Op/Ed: AAP’s Landslide Victory in Delhi – What Does This Mean for the Future of Sikhs?

It was once universally recognized that the�Shiromani�Akali�Dal (SAD) was the indisputable political wing of the modern day Sikh movement. When India was partitioned in 1947, having abandoned the idea of an independent (Azad)�Panjab, the SAD under the leadership of Master Tara Singh, fatally, it sided�the Indian National Congress�(INC). Given that the INC professed to be committed to an inclusive, democratic and secular system an given the�public�declaration made by�made�by�Jawaharlal Nehru on 4 April 1946,�that he was committed to enable Sikhs �to have a semi-autonomous unit within the province so that they may�experience the glow of freedom“, then this was probably a logical decision.

The fact that millions of people in Delhi elected a party that has openly sided with the Sikh cause whilst totally rejecting both the deeply corrupt Congress and the�Hinduva�inspired BJP/RSS/Akali�alliance is noteworthy.�

If we fast forward to 1984�and a decade of persecution of Sikhs resulting in the destruction of the�Darbar�Sahib, the Delhi Sikh�Genocide andextra judicial murder of over 100,000 Sikhs in so-called fake police encounters, history will record the decision to trust the Congress as a total disaster. But after 30 years of struggling for justice, finally, the historical landslide victory of Arvind�Kejarival�s�Aam�Adami�Party (AAP) in Delhi following the amazing success that AAP had in�Panjab�during the recent national elections, perhaps the nightmare is finally over. Millions of Sikhs across the world are now looking to�Kejarival�to deliver on his promises of justice for Sikhs.�The fact that millions of people in Delhi elected a party that has openly sided with the Sikh cause whilst totally rejecting both the deeply corrupt Congress and the�Hinduva�inspired BJP/RSS/Akali�alliance is noteworthy. It is a clear message that the ordinary people of India, the �aam�adamis� are not our enemies, [the real enemy is] but the ruling elites, be�they Mr.�Modi,�Mr.�Gandhi or�Mr.�Badal. The AAP victory has exposed and given dramatic expression to what most ordinary people knew, namely that the country had become hijacked�by an 3 way alliance of criminal �politicians�, criminal gangs, and criminal god-men.�

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It is said that history repeats itself and in some senses,�certainly from a Sikh perspective�the death of Congress and the rise of AAP has parallels with the shift of power from the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb�to�Bahadur�Shah’s. Whereas Aurangzeb was hell�bent�on eliminating the Sikhs,�Bahadur�Shah sought peace and reconciliation. Though some cynics are suggesting the AAP is simply the next incarnation of the Congress, the truth is that if one looks at the credentials of their candidates and elected officials, they do not represent a political elite; they are truly ordinary people with extraordinary visions for a country that under the concept of �swaraj� is ruled by the people for the people, one that is free from corruption and injustice, that protects the vulnerable and weak from oppression.�

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But perhaps the most significant fact of the AAP victory is the utter rejection of the murderous�fascistic Hindutva�inspired ideology of �ghar�vapsi� or the forced conversions of all those deemed to be non-Hindus��back to the fold� of�Hinduism.�Sikhs are told it does not impact them because under the Indian constitution, along with Jains and�Budhists,�they are already regarded as Hindus! We must not forget that though we have the light of AAP shining in Delhi across the country, the BJP rules and the policy of is being implemented without any slackening off.�

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And so the question facing Sikhs remains, how can we survive in what appears�to be an increasing�hostile world? One thing�is for sure, as a rapidly globalized�community,�our future�probably�does NOT lie�in�Panjab�or Panjabi culture.�There are a number of�factors, which�leads�one to come to this conclusion. First, based on the last census, the proportion of Sikhs in�Panjab�has been rapidly declining and it is predicted to dip from the current 60% to below 50% within the next 20 years. Second, especially amongst the Sikh heartlands of�Majha�and�Malva,�we are seeing a dramatic rise in�conversions, particularly amongst Dalit Sikhs,�to other faiths. Third, the rapid rise of sects (deras) is�leading to�fragmentation of�Sikh�communities. Fourth, due to rapid increase in�drugs�and alcohol addiction, coupled with the�poisoning�of the water supply, dramatic decrease in fertility levels. �And�last and�perhaps most significantly, there continues�to be a rapid exodus of Sikhs from�Panjab�to Europe, North America, the Middle East�and�Australasia.�

