|
Author: Judgement Day
Date: 10-31-03 05:46
19 years ago on this day, Bhai Beant Singh and Bhai Satwant Singh showed the world that anyone who attacks Sri Darbar Sahib can expect only one thing: death.
Indira Gandhi attacked Darbar Sahib in June 1984 and ordered the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikh men, women and children. She ordered to blowing up of Sri Akal Takhat. Her plans had not ended yet. The next phase in Indira's war on the Sikhs was Operation Woodrose in July 1984 which involved the rounding up and slaughter of young Sikhs in the villages of Punjab. The final phase was yet to come: Operation Shanti.
Operation Shanti was scheduled to proceed on November 8, 1984 when Sikhs had gathered to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev jee's Gurpurab. According to Sangat Singh, "large scale skirmishes virtually amounting to a war were to take place all along the India-Pakistan borders. And it was to be given out that the Sikhs had risen in revolt in Punjab and joined hands with the Pakistani armed forces which had made considerable advances into the Indian territory" (The Sikhs in History, 415).
Sikhs were to be bombarded from the air and slaughtered by the army. India-wide attacks on the "collaborator" Sikhs would also occur.
Bhai Beant Singh, Indira's body guard learned of these plans from an insider. He decided that he would do all he could to stop her. Bhai Beant Singh approached Bhai Satwant Singh to help him. Both visited Sree Amritsar Sahib and in the weeks preceding October 31, both became amritdhari.
At 9AM on October 31,1984 as Indira walked down the pathway from her house, Bhai Beant Singh pumped five bullets into her stomach. Bhai Satwant Singh then emptied his carbine into her. Both Singhs then dropped their weapons and before beginning paath, Bhai Beant Singh exclaimed "I have done what I had to do. You do what you want to do."
Both Singhs were taken into a shed and were shot at by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Bhai Beant Singh succumbed to his injuries, while Bhai Satwant Singh would live only to be executed by the Indian state on January 6, 1989. Bhai Satwant Singh's final words were, "There is no greater privilege for a Sikh than to lay down his life for the protection of Harimandir and the Akal Takhat. I wish to be born again and again and each time be able to die for it".
Bhai Beant Singh and Satwant Singh foiled Indira's plans for Operation Shanti, but the bloodthirsty mobs across India still hunted and killed Sikhs for the next three days. However, instead of a death toll in the hundreds of thousands, the loss was not on as grand a scale as was intended.
Let's remember these two great heroes of the Sikh panth and take the lessons they left us with to heart.
|
|
|
|
Author: Parnaam Shaheedaa Noo
Date: 10-31-03 20:04
Parnaam Shaheedaa Noo
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-01-03 18:16
MAR THITHA IK RANI NOOO
|
|
|
|
Author: ?
Date: 11-02-03 04:39
ive heard loads of stories not sure which is the one.
some people claim there was a 3rd person who did everything, planned and escaped and got these 2 in trouble.
other people say it wasnt even the bodygaurds but sum indian conspiracy at a higher level than indra, to get sikhs killed they got indra ghandi done then that wud pave way for " communal riots" ( genocide of sikhs) got the bodygaurds in trouble.
now i got a question. why would indra ghandi have sikh bodygaurds after 84? it doesnt make sense. i think theres something fishy going on, would they not be under surveilance after june attack by the goi? which is reputed to have rss, raw as its right arm think tank. these are not ordinary people but highly educated strategists with the hindutva goal.
if according to general sinha the gov had plannd to attack darbar sahib 18 months earlier with training excercises far bak as 1982 i dont see how they could leave ms ghandi with sikh bodygaurds armed fully. if they had plan a b c up their belt 1 odd year before how cud they not for ms ghandi??
then the question arises did congress really rule india? or is there something higher?
why do "communal riots" keep on taking place whichever party comes to power? bjp u cud understand but congress claims to represent hindus muslims sikhs etc. then how comes communal riots take place?? why is the panjab river water being stolen and given away free of charge to other states under the nose of a congress so called sikh captain amarinder singh??? same scenario under akalis previouslyhow is this possible? same agenda under both opposing govs???
