This foreword contribution was written by Sardar Simranjeet Singh Rahi for Sarbloh Studio Publishing’s latest republication The Sikhs Demand Their Homeland, written in 1946 by Sadhu Swarup Singh. The significance of this tract cannot be understated, as it offers a unique first-hand account of the transfer of power from a Sikh perspective.
“No living nation under alien rule can ever be at peace with its conqueror. For peace means submission and submission means the death of all that is vital in the nation.”1
—Jawaharlal Nehru
“While anxious to maintain their individuality as a separate community, they [the Sikhs] are always ready to co-operate with their sister communities for the development of a united nation.”2
— Chief Khalsa Diwan
“Among the many changes which the twenty-first century has witnessed in the field of national & geopolitics, one significancy, is the ever changing of power and with whom, this power ultimately wrests with. And with the varying forms of governance in nation states, almost always is further warfare and treachery amongst ranks, accompanied with the suffering of the poor and meek.
Guru Nanak and the Sikhs, his disciples, sought to change this with their faith in one universal ‘God,’ omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and beyond all form and name. For the execution of Guru Arjan, the 5th Nanak in Lahore, now in present-day Pakistan, gave the Sikhs, a strong bond of unity with a separate nationality.3 And later, with the formation of the Khalsa, a State by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Nanak, the true King of the people and the Khalsa, a truly ‘divine representative monarchy, the soul of a people gathered in one Man.’”4
The Panjab, a frontier of present-day India, has witnessed its lands being decimated with blood through the frequent wars fought on its holy lands, with the ravages led by Nadir Shah and his successor, Ahmed Shah Abdali post, the Sikh Guru period. The political consciousness that the Gurus inspired within the Sikhs and the military prowess exercised by them, led to territorial acquisitions and to ultimately free the Panjab from the yoke of oppressors and usurpers realised, under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur and later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh who paved the way for national freedom and rekindled ‘in them the an old flame of zeal and enthusiasm.’”5
Simranjeet Singh Rahi is a locum optometrist in the day and archivist, historian at night. As the grandson of Giani Pritam Singh, erstwhile General Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal U.K. under the presidency of Jathedar Shingara Singh of Smethwick, England, he was inspired to dive deep into Sikh political thought and action. He was the founder-president of the Sikh Students’ Federation (Aston University) Branch, which sought to “arouse a political consciousness amongst members of the society,” with the hosting of educational seminars & conferences. He continues with his efforts towards this end; thus, he provides an in-depth, yet succinct context to this writing.
To support the republishing endeavour and to read the full foreword, introductory essay, and book, purchase a copy of the newly refurbished book via the links below.
Das, M.N 1961, The Political Philosophy of Jawaharlal Nehru, The John Day Company, New York, Writings II, Part I, Ch. 2, 31-32, February, 1939
Singh, G.R.P 1979 , The Illustrated History of the Sikhs, Gur Rattan Pal Singh, Chandigarh, S. Shivdev Singh Oberoi, President of the Chief Khalsa Diwan and member of the Council of States, S. Harbans Singh of Attari, Secretary, Chief Khalsa Diwan, S. Raghbir Singh Sandhawalia, S. Sunder Singh Majithia and S. Mohan Singh Rais of Rawalpindi signatories to this memorandum.
Singh K. 1953, The Sikhs, George Allen & Unwin LTD, London
Singh P. &; Singh, K, 1993, Perspectives on Sikh Polity, Dawn Publishers’ Distributors, New Delhi
Singh Bajwa, F, 1964, Military System of the Sikhs (During the Period 1799 – 1849), Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi
Hello veerji, how can I connect with Khalsa chronicle and start writing?