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As a minority community that from its inception has been under constant threat, be they Moghuls, the British and now the Hindus, Sikhs have always been confronted with the�question of survival.�I am not normally an advocate of the Darwinian mantra of��survival of the fittest� but one cannot deny�there is a truism here. Ultimately�for Sikhs, as we spread across the world,�this will mean that we will need to tolerate plurality within Sikhi, or at least find a way of meshing into different cultural contexts. That does not mean that we should do away with fundamental�Sikh tenants, but it does mean we need to separate out what might be the universal tenants of�Sikhi�and the local cultural expression of this.�

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The good news is that our Gurus have provided us with a very open minded ideology, free from the kinds of rigid laws and rules one finds in, for example, the Islamic Sharia tradition. The�Panth�Parvanat�Rehit�Maryada�is�the first and only attempt by the whole�Panth�to establish something resembling a set of minimum rules for which it is often�criticised�for being �minimalist�. Actually that was the very purpose of the document, namely, to establish a principled but�broad,�inclusive�conception of�Sikhi�and who can claim to be a Sikh.�What makes it such an impressive document is its progressive stance on social divisions�of caste/class, gender and race along with repudiation�of�rituals and superstitious beliefs.�Moreover�by versing the authority of the�Panth�Khalsa�in the institution of�Panj�Piaray,�and the wider �sarbat�khalsa�, Guru�Gobind�Singh�Ji�gave�the future generations of Sikhs a mechanism for reforming and developing the faith in the light of new ethical, political and theological challenges that may unfold over time and space.�

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In this regard, we could learn a lot from the oldest faith systems that continue to survive.�We could, for example,�learn a lot from the recent pronouncement by Pope Francis 1 when he stated that�God was not a�”magician with a magic wand”, that the Big Bang�theory�does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator, or that the theory of evolution is�nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation.�The Popes intervention is not new; the�Church has been for�centuries�updating�their�interpretation�of faith in the light of the development of knowledge and discovery. The question is,�how do we Sikhs respond to the profound discoveries that are being made�and the attendant ethical questions they raise? How do we respond to the Pope�s rejection of a God that is only valid if he is seen to be capable of performing�miracles?�

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Actually, the�Pope’s pronouncement sits very comfortably with Sikh�teachings. We do not believe a loving God�is one that�will only intervene in our lives if we convince him through begging, ritualistic praying and chanting, that we are worthy. �To the contrary, we�believe in a loving God that does not��do deals��or play games.�We believe in a God that�is all loving and giving, whether or not we implore him, a God�that is inseparable from his creation, from nature and from�our entire destiny. And so it would be absurd and illogical to suggest�that�such�a God is sat waiting in the heavens�for an invite or plea to intervene in our lives;�he intervenes through nature all the time and our job it to come to a realization that this is the case, that God if all pervading in the material (sargun) and immaterial (nirgun), as feelings thoughts and emotions. The�mirracles�that God performs are the miracles of life and nature which is so beautifully captured by Guru Nanak in his �arti� when he describes the expression of God in the constellation of stars in the cosmos (�Gagan�me�thaal�rav�chand���)

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There can be no doubt that�Sikhi�in�Panjab�is in crisis,�though the there are rays of hope emerging from the AAP victory. In the short term this will no doubt give progressive Sikhs committed to a secular progressive vision of�Sikhi�strength. It should also expose the hateful religious fanatics as being impostors in the Sikh fold. But thankfully, we have very few of those and those who hold extreme views tend to be�less rooted in ideological beliefs but more associated with�personal�experiences and enmities. We will also need to find a way for eradicating the influence of RSS thinking which is widespread within the 1000�s of�deras�and cults that have sprung up amongst Panjabi�s in India and abroad. But the way to do this is not violence or abuse, but simply to present to the many innocent followers of the true essence of�Sikhi, not simply by preaching, but by example where we become a living manifestation of�gurbani. �

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To be a Sikh is at once to be very unique (vilakhan/niara) and�at the same time�to be part of�all (sarbat).�Because we believe in a God (Waheguru) that recognizes no distinctions of�colour, faith or nation, a true Sikh is one who embraces diversity. And since a limitless God resides in each and every one of us and in all�life forms, who�transcends�and�traverses�the whole universe and beyond, then we must never claim him just for ourselves.�Perhaps that is the biggest challenge we all face, but if Sikhs can truly live the message of�the�Gurus,�if we embrace the world the whole world will embrace us.