how do we know the track record history off rss is not intertwined with congress as well as bjp?? bajrang dal ( wing of rss) was collabareting with congress officials in delhi riots. that means members of two opposition parties suddenly became best friends and team mates. ?
on ms ghandis part she is guilty, but some stuff doesnt add up here like the article written above what is the source of it? how do we know what occured behind the scenes? shaheed beant singh and shaheed satwant singh are sikh shaheeds in their own right.
like for example america wants iraqi oil, it seems the military was set to go in and bush was just hunting for excuses to get in do u think perhaps there are higher authorities that run things, the military take decisions from somewhere like something higher than these govs some kind of entity that exploits humans, natural resources, for its own benefits. the govs have a leader to provide a friendly face to the public like a intermediary.
this world is full of satelites. i heard in 1983 onwards there were many instances around the punjab region ( due to the post cold war scenario and american interests in neighbouring afghanistan at the time), where sikhs were caught crossing the border with big quantity of shasters and were blown to bits by indian authorities who were tipped by cia data scanning the skies. now its clear what satelites can do, my nex question is then how were the sikhs a threat to india militarily?? it looks as if everything was done so smoothly according to their wishes that the aim was to wipe sikhs out. these stories that they felt sikhs were going to revolt and take over panjab dont make sense. i think the root of the problem would be miri piri ideology and the potential influence it has over the region and its people which directly conflicts with the kings of the day.
heres another example, bin laden the media claim is not traceable. then how comes a satelite in the sky can read details on a coke can? i also have a link to a media outlet that claims bin laden met with a cia agent 8 weeks before the sep 11. its a known fact the bin saud family are closely connected to the bush family, and bin laden had at the time supposedly been huntd by the cia for the attacks on the usa ships. prime example of things not always as they seem.
http://srd.yahoo.com/S=2766679:WS1/R=1/K=bin+laden+a+cia+
agent/H=0/T=1045155961/F=7fc719964dba082cd2ffbad90fba3392/
*http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/
0,1361,584444,00.html
|
|
|
|
Author: Sardaro
Date: 11-03-03 17:28
From what I know indira had known them for a long time and trusted them and even called them her own sons.
|
|
|
|
Author: ?
Date: 11-05-03 04:04
if you r the ruler king of the day and power really is in your hands, analyse and see through plans to destroy someones place of worship 2 years before it actually happens, i very much doubt you will trust the protection of gaurds you called sons of whos religion you destroyed.
were they not her sons when darbar sahib was bombed?
who was running the show congress i or raw and the indian military with indra ghandis face in the middle?
isnt it strange how all of a sudden 200 sikhs and the dreaded bhindrawala were porrayed of causing so much havoc that the media almost went to the point of stating that the country might break up because of these " 200 sikh militants" before 84??
now all of a sudden op bluestar, bang! 20 000 sikhs murdered in cold blood.
if that wasnt enuff, ghandi ( the person were r led to believe was the leader of the time) was murdered by her "sikh" bodygaurds. bang! 10 000 sikhs again murdered in cold blood systematically by criminal thugs shippd in truckloads from neighbouring haryana.
when an entity wants to destroy a race, its martial spirit what can it do when it is faced with the predicament of being " worlds largest democracy"??
it cannot outright just kill kill kill , that wud mean no trade, international outcry and a damaging image. so to get 10 000 sikhs murdered at once, it wud neeed the perfect excuse beforehand to justify future atrocities and pave way for holocausts.
these figures we rely on are amnesty figures, who knows how deep this is? india a third world country demographically large, people get killed and we wont even know theres no offical state records who will accurately record these like in the west.
now comes operationg black thunder, who knows how many sikhs were killed in this second bluestar??
all of a sudden this entity, which had 20 000 sikhs massacred barely within a week, 10 000 within 3 days, acts as if it has become helpless, itself a victim of the dreaded khalistani with an ak47 and an orange pagh. so much that it itself sends its own men dressed in khalsa bana to bomb civilian places and people. now the media portrays that sikh militants have seized the country. a whole gov, a whole army, which adminsters a country that wiped out 30 000 sikhs within days became the victim incapable suddenly.
