Chandigarh: Preposterous, objectionable and a complete distortion – that is how Sikh scholars in Punjab have reacted to the paragraph ‘Kashi and Sikh Religion’ in the booklet ‘Sri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Ka Gauravshali Itihas’ released during the inauguration of the Vishwanath Dham corridor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 14.The book, printed by the Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, made multiple claims pertaining to Kashi’s bond with the Sikh religion. Scholars say these claims have portrayed Sikh history in a bad light, and are full of lies and devoid of historical facts.The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body responsible for the management of gurudwaras, has condemned the booklet.In a tweet on December 16, SGPC media secretary Kulwinder Singh Ramdas said that the history of the Sikh faith had been distorted and misrepresented in the booklet and demanded a complete ban on it.The UP government’s response is awaited.What the booklets saysThe para that has drawn sharp reactions from different quarters claims that Kashi city, which used to attract Buddhist and Jain scholars, was also a flagbearer of Sikhism.“In fact, the Sikh faith was established in Punjab to protect the ‘Sanatan Dharam’ (Hindu doctrine) from the Mughals. Sikh region had deep bonding with Kashi since the city was the spiritual capital of ‘Sanatan Dharam’,” it added.The booket further claimed, “According to belief, the Panj Piaras (five beloved ones), through whom the Khalsa Panth was founded by Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru), were first sent to Kashi so that they could attain full knowledge of the ‘Sanatan Dharam’ and be ready for its protection.”“According to belief, Sikh religion had infinite bonding with Kashi due to attainment of religious education by Panj Piaras,” the paragraph concluded.The problemSikh intellectual and former IAS officer Gurtej Singh told The Wire that the whole text is absolutely wrong. “It is a history in bad taste,” he added.He said there is no question of the Sikh religion being created for the protection of Hindus from Mughals. Sikhism is a universal faith, which is against any kind of oppression, be it by Muguals or Hindus.“How can we be diluted and linked to the fact that we were born just for the protection of Hindus. Sikhism gives the message of protection of human rights and religious freedom of all human beings. If Hindu were beneficiaries of it at one stage of history, we are happy about it but to say that it was meant only for their protection is where lies the distortion,” he said.Also read: As Kartarpur Corridor Reopens, a Walk Down Memory Lane in Guru Nanak’s VillageGurtej further said that there is no such reference in Sikh history that Panj Piaras were sent to Kashi to attain full knowledge of the ‘Sanatan Dharam’.“It is just a figment of one’s imagination. Panj Piaras were selected at random in a congregation of 80,000 sangat and they were later baptised. Where was the question of sending them to Kashi for gaining the knowledge of a religion that Sikhism had rejected?” he questioned.According to him, Guru Nanak rejected Hindu religion when he refused to put on the janeu at the age of 10.‘Five Sikhs sent to Kashi were different from Panj Piaras’ Another Sikh scholar, Dr Sarabjinder Singh, professor and dean, faculty of humanities and religious studies, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, told The Wire that five Sikhs sent to Kashi were different from Panj Piaras as mentioned in the booklet.They were Ram Singh, Karam Singh, Ganda Singh, Veer Singh and Sobha Singh, who became famous as Nirmalas. Guru Gobind Singh sent them to Kashi to learn the Sanskrit language, to have a better understanding of Sanskrit words added to the Guru Granth Sahib.“Nirmala sect later had a huge contribution in Sikhism in the field of academic studies,” said Dr Sarabjinder Singh, also former head of Guru Granth Sahib Studies Department, Punjabi University, Patiala.He added that Faridkot Tika, the earliest and full scale annotated version of the Guru Granth Sahib, was the fine scholarly work of Nirmalas.“Even the Suraj Prakash, another popular Sikh text written by Bhai Santokh Singh, was a major academic contribution of Nirmala sect,” he saidThe professor further said that Sikhism came into being for the protection of the downtrodden and oppressed classes, not for the protection of Hinduism as claimed in the booklet.“The main focus of Sikhism has been on universal brotherhood. Guru Granth Sahib that is regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru has the sabads of not only Hindu saints but also Muslim fakirs as well, making it a unique holy scripture in the world,” he said.He said Sikh philosophy can be known from one famous couplet – “Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat da bhala” – that calls for prosperity and peace for everyone in the world.Not the first attemptAnother Sikh scholar, Dr Dharam Singh, said this is not the first attempt to distort the Sikh history. In the past too, Sikhism was projected as an extension of Hindu religion by the Sangh parivar. This time, the facts have gone horribly wrong.He said Sikhs stand for the protection of human rights against oppression, tyranny and injustice and not to protect the Sanatan Dharm. Sikh religion talks about religious freedom for everyone, be it Hindus, Muslims or any other religion.Second, Guru Gobind Singh sent five Sikhs from Ponta Sahib and it was before anointment of Panj Piaras (five beloved ones), through whom the Khalsa Panth was founded.“There was a reason why Guru sent them to Kashi. The local pandits refused to impart Sanskrit knowledge to them since many of them came from lower castes,” he added.Senior journalist Jagtar Singh said that this is conspiratorial distortion to prove that Sikhs were part of the Hindu stream. “Sikh religion was created as a separate and inclusive entity and the facts given in booklet are horrendously wrong,” he said.He added that during the 300th birth of Khalsa in 1999, right-wing forces distributed literature in Punjabi in which Sikhism was projected as part of Hindu religion, which later strongly opposed by Akal Takhat and various other Sikh institutions.“A similar attempt has been made now as well,” he said.Also read: A Personal Account of Sikhism’s Inclusive EmbraceMeanwhile, SGPC media secretary Kulwinder Singh Ramdas told The Wire that he got a call from the office of the UP chief secretary after his tweet condemning the distortion of Sikh faith in booklet on Kashi.“I conveyed to them that it was wrong on their part to get the booklet released by the prime minister without verifying the facts. Later they officially sent a request letter, asking us to send the true facts,” he said.On being asked whether the UP government is taking back the objectionable content in the booklet, Kulwinder Singh said it is for the UP government to answer this.“As far as SGPC is concerned, we have strongly objected to the distortion and misrepresentation of the facts in the booklet,” he added.
