The story goes that Baba Makhan Shah Lubana found Guru Tegh Bahadar meditating alone, and it was he who proclaimed to the world that he had found the true Guru to follow Guru HarKrishan Sahib.
Fast forward a few centuries and almost 6200 miles away, to the infamous mob that ransacked the Baba Makhan Singh Lubana Gurdwara in Queens, New York this week. They too seem to have proclaimed to the world that they have found the "modern day gurus" - money, ego and power.
All you need to do before reading further is watch the clip on Youtube
Assuming that you did follow my suggestion and watched the video, please allow me to move further.
I refuse to recognize anyone in that mob of hooligans as a Sikh - regardless of whether they have kept their hair, or whether they have had amrit or whether they are vegetarians, or whether they give a part of their earnings to charity or whether they recite their prayers diligently or whether they wear the bana.
All of those qualities are terribly wasted if they have no allegiance to Guru Nanak's message. They violated every bit of the core values of Sikhi espoused by Guru Nanak:
1 Naam Japna: This unruly mob interrupted the jatha while the kirtan was in progress.
2 Kirat Karni: The actions of this mob are anything but kirat. They are out to kill each other with swords (not kirpans, for a kirpan is meant to protect).
3 Wund Chhakna: This group of plunderers, as seen on the video, are clearly out to gain control of the gurdwara treasury for their private consumption.
It is in those terms that the mob has defied the spirit of Sikhi. Sikhs are foremost recognized not just by their physical appearance, but also by their deeds. A Sikh is, through his actions, known for helping anyone in need and taking it on the chin for the sake of the underprivileged.
The video highlights highly irresponsible acts on the part of the individuals involved. First, they do not have the mandate to behave as they did - flouting every norm of a civilized society. Second, in a world that thrives on sensational news, they have given enough fodder to detractors of Sikhs to hurt the cause of our community for a long time to come.
Right from childhood, my father has instilled in me a really short but an immensely profound idea - "Actions speak louder than words".
If we Sikhs are fighting battles everyday to be portrayed (in a right manner by the media) for our values and beliefs, then we MUST live and act the part. There are no excuses. Merely saying that our Gurus gave up their lives to protect the freedom of the world makes no difference at all if we, the torch bearers of our Gurus' legacy, fail them in every possible way.
This applies equally to professional and personal behavior and extends to all walks of life. Max Arthur Macauliffe, a noted Sikh historian commented:
"I am not without hope that when enlightened nations become acquainted with the merits of the Sikh religion they will not willingly let it perish in the great abyss in which so many creeds have been engulfed."
Alas, members of the Sikh community itself are actively and willingly participating in the undermining of the community and pushing it towards the great abyss in which so many religions have already been engulfed.