Khalistan - Some Misconceptions

[Pyara]

Khalistan - some misconceptions.

As Khalistan has become a hot topic with everyone at the moment, I seem to be finding myself entering into many discussions with all sorts of Sikhs over the last few days. I think that now many of us are bringing Khalistan to the forefront, we really need to battle the stigmas and misconceptions that exist out there.

Yesterday I ended up in a deep discussion with a very respected middle aged Gurmukh who's from an East African Ramgharia background about Khalistan. This Singh is a very humble sewadar with a lot of Gurbani knowledge and has a deep involvement in sewa. He is always at the Gurdwara carrying out sewa and regularly does raul sewa too.

A large portion of Sikhs from Ramgharia backgrounds in the UK, particularly from East African backgrounds have been led to believe that Khalistan was (and is) a medieval feudal battle over land in Punjab. Some of the past terms or references I have heard is that Khalistan is a "Jatistan", a land ruled by Jats. Now, there's no denying that during the 70s/80's our Grandparents/Parents with backward thinking isolated one another by not integrating with each other based on caste, but the long term effects of that were that real legitimate panthic issues became stigmatised with the same discrimatory culture.

The advent of committees taking over UK Gurdwaras during the 80's under the banner of Khalistan also isolated East African Ramgharia run Gurdwaras. Many of the Ramgharia Caste driven Gurdwara committees built defence mechanisms within their Gurdwara constitutions so that only people from Ramgharia backgrounds could enter their committees with the view that the Khalistan thinking could not enter. The idea being that the supporters of Khalistan were predominantly from Jat backgrounds and that ideology of Khalistan was not that of what a non-Jat should be involved in.

Now I know that many of us are guilty at some point of harbouring prejudices against each other based on caste, but there is no benefit whatsoever by just moaning about the status quo and not putting the real parchar forward. There should be no reason for this thinking to still exist in the UK in 2011 as all it is does is dilute any potential collective power we can leverage off against. Those of us who believe that we (Khalsa) are capable of bringing reforms back into Punjab and Gurdwara Maryada via a Sikh homeland need to work on influencing our own community into feeling empowered about how a Khalistan will work.

The Gursikh ideals that Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindrawalay stood for are no different to the ideals that Baba Jassa Singh Ramgharia stood for 250 years earlier in the same part of the world. Nothing really changes, the asools are still the same. We need to start looking at our history and drawing parallels so that we can put things into context and effectively communicate them. We will not win any global influence if we cannot articulately describe why we need a Khalistan, and convince our own Sikhs why it's part of a bigger picture.

Perhaps we can discuss other common stigmas, misconceptions our community seem to have regarding Sikh homeland on this thread? This is just one issue that has come up in a personal discussion I had with a fellow Sikh.

[gulabsinghjaman]

100% agree with what you say. I knw many sikhs now who r in support of khalistan and are not frm a Jat background. Correct parchar is what is needed.

[chandika]

A large portion of Sikhs from Ramgharia backgrounds in the UK, particularly from East African backgrounds have been led to believe that Khalistan was (and is) a medieval feudal battle over land in Punjab. Some of the past terms or references I have heard is that Khalistan is a "Jatistan", a land ruled by Jats. Now, there's no denying that during the 70s/80's our Grandparents/Parents with backward thinking isolated one another by not integrating with each other based on caste, but the long term effects of that were that real legitimate panthic issues became stigmatised with the same discrimatory culture.

The advent of committees taking over UK Gurdwaras during the 80's under the banner of Khalistan also isolated East African Ramgharia run Gurdwaras. Many of the Ramgharia Caste driven Gurdwara committees built defence mechanisms within their Gurdwara constitutions so that only people from Ramgharia backgrounds could enter their committees with the view that the Khalistan thinking could not enter. The idea being that the supporters of Khalistan were predominantly from Jat backgrounds and that ideology of Khalistan was not that of what a non-Jat should be involved in.

Do you know why the Ramgharia gurdwareh came about?

