© What the Sikh Brotherhood Needs to Understand...@ Guru Balwant Gurunay.
The Sikhs, after the fall of Lahore darbar, have been loyal to any army they served, including the army of the crown of England, pre-independence, and the Indian Army, post independence.
But has the white man been equally loyal to Sikhs, or they just used the Sikhs as gun fodder? The Victoria crosses awarded to Sikhs, commemoration stamps, statues and busts being enacted, are all a happy news for the community. Harjit Sajjan's rise as Canada's defence minister, further quite fairly answers this question.
Although, it has not always been like that. Harry Goulbourne in his work, (Race Relations in Britain Since 1945) says that British Raj strove to cultivate special relations with certain groups, amongst it's multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multi-religious subjects, as part of its colonial policy.
The British policy was to give more privileges to certain groups, while at the same time denying the same to others.
They intentionally exploited longstanding pre-colonial religious and caste divisions to create rifts amongst natives. Rather than highlighting the commonalities amomgst the different Indian communities, they focused on and encouraged the differences.
As an example, the Britishers, not just encouraged the observance of the five “Ks” by Sikh soldiers, but compelled them to conform to them. The soldiers would get punished and shamed for not complying, resulting in an impression amongst the Sikhs that the Britts respected Sikhism, where as actually, they were ensuring sikh loyalty to the crown via using the sikh faith as a vehicle.
Even today , I feel, that the new found love of white politicians for Sikhs, in USA, UK, Canada, Europe and other countries, is a direct result of sikh population having reached a position, where they have developed the economic and demographic capacity to become political game changers. There is othing more to it, and the case must rest here.
All those who think that sikh diaspora politics, can be an international mover and shaker, as far as the concept of Khalistan is concerned, are only playing at the wrong table, and dealing in invalid cards.
Even AAP party tried flirting with this idea during the Punjab election, but by doing so it only ensured, that the congress takes the trophy, right from within the AAP's jaws.
Some NRI Sikhs are looking at this new found Sikh political affluence in the west, as an opportunity to bake some fresh political cakes, in the oven of sepratism in India, but the only thing that upping the noise for issues like consensus 2020, and a demand for KS, by western Sikh politicians can/or/and, will do is, get their Canadian, English and American vote-flocks, together in one pasture, for their liberal or republican partners, and nothing more.
It also might have some political effect in Punjab's habitual flirting with politics of violence, but beyond that, it does not mean much.
As far as rise of Sikhs in Western politics and armies is concerned, it is a welcome step, and I must say that the Sikhs have long deserved it, but the western sikh diaspora must safeguard itself, in terms of their peaceful and progressive lives being hijacked, and them being taken for a ride, by dirty politicians, amongst them and others, who might use their religion as a weapon, to emotionally exploit the community for personal political gains.
🚩ਤੱਤਸੱਤਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ🚩
📿Motivational Guru Balwant Gurunay.⚔
No comments:
Post a Comment