from the shapeshifting aggressor, to victim, we move onto 1992, a kps gill appears, what is it about this one guy that differs from any other police or army official?? bang! 250 000 SIKHS WIPED OUT. all over again.
u cant kill 250 000 in one go without an excuse. that excuse took some years. so this entity again shapeshifted from victim to aggresor.
my question is why the 4 stances from 1984? pre 84 india is a victim, post 84 it is the aggresor, post 86 it becomes the victim, post 92 it is suddenly " cracking down" on sikhs.
if sikhs really had the capability to break the country up then why did the administration go quiet after 86 to 92???
bang! 280 000 sikhs wiped out in a space of less than 10 years.
does this seem like a pattern or just a chance happening?
if congress really did run india then how would it afford to let its leader kingpin in the grip of sikh bodygaurds?
sikh women were raped, sikh men were killed after being tortured, sikh children had burning tyres around their necks. and satwant singh and beant singh were expected to be loyal sons of the so called ruler ghandi??? i dont think so. being in the army or police is one thing, trusting the life of the leader of a country in the hands of trained to kill bodygaurds is another.
i think raw ( research analysis wing) plays a bigger part in running the affairs of india than known to the civilians.
a sudden surge of amritdharis in the late 70s and early 80s would have meant the chances of miri piri coming back, probably the single biggest threat to raw in the long run with 20 million potential and likely candidates spread over north india.
the media and state gov portrayed a problem to the masses, offered a solution to fix the problem after. problem solution problem solution. the problem claimed blood was spilt by men in orange turbans, the country was seized and held at gunpoint, plans were made by sikhs to run their own country and cutting india up would mean india will fall apart.
bang! solution time, ok we gotto kill some of these men in orange turbans to prevent that from happening. the media blown the problem out of context and proportion outright in order to brainwash the masses to back a genocide.
|
|
|
|
Author: me
Date: 11-05-03 17:29
:s
it kind of gives me shivers that next year will mark the 20th anniversary of this entire situation...
it is strange though, that she had sikh bodyguards even though she had been planning to attack for so long
|
|
|
|
Author: For Example...
Date: 11-05-03 19:35
Sat Sri Akal:
Hitler tried to exterminate the Jews, but one of his grandmothers was herself of Jewish descent.
Sometimes, little details like that are forgotten (or maybe the Almighty has the greatest sense of irony in humor ever...)
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-09-03 08:05
i have read in an article that the canadian president of the time was in delhi and witnessed the carnage of delhi riots came back and claimed sikh militants were terrorising india.
maybe theres some global plot to water down any region and culture that has a history to take a stand against colonial rule. that means we aint safe anywhere.
if amritdharis grew for example from 1 few thousand in BC to near enough the whole province including gorey n chinese do you think the politicians would sit idle? or use all the resources at their means of their disposal to malign sikhi? cos that would threaten their power n leave a vacuam for the khalsa to fill in. history has shown wherever amritdharis grow all of a sudden sikhi is oppressed to try to keep the numbers down.
a subtle example sep 11 most media in states show a man with a turban being dargged by cops as a suspected terrorist, thereafter sikhs are attacked mistaken for being terrorists. balbir sodhi murdered, sikhs are the ones doing a media campaign for tolerance n education not the state media whos job it was. is it fair to say they were ignorant? how? proffessionals in high paid careers which requiere a degree of education are suddenly ignorant? they suddenly have no guidelines to abide by?
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-09-03 13:58
to ?
Ur article is of no sense....
BHAI SATWANT SINGH JI KHALSA, openly in his trial said he did what he did with great pride, that he wants to embrace the hang mans noose for sikh quam....
theres no denying it...........they fought back like LIONS
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-10-03 01:52
was you at the trial gabru? how do you know satwant singh did? he was arrested in 85 and killed in 1989 4 years later, i doubt the officials would have just left him to be most likely tortured the hell out of him as well as threatening his family, what choice would he have but to say what they want him to say? what does that do? give the perfect justification nationwide to crack down on sikh militancy ( more like massacred amritdharis at a time when they were growing like no mans biz).
