The role of Diaspora has considerably changed in the nation building and influencing the mindset of Punjab's political and social setup. This is clearly evident from the vernacular news paper advertisements of various political parties. This higher role of Diaspora, invites for a greater responsibility, that Diaspora needs to realize is now resting on their shoulders.
(Un)fortunately, the diaspora is restricting their efforts primarily to bring about socio-politico-religious reforms to cement the structures of Sikh nationality. Their energy is primarily focused on providing a reaction of the various unfortunate socio-political events in the past. The vision of various socio-politico-religious organizations of west, revolve around the problems originating from issues like violence, genocide, (In)justice, human rights, drugism, alcoholism etc. But we need to elevate our minds and look at things from a height to investigate the root cause of these issues. Perhaps, there is a different mind set that we need to bring into picture. The first and foremost thing that can help our mind's development is the education. I think there is a huge vacuum that needs to be filled for Sikh way of life to evolve. A Sikh and a book together are not even imagined in the imagination of Sikhs themselves. All paucity of current culture aggrandizing the passion of Punjab causing some serious problems in the total structure of the Sikh society. Passion and Reason are important things that inspire the movement of life. As is said by Khalil Gibran, "God Moves in passion and God rests in reason". I think that Punjab is a land of passion and is losing the sight of reason. Passion without reason is an untamed animal that takes a course of a wild journey. Reason helps to tame animal part of passion and brings a direction to the strength of movement. The diluting culture of Punjab explicitly states, how culture is being used as mere asset of capital generation by appealing to animal passion of man.
The second root measure that needs to be adopted in the current situation, in order to drill the cause and effect of current socio-politico-religious situation in Punjab, is to know the role of western philosophy that has brought revolutionary meanings to the psyche and outlook of people around the world, and Punjab in particular. I think, we need to provide higher answers to these challenges that are actually operating at the grass root level in the society and man as an individual is not even aware of these changes. Take for example, do we know what is the role of language in determining the psyche of man and what is the role of the mother tongue/ primary language in constructing or deconstructing the society or mankind? What is the role of the colonial discourse in today's Sikh mind? Why has English become a language of elite class and a superior language of convent educated, higher class and how has it influenced the thinking patterns and minds of people of Punjab? What is the influence of English and Hindi or for that matter any other language and its meanings on man's psyche, society, politics, law, justice, literature, tradition, culture, art, music, poetry, sports, calligraphy, architecture and overall all aspects and essence of human life? Why and how has the sikh spirit been hijacked by the western philosophy in general and Hegal's philosophy in particular and why both western and Punjab's youth is not even aware of how they have disconnected from their root and tradition?
Lets try to ponder on a few more questions that are relevant here. In order to help cure a disease, we shall need to study medicine. Do we even know, what has Trumpp written about Guru Nanak and what meaning did he bring to building of a Sikh Nation? Does a so called educated Sikh in west, understand today, how Trumpp's translation of Guru Granth Sahib in English was rejected by the Sikh scholars and yet played a role in construction of walls in Sikh minds that we carry within us today? What was the reason that the fluid nature of Sikh universality was solidified and restricted to give meaning to a particular group of people, that shrunk the Cosmos of Sikhi and changed its meanings based on identity, rather than Spirit? How and when did the crisis of Sikh identity initiated into Sikh circles, that called for establishing Sikh spirit as a separate religion, that was an addition of one more religion in the group of already existing 12- 14 religions in the history of mankind? Puran Singh states that, Gurmukhi shall be the international language and the largest language of mankind one day. Do we even contemplate why an intellectual like Puran Sikh say that? Was this a mere statement of emotion, in order to glorify Sikh nationality, or was it a scholar's vision into the future that was well thought of?
All the above written questions involve serious contemplation, to diagnose the current situation in Punjab. If we don't even know the root cause of the current situation, then why we are there to cleanse the society?
Let me quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: "Small minds discuss people, Average minds discuss events and Great minds discuss ideas".
