Panthic Unity 2017

With the Sarbat Khalsa process increasingly lacking credibility and controlled by political actors with narrow agendas, the likelihood of it yielding positive results for the Panth is diminishing.

So maybe progress can come from within the existing power centre (the SGPC)?

Given the Badal party's likely impending defeat in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections though, there is still hope that progress can come from within the SGPC, given the new President's stated desire for a reconciliation with Panthic groups. This would happen if Badal's defeat was followed by SGPC members showing independence from his control.

Just a few days ago, the new President of the SGPC expressed his hope for achieving greater Panthic Unity, claiming that it is a top priority. He's also seeming to make efforts to do some good things.

Now, even a well-intentioned President of the SGPC is restricted from fully acting on his or her well intentions due to external factors but there are a number of things he or she could do to improve Panthic Chardi Kala if their intentions were sincere.

Below are some steps that can be taken by the SGPC President, if he was willing to make them for the greater Panthic good:

1) Reconcile with the Akal Takht Punj Pyareh who were "fired" last year from their posts. Reinstate them and seek their input and consensus on major Panthic decision-making. There have already been rumours that this might be in the works.

2) Appoint an entirely new set of Takht Jathedaars in consultation with the "fired" Akal Takht Punj Pyareh (even though Patna Sahib and Hazur Sahib are out of the "jurisdiction" of the SGPC, a full new slate of Jathedaars should be announced anyway). The Jathedaar of Akal Takht can potentially be Bhai Pinderpal Singh given his wide respect within different Panthic groups. The rest of the Takht Jathedaars should also be respected figures across the Khalsa Panth. 

3) In coordination and consultation with the new Takht Jathedaars, set up procedures to create a "firewall" between politicians of the Indian state and the SGPC/Takht Jathedaars. This should mean no political parties can be involved in SGPC elections and that the Chief Minister or other "Akali Leaders" cannot meddle in Panthic affairs due to the perception that they are interfering to boost their political hopes. Attempting to meddle in Panthic affairs should result in their automatic excommunication from the Panth. Our biggest Panthic crisis right now is the crisis of confidence in the integrity and impartiality of our Panthic institutions. This needs to be restored by keeping Punjabi and Indian politicians away from co-opting Panthic institutions for their own good. 

4) The practice of giving Siropas at Darbar Sahib or Akal Takht Sahib to visiting politicians including the Prime Minister of India and others should be immediately ended. Siropas should be given exclusively for Sevaa to the Panth. Politicians, even if they are hypothetically Sevaadaars of the Panth as well, should be excluded from consideration from Siropas to avoid the perception that the Panth is beneath them or trying to curry favour with them.

5) Formalize a way to seek the input and involvement of Sikhs living outside Punjab in Panthic Affairs. 

Panthic Soch

Sometimes a particular Gursikh can make an observation regarding another particular Gursikh that they possess "Panthic Soch". Based off of hearing these observations, I wanted to write a short post regarding what I think are some of the ingredients that make up "Panthic Soch" (Panthic Thinking). I am writing this post mostly for my own purposes as my level of Panthic Soch fluctuates from time to time and year to year.

1) Panthic Agenda above group agendas. It is completely okay to be affiliated with a particular group or Jathebandi. In fact, when I hear Gursikhs complimenting other Gursikhs on their "Panthic Soch" it is usually because they both belong to a group and yet somehow transcend that group. Belonging to a group should not interfere with being aware of what is best for the Panth-at-large. This means sometimes being willing to hide credit for your group's accomplishments and crediting those accomplishments instead to the Panth-at-large. This means knowing when the Panth needs your group to come together with others instead of always insisting on being separate. A particular group atmosphere might be completely serene and a gathering of Gursikhs from different backgrounds might be somewhat chaotic but there's something special about the latter as well. Sometimes it's necessary to put your group to the side and come together for the greater good of Panthic Chardi Kala. This also means ensuring the unity within particular groups as well. If we cannot ensure the unity of Jathebandis how can we possibly work towards the unity of the Panth?

2) No superiority complex with regards to other Gursikhs. You might believe that your Jathebandi or interpretation of Sikhi has really figured something out that has escaped the majority of other Sikhs but be a little humble with that belief. We do not have avasthaa or spirituality meters. The simple grandmother at the Gurdwara who has no group affiliations who is doing bhaandiyaa dee sevaa with love for the sangat might have more blessings from Guru Sahib than the most well-connected people in your group. The fact is that Gursikhs with no group affiliations or other group affiliations might have figured out some things that we haven't. Sikhi is an ocean and we shouldn't assert our superiority over others when we should be focusing on our own practice first. Finally it is important to sometimes overlook the faults of others to preserve unity. I recall a Saakhi of a Sikh of Guru Nanak Dev Ji who had a house guest who posed as a Sikh but actually stole the Sikh's possessions and tried to escape. The Sikh realized that the house guest was a fraud but did not even tell his own wife so no one would think badly of the individual who posed as a Sikh even though he wasn't actually a real Sikh. Point being, we should be forgiving of others and do our best to overlook the faults of other Sikhs. 

3) No desire to enforce one's beliefs or group agenda on others. Sometimes, particular Gursikhs are eager to enforce their beliefs on the sangat. Enforcing one's beliefs/maryada is fine in a group setting but is not the best idea in a more Panthic setting (such as a large Gurdwara where the entire sangat is attending). I remember once, there was a saanjhaa (collective) program organized and a youth with the AKJ insisted that all keertanees at the program should wear keski or otherwise he wouldn't want to attend. This was clearly against the spirit of the collective program because it was a desire to enforce the AKJ group ideology on others. Similarly, other youth may have a desire to enforce their interpretations of Bani length on others which is also not the best approach. 

4) Relations with Gursikhs from different backgrounds. It's disheartening to me when someone from a particular group has friends only from that group. I would say to make the effort to have friends from Jathebandis that are not your own. This also helps you avoid "othering" Gursikhs from those beliefs or backgrounds. There are other benefits too. It creates links that can foster communication and open dialogue between those groups. It can help teach you about different elements of Sikhi that you might not have been exposed to earlier. 

5) Committing yourself to the Sangat. In general, most Sikhs like to live as lone rangers. Sangat is a sporadic part of their lives at best. It is not a routine. It should be a routine. Everyone should be connected to a Sangat. There should be routine parts of the week where you go into sangat and participate in that sangat and sacrifice yourself, your sleep, your carefree life, for the benefit of building a sangat that is special. This can be a keertan program or a weekly youth darbar or some other form of Sangat. Every Sikh needs to build a love for Sangat within themselves and unless you have that love for Sangat within you, it would be hard to have Panthic Soch. 

6) Believing in Freedom. You can't be Panthic if you don't believe in freedom. Freedom for the Panth from Indian politicians. Freedom for all humans from slavery and injustice. Someone with Panthic Soch is someone who has a strong aversion to injustice and someone who is part of the struggle to defeat it.