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-10-03 01:53
but that dont mean they aint lions, they are sikh shaheeds for they were killed for their dastaar and sikh identity by the modern auranga.
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-10-03 12:50
khalistan dey putt.
he wuz not arrested in 85, u dont' even know ne thing..he wuz arrested on the day oct 31st 1984, kept under police repremand for 2months...of pure torture.....
hung 1989.......he said he had 2 do it, cause he could'nt take the insult to guru ji....
how can u deny he did it? where u there 2 proove that he did'nt?
yes , it wuz published in newspapers what he said...
he fought back like a LION
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-10-03 15:07
OK HE WAS ARRESTED IN 84. OK I DONT KNOW ENYTHING. YES HES GONNA BE HUNG IN 89 WHY DAT LONG? DEY CUD HAVE HUNG HIM BEFORE? JUST 1 YEAR LATER THEY START KILLING SIKHS EVERYWHERE AGAIN COS AMRITDHARIS GREW LIKE FIRE IN NUMBERS.
HOW DO YOU KNOW HIS STATEMENT WAS NOT FORCED OUT? CONSIDERING THEY WOULD HAVE TORTURED HIM FOR YEARS?
WHERE YOU THERE TO PROOVE HE DID DO IT? THE NEWSPAPERS SAY ALL KIND OF THINGS ABOUT SIKHS DO THEY NOT? HOW DO YOU KNOW HE DID KILL GHANDI? NEWSPAPERS ALSO SAY SIKHS BOMB BUSES AND CIVILIANZ TO THE MASS HINDU VOTE BANK, BUT DID THEY?
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THE MEDIA WOULD CORRECTLY REPORT ANYTHING ON SIKHS? DOES THE MEDIA IN THE WEST EVER TELL YOU THAT 250 000 SIKHS WERE MASSACRED???
|
|
|
|
Author: Balpreet Singh
Date: 11-10-03 15:31
I'm pretty sure that Bhai Beant Singh and Bhai Satwant Singh were responsible for Indra's sodhaa. Some people believe in a third person's involvement as well, but that's just a theory.
Bhai Satwant Singh's trial was very long and according to the judicial system, it took 5 years until the case was over and he was executed. His father and family did meet him and if he didn't really have any involvement, his family would've forwarded that message. He happily took responsibility for this action.
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-10-03 15:53
look at ne death sentace put.
the sentance is never carried out immedality but a grace period is always applied..
the quesiton comes 2 midn why did it take 5yrs for tymothy mc veigh to be hung?
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-10-03 15:55
he did it...theres ample proof....
and dis is not only media , the whole of india shook when she wuz killed. guru gobind singh jis baaj came back just for the occasion
sat siri akaal
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-11-03 01:52
HANG ON A SECOND YOUR LETTING THE PASSION GET THE BETTER OF YOU BROTHER.
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THE BIGGEST LEADER OF THE COUNTRY WAS GOING TO HAVE SIKH BODYGAURDS TO PROTECT HER LIFE AFTER 1984?
WASNT IT THE MOST OBVIOUS THING. SUPPOSE YOUR THE RAJA OF INDIA YOU ORDER MECCA TO GET BOMBED, AND YOUR BODYGAURDS HAPPENED TO BE MUSLIMS. JUST COS YOU CALL DEM SON DOES THAT MEAN YOUR GONNA DISCOUNT DA FACT DEY COULD MURDER YOU FOR ATTACKING DER HOLIEST SHRINE?
WOMEN WERE RAPED, MEN WERE MURDERED, CHILDREN HAD THEIR LEGS RIPPED APART, AND THESE 2 BODYGAURDS WERE MENT TO BE HER BODYGAURDS??????
COMMON NO ONE IS THAT STUPID.