Is this not true today that, majority of the Sikhs belong to the first 2 categories of people? All we do is discuss Politicians (People) or How worse the circumstances are today or in past ( Events). And if we think that we belong to the third category of people, then think again. Even the so called educated Sikhs provide nothing more than a reaction, to an event and I am not excluding myself from this category. The reaction per se is not an idea, or a vision, but merely a criticism in action. That is the primarily reason that events come and go like clouds in Sikh circles. Just take an example, we had a hot issue of Dera Sacha Sauda very recently and now it is wiped out of the Sikh minds. And before we find solutions to this we need to answer that why and how did it happen? Is it a merely television that is wiping the memory of the people? If so then what is our idea to answer the challenge? Would "Exposing" the (mis)deeds of religious preachers/ politicians result in a solution to this? Remember exposing is nothing but criticism at a wider platform, at a larger scale. It is the easiest thing to do. So much so, that now we criticize our so called religious leaders/ preachers, without even deliberating what good shall our criticism provide to improve the situation. If a boat is sinking we need to provide a shoulder for helping it out. Cursing its drowning status is further impeding those who wish to help it get out of the storm. Today Sikhs are very good in Criticizing. Switch on any "Desi" television channel, Pick up a news paper. We have events everywhere. In fact our minds have developed, grown and matured in the spices of criticism and perhaps the highest thought we can bring about is to provide a reaction to these thoughts. Would criticizing the politicians, media, events provide a solution to these events? The answer to this if left to be deliberated.
About a week ago we had a famous Ragi from England, who performed Keertan at a local Gurudwara. He was vocal in evaluating the Sikh practices that are followed at the Sikh institutes including Harimandir Sahib. Majority of the sangat and especially the youth liked his ideas so much, that the very next day, when he performed they were all ears to him and terming him as a revolutionist. The core of his philosophy was based on asking people to realize the purity of love and shun hypocrisy. But my question is, are we not kneading together tradition with orthodoxy and Orthodoxy with Hypocrisy? What is this revolution for? Just to uproot your tradition? What is the solution? We do not have a developed sense to distinguish between hypocrisy and tradition, but we vehemently criticize various traditional practices, (including some of them that have transcended from culture to Rehat), interestingly, without providing any solution to the problems. If we keep cruising tradition it is just uprooting our own roots. It is not uncommon now when we hear news of hasty and incautious debates and challenges against the Rehat Maryada, institution of Jathedars, history and Sakhis of Gurus, 5 Kakars, Hukumnams and even hymns of some bhagtas. Remember whatever is latest today, shall become a tradition tomorrow. We must understand that the essence of the Guru's message will become more complex to realize, if we always try to bring new meanings, without deliberation. People in tradition have realized love of God, more than we "the modern age revolutionists". At the same time, we must evaluate the reason, why Sikhs have challenged most of their traditional and spiritual ideology, trying to bring newer dimensions without any sincere effort. Before challenging we must do a very prudent reflection, with a diligent dedication on something that we do not agree with, do an extensive research to understand its value and some times a single generation is not enough to change the meaning and significance of articles of traditions and spiritual significance. But here we are, modern educated revolutionists, changing meanings and values to all our spiritual and traditional customs like changing channels of a television with a remote control.
Going forward, the Diaspora needs to understand that the current political situation in Punjab is nothing but a situation where small minds have wider areas of operations. Are our minds more developed then the so-called leaders, who we criticize? Personally speaking, I don't think so. If given a opportunity we will do the same (mis)deeds that the politicians today are doing. Why do I think so? Because we too have not developed our minds to the required level of maturity to discuss ideas (vision). We too do not have any solutions ( Ideas). Our minds are also not grown enough. To help the mind grow we need to read all great people. Come to think of it, we have not even read our own people like S Kapur Singh, Prof Puran Singh, Bhai Vir Singh or as contemporary as, Dr Himmat Singh, Arvind Pal Singh Mander, Dr Gurbhagat Singh etc. But we can easily comment on tradition, customs, art, political vision from Akal Thakhat etc. Not only that we comment, we also make a thesis, draw conclusion and strongly believe that we have found the final truth. Then the thesis is the final reality and we stick to guard its universal application on every society and each circumstance. The solutions of all complex societies and compound political systems are having different layers of understandings and restrictions. But for Sikhs it is probably an exception. For us solutions are as simple as bursting out the emotions in public and go back home and sleep well in comfort. Burning effigies, breaking public property or for that matter excommunication is not a solution. It is in fact beginning a problem and only postponing the issue to take another shape and come back again with a different face.
