‘I am coming to stark conclusions with a heavy heart and after a great deal of deliberations. Sikhism shall need a great deal of effort to pull itself up. Of this, there is no sign visible as yet; only faint signals.’ ["The Sikhs in History," by Sangat Singh, 2005]

The Sikhs do have challenges, like all other faiths - both Eastern and Western. The pressures of modern, conformist global culture threaten their unique identity. They have somehow to insulate an irreverent - even cynical - younger generation against the all-too-common drift towards apostasy. And their small numbers - and vast geographical spread - unavoidably make them a visible minority wherever they are.

We discuss these dire concerns at various fora many times but few of us go on to think of solutions.

We now have a bold, futuristic new book which celebrates Sikhism and sets forth a positive vision of the future of the Sikh people.

The book is Preminder Singh Sandhawalia’s ‘Beyond Identity’.

Beyond Identity is not a doctrinal tract. It is a work of fiction about a young Sikh who flees the militancy in Punjab (1980’s) to survive in London - with a false identity, along with a Punjabi small town girl who abandons her ethnic identity to assimilate into the modern Canadian society, a barrister who attempts to change his identity but fails, and a Jewish lady who loses her life to terrorism because of her identity.

How the significance - and substance - of identity is debated amongst them as events and years roll by, makes the book a riveting read. It is in the telling of this tale that the author attempts to address the Sikh issues.

Perminder Singh defines identity as an amalgam of religion, language, culture, rituals, symbols, tradition and legends unique to a people. He debates the core identity versus the acquired multiple identities or the currently fashionable undifferentiated identity in a world that is rapidly becoming a global village.

He rejects the latter because, in this Information Age, the same information that facilitates global awareness also promotes self-awareness which reinforces the core identity. At the end, however, it is not the identity that one wants to project that matters, but the identity that others assign him. And the Sikhs with their highly visible presence have an identity automatically assigned to them - by Nature and Faith.

For the Sikh identity to prevail, the author feels that first and foremost, the Sikhs must have pride in their image and secure worldwide acceptance for their community through pursuit of excellence. In the novel, Sandhawalia’s protagonist exhorts his people to see that the young generation concentrates on education, moves upwards with ‘superior’ occupations and has Sikh role models to emulate. The Sikhs should be recognized globally for their character, capabilities, diligence and vigour while continuing to be model citizens of the nation-state in which they reside.

The concerns about assimilation, fear of dissolution, lack of political voice or economic access and cultural autonomy are addressed by the author in this futuristic book by recommending a Sikh ‘cyber-Quom’ in the years to come.

Perminder Singh feels that even though the Westphalian nation-states still continue to exist, with globalization, instant communications, quick transportation, rapid capital flows and frequent intermingling of peoples, the time is now opportune for another significant evolution in political organization – the Virtual State.

The Sikh Virtual State ("SVS") that he visualizes will be a meritocratic network of globally inter-linked Sikh community units that can effectively co-ordinate all Sikh activities, protect Sikh interests and resist unfair and unwarranted politicization of Sikh minorities. The SVS will concentrate on education, career development, entrepreneurship, political lobby strength, demographic issues and other such measures to improve the well-being of the community and its international image.

Beyond Identity contains a global vision statement. It suggests a method that the Sikhs can adopt to ensure that their Sikh identity continues to prevail. It also outlines an approach by which Sikhs can handle their visible minority status all over the world with grace and dignity.

The concepts propounded are flexible and because the book peers far into the future, they can be modified, adapted and refined in the coming years to conform to different situations at different times.

This is a fascinating and absorbing book. It deserves to be read and reflected upon by all those who are interested in the future of the Sikhs.

The book’s value is further enhanced by (retired) Judge Mota Singh’s mature and insightful foreword.

[Amarjit Singh Sodh, formerly of the Indian Administrative Service ("IAS"), was with the World Bank and based in Maryland, U.S.A.]

[Courtesy: The Sikh Review. Edited for sikhchic.com]

June 29, 2012