I DONT TRUST THESE TRIALS JUDICIARY PROCESSES ANYWHERE IN INDIA THE WAY 50 000 ODD SIIKHS ARE ROTTING IN JAILS FOR SOMETHING THEY NEVER DID.
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-11-03 10:55
veer its karma, sometimes stuff just hits the fan...
why u hell bent on insuling veer beant singh ji, kehar singh ji, and satwant singh ji...panth thaye mahaan gursikhs
i know what ur saying also, why would she? because those 2 singhs at the time probablly were'nt intune with sikhi, where bharatas chelaye, but when guru shined his light upon them, there sikhi valli ankh woke up...they took amrit, and they fought back like LIONS
|
|
|
|
Author: KHALISTAN DEY PUTT
Date: 11-11-03 11:12
how am i insulting shaheed singhs? your the one calling them bharat cheley.
what im saying is, a raja of the land aint gonna take dodgy risks that are obviously gonna get em killed. ders no tee putt mata son daughter mother bussiness in rule or politics u know it so do i.
i dont buy what the media say if you do thats your biz.
|
|
|
|
Author: GABROO KHALISTAN DAH
Date: 11-11-03 14:39
i'm sayin thats what they thought.....
theres no way that they did'nt do it, its b'n proven...
|
|
|
|
Author: Admin
Date: 11-11-03 16:03
The debate on whether Bhai Beant Singh and Bhai Satwan Singh killed Indra is over. If someone has new information, then please do post it, otherwise, let's move on.
|
|
|
|
Author: Harminder Singh
Date: 09-14-04 13:15
This is a great article. Very well written and very intresting to read as well as very inspiring.
|
|
|
|
Author: kar kirpaa sabh rayN thheevaa
Date: 09-14-04 15:46
Bhai Beant Singh,
Bhai Satwant Singh,
Bhai Kehar Singh
these people are directly inspired in the legacy of Bhai Mehtab Singh and Bhai Sukha SIngh who killed Massa RangaR
do not ever doubt this - these people are amar khalsa shaheeds.
|
|
|
|
Author: Singh_Khalsa_Warrior
Date: 09-16-04 04:41
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,
Some facts:
1. Bhai Beant Singh was bodyguard with Indra Gandhi from a long time.
2. He was apostate before this incident. He was like every other policeman who shaved his beard, used to drink alcohol.
3. He was one of the closest confident of Indra Gandhi in her ring of securitymen.
These are the reasons why she trusted him. After Operation Blue Star, on order from SPG (Special protection group) Chief who looks after PM's security, Indra's all sikh bodyguards were transferred out including Bhai Beant Singh and Satwant Singh.
She herself ordered the two to be returned on duty with her. SPG and RAW were not happy with this decision.
But singho, there is a common saying
"Jaddon giddad di maut aaundi hai te oh pind vall nu bhajjda hai"
Her death was calling her, so it was all akal purakh's bhana herself asking these two singhs two be called back into her service.
Bhai Beant Singh, went to Sri Darbar Sahib and witnessed all the bloodshed signs and destruction of Sri Akal Takht Sahib with his own eyes. He ended up being a completely changed man. Why can't we just take it as that. If a sikh sees such state of our most beloved Akal Takht Sahib, why will he/she not get a big shock. This is what brought back Bhai Beant Singh to the Guru's door where is again became a pooran Amritdhari Singh. Later his wife also got pesh and became amritdhari singhni.
Later Bhai Beant Singh got Bhai Satwant Singh in with him and Bhai Satwant Singh also became amritdhari singh. At time of the incident Bhai Satwant Singh had very short beard and hair as he used to cut them earlier but stopped cutting only after going to amrit sanchar.
There is no doubt that these two singhs killed the bitch and made this earth lighter by removing her weight from here. Govt is supposed to generate conspiracies. Media/Govt agencies did spread rumours of third man, other conspirators etc etc after this, well they did all that for Baba Jarnail Singh Ji as well, they did it for Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar as well.
But the singhs know who chardhikala all these singhs were. Nations who do not have faith on their martyrs are nothing but akirtghan. Govt wants us all to have doubts about the shaheeds. DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THEM???