I think, before we start giving vision to Political and social issues of Punjab we must first develop a vision. The inner core of man's mind is connected to knowledge. Before cleaning the society, the first thing that we need to do is to change our outlook. Sikh literatures, Sikh paintings, Sikh poetry, Sikh architecture, Sikh Political System, Sikh Justice all need to come out of their infancy. We need to realize the spirit of our prayer and then bring meaning to the society. The Sikh prayer is the connection with the Shabad. Shabad imparts knowledge, wisdom, love, compassion, humility, justice, law, creative imagination, devotion, melody, sense of wonder, philosophy, social order, and all ingredients of body, mind and soul, of man's life. Outside the prayer ( Simran) is only errors. I think we need to out grow the subjects of our common discussion day after day. It cannot be primarily violence, emotional outbursts, acrimony and bitterness amongst ourselves and mankind in absolute.
Here I am not trying to undermine the total effort of our activities. But only trying to say that, whenever a Sikh political vision and Sikh justice is realized, life of mankind would take a turn towards an inspired living and all subjects including, our daily concerns today, would be blessed. There is a difference between what we do from our mind and what we realize from the soul. All the efforts that we do today are the endeavors of mind and that too without contemplation. When we realize our soul mind shall be inspired. The theories and concepts of action and reaction do not inspire minds. They donot flourish our imagination and creativity. Religion dies, without creativity. It is a mere mass of bones and flesh, just like dry wood. Sikh books cannot primarily have covers with blood painted bodies. Death of human body should not be the nucleus of Sikh philosophy and Sikh Politics. Death is highest in Sematic religions including Islam and that differentiates it from Sikhi. Actully, style of life is more important in Sikhi and not style of death. Style of death is encompassed within the Style of life in Sikh spirit. That is the reason, Bhai Mati Das, says , "Let my face be towards my Guru to the last breath of life, where I could have His glimpse to the end of my corporal living and thereafter".
I think that, we must do more intellectual exercises and discussions that can provide strength to our minds. Unable to provide answers to the bigger picture, we are asserting our physical pressures and sentiments with just crude emotion, by criticizing our leaders/ political system etc. One interpretation of Hegal's Philosophy could be that, "it is the 'thought' that rules the world and that is a predecessor of any political rule". All voracious readers, scholars and intellectuals, know that both the structure of Socialism and Capitalism, prevalent in today, are constructed on the grounds that were prepared by Hegal and later philosophers like Karl Marx. Not everyone has read Karl Marx or Hegal today. Yet their ideologies rule the world.
Revolution has its root in communism. While Inspiration has its root in Sikh way of life. Sikhi is not reforming. It is evolving. It is Inspiring. I think as a Sikh, it is our responsibility to remove the filth over at least our own mind, so Guru's Grace can cleanse not only our 'thought', but also connect us to the earth we breathe on. Only then, I think, that the Cosmos of Sewa shall bloom in our mind for its complete realization. To realize this responsibility is the need of the time for both Sikhs in west and back home. In one way to realize our role it is to open up a school/ college of higher education for our generations to develop their minds and understand the issues under the Guru's Light.
Even up to today there is not a single Sikh University that has the vision to enlighten our future. The educational structure that a Sikh mind should develop needs a serious thought not just on political science and sociology, but also music, ragas, poetry, literature, technology for alternate source of energy, environmental engineering, agriculture, handicrafts, laws and justice, medical sciences etc, in the spirit of 'Shabad' centric evolution. Whatever existing educational models that we have constructed, do not stand anywhere in the world's intellectual atmosphere. Awakening of this Sikh model is the need, role and responsibility that must be reminded to mind as we do our prayers every morning and every evening.