My great grandfather was one of the original for runners with it and helped create it and was very well known by both sikh and kenyan communities in kenya and still is with the elders of kenya. Jatts wouldnt let the ramgarhia's into their committees in india, when they moved to East Africa they built gurdwareh with their OWN money collectively. The few Jatts familys got into the committees thus again not allowing ramgarahias to stand in their own gurdwara's they built. The singhs had enough and took their gurdwareh back, they then created the ramgarahia gurdwara name, only people who are of ramgarahia desent can be allowed to stand, keeping the gurdwara in their hands only.

Caste discrimination was high against non jatts hence why you have soo many gurdwareh in different names because Jatts refused to let anyone who was seen lower than them into their committiees.

[PunjabiPredator]

We are going to continue having these problems because nobody considers themselves a sikh. Everyone considers themselves belonging to some caste background or some other background and then a sikh for example Jatt Sikh or Khatri Sikh or Saini Sikh. There are other examples as well Mona Sikh and Kesdari Sikh or Gora Sikh or Indian Sikh. Our Guru's told us to become "sikhs" not to label each other. Anybody that supports Khalistan is considered a extremist and anyone that does not is considered a moderate by India and also by sikhs. We are in the end dividing ourselves over stupid issues and are basically destroying our own religion. We need to sort these issues out if we want Khalistan we need 25 millions sikhs fighting for Khalistan and not 500,000 or 120,000 or even 1 and we need to most importantly get over these stupid issues we have made up. We need to become just sikhs and not look at each others background if we want Khalistan.

[Pyara]

Do you know why the Ramgharia gurdwareh came about?

My great grandfather was one of the original for runners with it and helped create it and was very well known by both sikh and kenyan communities in kenya and still is with the elders of kenya. Jatts wouldnt let the ramgarhia's into their committees in india, when they moved to East Africa they built gurdwareh with their OWN money collectively. The few Jatts familys got into the committees thus again not allowing ramgarahias to stand in their own gurdwara's they built. The singhs had enough and took their gurdwareh back, they then created the ramgarahia gurdwara name, only people who are of ramgarahia desent can be allowed to stand, keeping the gurdwara in their hands only.

Caste discrimination was high against non jatts hence why you have soo many gurdwareh in different names because Jatts refused to let anyone who was seen lower than them into their committiees.

I think we all fully understand how all the previous caste prejudices eventually resulted in the caste system being dangerously "institutionalised" in many of our Guru Ghars.

The issue now is how can we seriously get over it to work towards the Khalsa's common goals? Institutionalised caste acceptance not only segregates our interaction with each other but skews and adds bias when standing up for Gurmat asool. That thinking even stops us accepting each other's shaheediya or kurbaniya.

[punjabking]

I would say most non-jat castes disagree with khalistan, it is understandable as jatts make up what 10% of punjab population? How would the bhuddists, hindus, christians and all other non sikh communities in Punjab feel if the land under their feet is grabbed? Soon or maybe even now with immigration from other states, emigration out of state and conversions the sikh population of punjab will not even be 50%?

I feel for khalistan to have any real basis and credibility then we got to demand from pakistan the area where our great Guru Nanak was born....then that is what you call a real homeland

[Pyara]

We need to sort these issues out if we want Khalistan we need 25 millions sikhs fighting for Khalistan and not 500,000 or 120,000 or even 1 and we need to most importantly get over these stupid issues we have made up. We need to become just sikhs and not look at each others background if we want Khalistan.

Maybe this is where bringing parallels from our history can help by empowering individual groups to feel united under the same banner.

The Ramgharia Gurdwara label takes it's name from the great Ramgharia misl. Baba Jassa Singh Ramgharia led campaigns to fight injustice and tyranny which helped establish 'Khalsa Raj' and the establishment of gurmat Rehat Maryada. Again, we should be seeing the parallels with Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindrawalay and the mahan shaheeds of 1984. We should be communicating the parallels of the 'Khalsa Raj' with Khalistan.

[dalsingh101]

I think we all fully understand how all the previous caste prejudices eventually resulted in the caste system being dangerously "institutionalised" in many of our Guru Ghars.

The issue is how can we seriously get over it work towards the Khalsa's common goals? Institutionalised caste acceptance not only segregates our interaction with each other but skews and adds bias when standing up for Gurmat asool. That thinking even stops us accepting each other's shaheediya or kurbaniya.