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
|
|
|
|
Author: Singh
Date: 11-09-04 12:29
we are millitant and always will be.
|
|
|
|
Author: 10th regiment
Date: 11-10-04 03:53
the other person, was RK Dhawan, press sec to indira gandhi, he was accused of helping beant singh to know what day indira wasnt wearing bulletprooof jacket
but it wasnt proved and he was let go
he was a hindu
staright after her death, all indian radio said 2 turbanned sikhs and a hair cut person were arrested but later recanted on that broadcast
|
|
|
|
Author: Jarnail Singh Arshi Gyani
Date: 11-11-04 08:53
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki fateh.
Havent you guys heard of the "power" that people like Indira feel inside them when they see "the children of those they have murdered" in thier household doing sewa,guard duty, etc. IT is psychological trait. IT is done to SHOW this: Look here I am so invincible that I can murder half a million Sikhs...and yet see two of them still feed on my crumbs..paaltoo kutteh...
Indira was haughty and full of CONCEIT... she never imagined in her wildest dreams that her body guards, her paltoo kutteh would ever have the courage to bite the hand that feeds them...THATS why in her conceited twisted mind she felt no danger from the Singhs.
The BRITISH had a completely different outlook on things... the BRITS saw AMRITDHAREE SIKHS as LOYAL...their reasoning was IF a SINGH cannot be LOYAL to his GURU, how can he be loyal to the British. So the British went all out to see that all SIKH Soldiers were full amrtidharees and weekly checks on Kakkars were carried out...
When Nehru took over he chnaged this policy of the British...HE went all out to SUBVERTAMRITDHAREES all the way. TO the new rulers of INDIA, a PATIT SIKH, an APOSTATE, A TRAITOR to SIKHI was the BEST BET of a man LOYAL to HINDUTVA. Thus under this policy the APOSTATES, PATITS were fully encouraged and Amrtidhartees were hounded out and demoted or pushed out. As Beant Singh and Satwant Singh were BOTH PATITS and APOSTATES, thye fitted in very well withe Indira's views on LOYALTY
Unfortunately after June 1984, something awoke inside the Singhs...their JAMEER AWOKE from the long sleep of Indira loyalty...and they went to Chhak Amrit and became LOYAL to GURU instead of Indira... the Fatal Mistake Indira made was due to this CHANGE in the SINGHS.
Jarnail Singh
|
|
|
|
Author: 10th regiment
Date: 11-11-04 09:26
i agree with what gyani ji has said
interviews with shaheed beant singh jis family says he was shocked at the state of akal takht and with this he awoke from slumber and put our paghs back on our heads
|
|
|
|
Author: A Singh
Date: 11-11-04 09:59
Gyani Ji,
Whilst I can agree with your views on the Indian Administration, I find it difficult to stomach your comments concerning the British Raj. I once held this belief during my younger years attending ‘Gurmat Camps’ during the late 1980s when the then older Singhs would tell of the marvels of the Raj and how even the ‘Goras’ noted the power of the Pahul and insisted on all Singhs being Amritdhari.
It was only later when I changed my views. The ‘goras’ have done exactly this the world war during colonial times. My views changed after a study of black African slaves being ‘forced’ into forgetting their language and tribal religions and instead having to become Christians and speak English. This ‘evangelising’ was not done for any religious purpose or for the betterment of the world or even to ‘spread the word/faith’.
The sole purpose of the white man converting all and sundry to Christianity was to allow him to rule over them –it is far easier to rule a consolidated body of people following one set of rules and even easier if those rules are aligned with your own. There are numerous books and literature written on this topic, particularly with regard to the slave trade.
What happened with India? Well, it is known that whilst similar attempts to have missionaries convert the masses to the ‘faith’ were and still are conducted in India, it never met with the success that was met elsewhere in the Raj. The Indian masses had a tradition too far imbedded in them for this to effectively function, finally the Raj in their own words turned to ‘Shakespeare’ as a bid to rule over what they had begun to term “India”. The influx of jobs and British ‘covent’ education was what led the way.
