After A Pagan Slur

Finally, the saffron juggernaut came to agrinding halt at the Akal Takht, the supreme religious seat of the Sikhs. Fornearly three years the rss has been concertedly trying to appropriate therevered symbols of Sikhism. Last fortnight, however, when it decided to recitethe Guru Granth Sahib in the Hindu temples of Punjab, it raised the hackles ofthe Akal Takht which was quick to issue a stern warning. Smelling trouble, therss retracted its plan. The parivar paterfamilias discovered, much to itschagrin, that targeting Sikhs isn't the same as Christian- or Muslim-baiting.

Reacting sharply to the rss programme, Akal Takhtjathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti warned: "Once again we warn the rss and itsaffiliates that they must desist from publishing and distributing literature inwhich the pious religion propounded by Guru Nanak has been distorted. Theybetter not test the patience of the Sikhs. Otherwise the Shiromani GurudwaraPrabandhak Committee (sgpc), along with other Sikh groups, sants and Sikhintellectuals, will have to launch an agitation against such divisiveactivities."

The withdrawal of its plan to recite the GranthSahib is perhaps a tactical retreat, only to be revived at a more opportunemoment. There are indications that at the grassroots the Sangh will go aheadwith its programme of highlighting the "similarities" of bothreligions. "We will continue our programme through personal contact. Attimes political things come into play. Like this time certain elements whowanted to corner Punjab CM (Parkash Singh) Badal have raised this issue,"Pravin, Jalandhar vibhag pracharak of rss, told Outlook. For the moment, though,the rss strategy of bringing all religions of Indian origin into the Hindutvafold has boomeranged in Punjab.

The seriousness of the Akal Takht's warning canbe gauged from the fact that since the hukumnama that excommunicated theNirankari sect from the Sikh panth 22 years ago, it was the first time it hadissued a warning against any organisation. The Nirankaris were then accused ofdistorting the Sikh maryada.

The warning to the rss to desist from itsactivities "infringing on the Sikh maryada" was issued three yearsafter the saffron organisation started taking interest in Sikh religious affairsthrough its outfit Rashtriya Sikh Sangat. The Sangat shot into prominence whenit participated in the 300 years of Khalsa panth celebrations in March '99. NoSikh body objected to it then. But annoyance spread with the rss and itsaffiliate circulating pamphlets and questionnaires in schools suggesting thatSikhs were part of the Hindu religion.

The first of these pamphlets was distributed during the tricentenary of the Sikhpanth. In this the rss stated that Guru Gobind Singh, in his autobiographyBichhitar Natak, had said that all the 10 gurus were Lord Ram's descendants. Thepamphlet notes: "The followers of Lord Ram, Krishan and Guru Sahiban arenot different but they are part of one society and that is the Hindu society.The entire Sikh sect is an integral part of Hindu society". In the samepamphlet the rss said that the gurus sacrificed themselves to "save thetilak and janeyu (sacred thread), symbols of Hindu superiority". Thepamphlet concludes with the observation: "The rss is working to fulfil theobjectives in the philosophy of Nanak and Gobind".

That was just the beginning. The matter wasfurther complicated when the rss organised general knowledge tests. Some ofthese sought to link the Sikh religion and its symbols to Hinduism; a few hadquestions about the rss which were interspersed with those about Sikh gurus. Inanother pamphlet, 'Current Situation in Punjab and the Sangh Viewpoint', the rssdisapproves of the Akali view that the Sikhs are a minority. The pamphlet says:"It's incorrect to say that Sikhs are a minority because only a foreignrace can be called a minority."

What came as the last straw was the RashtriyaSikh Sangat's decision to organise recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib in Punjabtemples last fortnight. The Takht's warning makes it clear that Sikh religiousleaders have summarily rejected the rss perception. Says Jaswinder SinghAdvocate of the sgpc: "The Sikh reht maryada strictly forbids therecitation of the Granth Sahib at a place where idols are placed. Placing apitcher, ceremonial clarified-butter-fed lamp, coconut, etc, during the courseof the reading of Guru Granth Sahib is contrary to gurmat (guru's way)."

Clearly, the rss has burnt its fingers with itsHindutva overtures to Sikhism. In fact, Jaswinder Singh has floated an outfitcalled Akal Purukh Ki Fauj, which has been distributing questionnairescountering the rss campaign.

The Sangh leaders obviously miscalculated whenthey thought that they could implement their agenda just because the Akali-bjpcoalition is ruling the state. The Khalsa snub, it seems, has worked.