establishment of the Sikh Chair at Birmingham University is a most welcome next step in the area of Sikh studies in the UK. However, British Sikhs would wish to satisfy themselves regarding community involvement and transparency in the light of community experience of such chairs in Canada and the USA.
As questions are being raised in the West about the damage done by colonial attitudes and institutional racism, the Sikhs too need to take timely steps to record their own experience.
Traditionally, the Khalsa ideology restores dignity to the working fraternity through Guru Nanak’s trilogy principle of God-centred life of honest work and sharing. According to one writer, “Sikhi is actively shaping and strengthening the current farmer protests. Iconography of the Sikh faith (orange colours, the Khanda symbol) has a heavy presence both at Indian and diaspora demonstrations”.
Sikhi (Sikhism) allows armed defence as a last resort when all other means for securing peace have failed.
Guru Gobind Singh’s great grandfather, Guru Arjan (Fifth Nanak) and his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur (Ninth Nanak) had given one type of response to the bigotry of the rulers through their martyrdoms. He was destined to give another through armed defence.
Such approaches are not new and have been tried in other countries.
THE FURNACE is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land.
He was destined to earn the title of the invincible warrior: the martyr who defies death, conquers self
Some thoughts as we wait for the judgement in the case...