So what about the Sikhs? Contrary to what I had been told at Gurmat Camp, the British did not think ‘oh wow, these guys really kicked our asses, they must have some mystical power about them, gosh it must be Amrit. I say old chap, let’s ensure we promote this fine and splendid religion’. Their sole motivation was political –where they couldn’t convert, they sought to influence and understand the local customs, hence all the (mis)-‘translations’ of Indian and Oriental Classics (why go to all that trouble after all?).
Is it any surprise that so much of the rehit was altered under the influence of the British from the shortening of Nitnem to the shortening of the Kirpan (leading to its mere symbolic status). What I always found hilarious was that those Singhs speaking so highly of the British policy in the same breath would ridicule what they term ‘African’ dastaars and tied up beards –well contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as ‘African’ style, this was a style adopted under the Raj as the Khalsa Army was ‘smartened’ up to appear more ‘civilised’ and move away from its rough and ragged appearance of Neela Bana and Kamarkasa. The introduction of such customs were enforced to the extent that the British would court martial any Sikh found without their beard tied up!
So the long and short of this is that the British were motivated solely by their own political motives and were in no way thinking in the way you described, otherwise why would they request Sikhs in their employment to take an “oath” upon the Guru Granth Sahib to pledge allegiance to HRH the Queen? Once done, the Sikhs Soldiers would be promptly told that any move contrary to the orders of the Queen would be going against Guru Nanak! This is the crux of the matter.
Just like under Ranjit Singh’s Raj, many indicate that the rise in number of Sikhs was simply Hindus wishing to win favour of the rulers (hence the influx of their indigenous beliefs into Sikhi), I personally feel that the rise in the number of Amritdhari Sikh under Raj was also influenced by opportunists in to get employment and material success, which at the time Khalsa Initiation would have almost automatically promised.
For the record, I agree that the Indian Administration has done all it can to ridicule and mitigate the Sikh appearance and customs, however to consider the British to have been some sort of power encouraging Sikhs is plain ignorant of the white man’s twisted policies.
|
|
|
|
Author: Jarnail Singh Arshi Gyani
Date: 11-13-04 04:32
Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji KI fateh.
I would be the last person to suggest that the British Administration wanted to spread Sikhism or something like that.
BUT it is a FACT that they recognised what it was that made the SIKHS strong and powerful...and they used this to their benefit.
My great grandfather and grandfather were both in the British Army and I know for a fcat that there was a WEEKLY Check up of all SINGHS on Kachhera, Kesh beadbi on the wole body..etc to ENSURE that the Amrtidharee Singhs kept to full Rehat. There werre GURDWARAS in all Camps, Full time Granthis and the Guru Garnth Ji was kept by all Sikh regiments even when abroad..( on a very low level i would compare this meticulous behaviour on the part of the British to someone who bought a very valuable rotteweiller alsation Guard Dog...he would go to extreme lengths to make sure that the Dog is well fed with the best, groomed to perfection...and have the dog examined every week for any failings disease, worms etc... to keep it in TOP shape all the time..BUT all this is not LOVE for the Dog but the INTEREST of the Owner's Property.)
Later on when the SIKHS began to be the main reason for anti british agitation, the british were caught in a catch 22 situation..thats why they off and on dilli dallied about the Gurdwras and Singh sabha Lehr...they wanted to keep the Singhs in the Army to fight for them but they didnt want the Sikhs to spread their religion and control their gurdwaras.. It is a historical fact that PUNJAB was the LAST to fall under the Brtish and the FIRST to start FIGHTING for Independence...Punjab only endured about 99 years under British while the rest of India was about 200 + years..
