Articles

On August 15, Independence Day, a huge crowd will throng the Attari Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP) on the Indo-Pak border near Amritsar. Most of them will be unaware that for two months after the Partition there was no designated border between the two countries on this road connecting Amritsar and Lahore. It was Brigadier (later Major General) Mohindar Singh Chopra – who took over the 123 Infantry Brigade at…

I am touched that you reached out for asking me to write about my life. I don’t believe I have any qualities which can influence the younger generation. Interestingly, my daughter has also been telling me to write my autobiography and I have been ignoring her request as I am not a writer – moreover it is time consuming and I am trying to imbibe the invaluable dhan of Naam,…

On 29 July 2024, the Akal Takht issued a hukamnama to change the colours of the Sikh flag, the Nishan Sahib to Basanti (Xanthic) or Navy Blue rather than then prevalent Saffron or Kesri. This sparked an online debate among the various schools of thoughts, of academics and religious organizations alike, and as you must have expected, the so-called online platforms claiming to represent the “original Sikh Culture”. Soon enough,…

Sanam Sutirath Wazir’s, The Kaurs of 1984: The Untold, Unheard Stories of Sikh Women Excerpts and Interview by Artika Aurora Bakshi ((with permission from HarperCollins India) “Where were you when 1984 happened?” A question that caught my attention and made me pause. I was nine years old, enrolled at Sacred Heart High School in Dalhousie, living in the safety of a boarding school that felt like something out of an Enid…

The short life of 42 years of Guru Gobind Singh Ji was full of challenges right from his childhood. Despite his lack of resources, how he faced those daunting challenges and what he achieved in his life is unparalleled. In this article we will explore his Five lasting legacies. The beheading of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji in 1675, was a major turning point in the Sikh history. His son Gobind…

Interview by Artika Aurora Bakshi I have walked the streets of Amritsar, awestruck by the intricate jaaliwork of the jharokas in the old mansions, the carvings on the entrance pillars, and the dates written on the facades. This feeling is always followed by a deep sadness at the state these havelis lie in. Punjab, both sides of the border, is dotted with monuments from the times of glory, but they…

Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) is a repository on numerous topics, where somehow, we fail to comprehend the depths after reading it, hearing commentaries and even after using exigencies to understand them. It is not just a predicament for an average layman, but also the intellectuals with pristine academic credentials.  What is the reason for this disconnect? It is because our consciousness level has not evolved high enough from where…

There was already a connection when I first saw the lineup for the Galle Literary Festival… our names, which give away our Punjabi roots. Every year, in the coastal city at the tip of Sri Lanka, there is a celebration of arts, literature, and identities, and I seek out Punjabis. It is personal, because while I have made this land my home, there is always a tug from the land…

This essay explores the profound spiritual journey inspired by IkOankar in Sikhi. It delves into the interconnectedness of existence, emphasizing unity, harmony, and the dissolution of ego through the teachings of the Wisdom-Guru. Each analogy—from nature’s rhythms to the body’s cells—illustrates how embracing 1Ness transcends individuality, offering a path to enlightenment and collective well-being. Ultimately, it reveals a universal truth: within IkOankar, all beings are integral threads in an eternal…

Synopsis: This article examines a sketch of the Sikhs in Abbé Raynal’s 18th century treatise, ‘Histoire Philosophique et Politique ….. dans les deux Indes’. Raynal notes the principal ideas of the Sikhs, radical in their modernity, and outlines their struggle for survival and subsequent emergence as a regional power. Raynal’s account of the Sikhs is reflected in the Atlas by Rigobert Bonne that accompanied the final edition of the Histoire.…