From your post I get a feeling that you are under the impression that caste discrimination is some historical force or legacy. Personally, I don't think caste discrimination has diminished at all, I think it is still alive and kicking as bad as it ever was. At best, it may have gone a bit underground, like white racism in the UK - where you might not get attacked by skinheads anymore, but you are likely to experience a more covert form of racism in the work environment with people surreptitiously conspiring against you. This type of stuff plays a big part in nonJats being wary of Khalistan in my opinion. I've heard this loads of times from people. Outsiders experiences seem to make them suspect Jats to act in a supercilious, oppressive, biased way in a theoretical Khalistan. Frankly, given what goes on in Jat society in Panjab today, they probably have good reason to think this way.

I think another often overlooked factor is plain economics. Many people make out like Khalistan is purely a religious issue, when it isn't. Hordes of proKhalistan people I know are monay, and not particularly religious. Frankly, its the perceived financial benefits that attract people like this to the idea - given the fixed price for crops situation. The fact that landowners believe they will be better off in a Khalistan does effect their motivation and inform their attitude towards the notion. In the past, when you spoke to other non farmers, they would say that they would be worse of, and have even less opportunities than now in a Khalistan - I reckon this would be felt even more now, when all you hear about is how India is becoming more and more powerful/affluent and important. Khalistan is Panjabcentric vision, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there will be a good few apnay who are going to think outside of such geographical limitations. Especially business men who want big markets.

Then you've got the dumb, ignorant Khalistanis. The ones who would put any intelligent person off when they open their mouths i.e. the majority 'youth'. The ones that say: "you are not a Sikh if you don't support it!" I support the idea, that doesn't mean I think it's okay to dictate this to others or to insult good Sikh people who don't share my view. That just reinforces the ignorant, dominating a55hole stereotype.

Frankly the movement (which I've been supporting for decades), at this moment in time is beset with ignorant, hate filled, small minded fundamentalists and plain economic opportunists who put many decent people off the idea with their behaviour/attitude. These people don't know how to debate in a civilised manner, let alone sell the idea to other Sikhs/the world. They are frequently hardcore casteists and hypocrites who intelligent people suspect would turn any hypothetical Sikh nation into a living hell hole for it's inhabitants with their corrupt and overbearing manner.

It's this image we have to combat. Frankly, some of the idiots most vocal about the idea are ones who jeopardise gaining wider support for it with how they act and what they say.

Plus it is plain fiction to imagine all Jats are pro Khalistan, I've met plenty that are vehemently against the idea, who consider kharkoos to be little more than thugs and terrorists.

In the end, the idea is only really going to sell when we start actually being the fair, tolerant and progressive society we was meant to be. In our current state we are likely to bring a lot of negative issues to any hypothetical new nation we get. We need a more critical, dispassionate, measured approach to the matter and not the jingoistic, hot head, emotional approach that has failed us for quite a while now.

ਸੱਚ ਕੌੜਾ ਆ.......

*Edited*

[PunjabiPredator]

Why don't we just call it "Punjab" instead of Khalistan? The biggest misconception is the name "Khalistan" most people refering to indians and sikhs think of it as for an extremist country for sikhs where hindus and muslims can't live. Why don't we fight for an independent Punjab i think we would get more support for "Punjab" overall then "Khalistan" from the majority which is muslims and sikhs and also hindus will suppport it. We can probably get Pakistan Punjab and Indian Punjab back together again as "Punjab" alot quicker if we are supported by majority of the people. If india or others start to call Punjabi's "extremists" or "terriosts" it will actually backfire on them since not all sikhs are punjabi's and more people will start supporting the idea of an independent "Punjab" since it is not just sikhs suffering in punjab it is other religions as well. We are running out of water in Indian Punjab and they say it will be gone in 15 years and farmers are commiting sucide we can easily highlight these issues and gain support. If we think about it carefully all the people from various backgrounds will join in to help an indepedent "Punjab" instead of Khalistan.

[SarabjeetS]

All I know is that I don't want another bloodshed on my Sikh brethren !

I don't want 1984 to ever repeat again ! and our places of worship being destroyed and our ladies raped and our men getting killed !

Come in India and speak for khalistan if you can ! Its very easy speaking bs sitting abroad !