Therefore the Briitsh actively recruited Sikhs in the Army, gave them LOYALTY rewards like Murabbay after retirement, ( This was the REASON fro HUGE SIKH PROPERTIES in West Punjab ) and thus provided a avenue of employment for Punjab that led to most of the Prosperity..LATER when NEHRU REVERSED this Policy, Unemployment in Punjab rose, Sikhs were reduced in the Indian Armed Forces, cut backs etc and APOSTACY was actively and positively encouraged and promoted.
dass jarnail Singh
|
|
|
|
Author: Just a suggestion
Date: 11-13-04 12:18
A Singh
Another thing that makes me cringe is seeing some how of these Singhs really suck to these goreh whenever they come to a Sikh function at a Gurudwara. They gone on about how they liked it when the British Raj were there and all the rest of it.
On another note, I don't understand how these posts (i.e about Shahidi) help with our spiritual development to merge with WaheGuru
|
|
|
|
Author: A Singh
Date: 11-15-04 05:06
Dear Gyani Ji and 'Just a Suggestion',
Thanks for your comments. Your are correct, Sikhs just love to suck up to the 'Gorey' not only in Gurdwaras but elsewhere too and this is nothing but a relic of the Raj.
Gyani Ji's 'dog comparison' is perfect, the Sikhs were simply used and abused by the Raj and frankly most of them, particularly those from Jat backgrounds loved it. I mention this, not for any debate on caste, however, the reason why caste features so commonly in Sikh society today is due to the British.
They actively recognised the Jats, Tarkhans, Lohars, Kathris in all their texts on Sikhism and the Sikh people. In their records, it is plain to see that they favoured the Jats since pay as a soldier was considerably more than that as a Farmer, however compared to the income earned by Tarkans and Katris, for example, from their individual family businesses was more than was soldiering offered them.
As a result, Jats were predominantly employed by the British in their Army and other Sikh Groups scheduled for work in the administration. The important factor to bear in mind is as Gyani Ji hinted towards at the end of his post, is that the British, rewarded the Jats through Land rights and ownership.
This is the true origins, along with changes occuring under Ranjit Singh's Raj, of the myth propagated about Jats being some super landowing 'race' in Punjab (as we now often see propagated on websites like www.jattworld.com, which incidently also insults many Panthic Gursikhs, yet speaks approvingly of dhusts like KPS Gill, Badal and Tohra).
As per the Sikhs, this move again was part of the British Strategy to weaken Sikhs through enforcement, albeit subtlely of the caste factor within the wider Sikh society and explains much of the politics we are accustomed to seeing today in Gurdwaras.
|
|
|
|
Author: Jarnail Singh Arshi Gyani
Date: 11-15-04 15:02
Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki fateh.
A Singh Ji,
How true. This is all the FEUDAL SYSTEM...even in England the Lords and the ruling classes were always made sure of Land Rights...the ordinary farmers were were not allowed to own any land....even the FORESTS were Royalty owned... thats why we have the Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest types who were made to be outlaws simply because they Hunted the "king's deer" in the Forest ( for food) or shot the "king's goose/wild fowl/ or fished in the Royal Rivers...etc.
In Punjab this was propogated by the British to entice the Jatts to the army... a soldier's pay.... even his meagre "pension" was a princely sum in those days....and at the end when he got his murabbay....he was a rich man...and thus FIERCELY LOYAL to his Masters. People like SIR Sobha Singh and many others in the Chief Khalsa Diwan tried their level best to TORPEDO the SGPC/Akali dal/Singh sabha Lehr/Gurdwara Movement....these people were in the forefront to "settle" things with the Briitsh at any cost...unfortunately for them the ordianry SIKH decided not to listen to them.
Today we reap what the British sowed for us....jatt-paat is amajor headache for everybody. As a Jatt Dhillon, I never felt any special pride...but now that my "co-casters" like badal, kps gill, tohra etc have destroyed more SIKHI than any dusht in the past, I feel only disgust at belonging to such a group..if only in "name"....my great grandfather dropped dhillon in favour of AKALI as a last name...and when my dad migrated to malaysia he decide to use "pen names" as he was also a writer/poet and Sikh missionary..he was called "daler" ( brave" and i was given Arshi ( arshaan da wasi).
My fervent hope is that guur Ji Kirpa karan and we sikhs can drp all this behind us and progress.
jarnail singh
|
|
|
|