History
Snapshots of History
by Dr. Bhai HARBANS LAL
I have seen many of my colleagues and friends pass away, off on their timeless journey, as we term death in Sikh parlance.
Almost always, the same question haunts the survivors: why did they not leave behind for posterity their account of significant events which they had witnessed or participated in?
Those events must inevitably shaped us into what we are today. Our history has molded how we fare today, and what our future will be. Thus, it is to our collective benefit to know of events from the past, for they often define our actions today.
We have not cultivated the habit of creating annals of history, preserving archives or establishing other depositories. The lessons of the past few decades are not available for transmission to our succeeding generations, making us vulnerable to repeated mistakes. Presently, heresy and stories are determining our national behavior by and large. They are often a reaction to deliberate and massive mayhem that are created by politicians, our own and others. They may
be aided by ignorant, shortsighted or misguided zealots, or more recently even by extremists or terrorists with vested interests controlled by our detractors.
Many of them often get away with murder just by maintaining a facade of piety; those faces alone are becoming a virtuous defense against complexity and wisdom.
Sikh history has been a turbulent one since its beginning and the last decades have been no exception. We have experienced many distortions through British colonialism, the Partition of Sikh homelands on arbitrary accounts and along arbitrary borders, loss of sacred shrines and properties, and the onslaught of boa constrictors, as the historian M.A. Macauliffe labelled movements such as the Arya Smajists or other neo-Pan-Hinduism frolics.
New holocausts like the one followed by the exodus from Pakistan, and the pogroms of 1984, have challenged us to grapple with new realities and to adapt to the secularization of our political representation.
The rise of the Singh Sabha movement, management of Sikh resources and Sikh religion by institutions built upon an
ever-shifting adult franchise, rise and fall of movements such as the All India Sikh Students' Federation, and the ever-growing Sikh diaspora - all of these and similar developments were accompanied by stress and growing pains that are changing the face of our nation.
Much of the history I have highlighted also forms a wealth of the learning imperative for future evolutions. However, there is a real possibility that stresses of time might succeed in stealing away our heritage of the national memory to be formatted from recent decades.
This history is presently archived only in the minds of those who live it through it.
It is for these reasons that I keep on urging my former and present colleagues to pen down their memories rich in the stories of their times. They in turn ask me to do the same. It is my promise to them that I would do so as should they before it is too late.
In this way, we will preserve Sikh history as we witnessed it while crisscrossing through it during our own lives or even what we personally heard from our elders.
My contemporaries in their youth years experienced the spirit when all Sikhs - sehajdhari, khande-de-pahul-dhari, and even those at the fringes of Sikh society, were on the same team.
It was the period when discussions and desires to do something for the future of the Panth and for the mission of our Gurus, guided our perceptions and commitments.
When recorded, it may form the tale of the Sikh activists that shaped Sikh history as it took us out of the colonial period and its devastations. We emerged from antiquity of the subcontinent's mores towards acquiring a new meaning.
Now, our annals needs to relate to the happenings in the whole global village and the mission of this project is to expand life for the world's progeny.
I humbly suggest we tell our tales as we remember the events ... without discriminating between what we think is important or earth-shaking, or not. “Frequently Asked Questions” too could form the chapters of our memoirs.
I also suggest that my colleagues and I take nostalgic walks down memory lane, starting with bed-time stories we heard from our elders, followed by our life in school days, through weddings and all the usual comings and goings of life, the political upheavals that dot the landscape around us, continuing into the recent past, ending with the periods of our senility that some of us may soon slip into.
As we walk down this lane, the landscape will offer a varied view: such as the ups and downs of the community; or bold and bright leader-actors that have dazzled on the scene. Our memories may describe triumphs and achievements, tinged with moments of failures and disappointments.
If we begin to write, there is plenty of media to catalogue our memoirs.
This is a humble appeal that our past and present activists must heed.
Let me know if I can be of any help personally in this crucial project.
July 20, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Bibek Singh (Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A.), July 20, 2011, 5:08 PM.
Very nice article with a very important message, indeed. These days, instruments are available to easily convert voice data into text, thanks to the ever-growing technology. Alternatively, people can just sit in the living rooms of their house, switch on their camcorders and upload the recordings on internet/YouTube.
2: Inni Kaur (Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.), July 20, 2011, 5:36 PM.
On my last visit to my parents, I recorded stories from my father's past. To say I was totally floored would be an understatement. My grandfather served in the British army in Iraq, was discharged at a later date because of the helmet issue. Over the months, I hope to share with sikhchic.com readers how the Indian School in Kuwait came into being; how 'brown people' got to play the game of cricket in Kuwait and much, much more. My father's stories of 1947 are amazing. I could go on and on. So, please record the stories of the elders in your families - you will be surprised. The stories can always be put in print over time. But for now, time is running out ... please record the stories with no further delay.
3: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 20, 2011, 6:00 PM.
What shall I write? Life's whole journey is described in an impeccable, colourful snapshot that no mortal could improve upon this. "bolai shaykh fareed pi-aaray Alah lagay ..."/ [GGS:888.12] - "Says Sheikh Farid, O my dear friend, attach yourself to the Lord/ This body shall turn to dust and its home shall be a neglected graveyard/ You can meet the Lord today, O Sheikh Farid, if you restrain your bird-like desires which keep your mind in turmoil/ If I had known I was to die, and not return again/ I would not have ruined myself by clinging to the world of falsehood/ Speak the Truth in righteousness, and do not speak falsehood/ The disciple ought to travel the route, pointed out by the Guru/ Seeing the youths being carried across, the hearts of the beautiful young soul brides are encouraged/ Those who side with the glitter of gold, and are cut down with a saw/ O Sheikh, no one's life is permanent in this world/ That seat, upon which we now sit, many others sat on it and have since departed. As swallows appear in the month of Katik, forest fires in the month of Chayt and lightning in Saavan/ Just so the transitory human bodies pass away, Reflect upon this in your mind/ It takes six months to form the body but it breaks in an instant."
4: Kanwal Prakash Singh (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.), July 21, 2011, 8:01 AM.
Dr. Harbans Lal ji, an eminent Sikh scholar and a distinguished and celebrated man of letters, has reminded us about the importance of recording for generations that follow us, for those interested in learning, reliving the spirit and wisdom, agony and anguish, light and darkness, emotions and experiences of ordinary and extraordinary in times to come. The Jewish people remind us about the importance of remembering and learning from our past to shape our future. Two decades ago, Indiana University made audio recordings of the stories of prominent immigrants in Indiana as a future resource for students and research scholars. For decades, the StoryCorp has been recording on CDs the stories of significant highlights of people, places, and events, and placing them in special safe archives and from time to time broadcasting them on National Public Radio. These are a rich resource of humanity's journey, accounts of family history and heritage, and a portrait of lives and legends in multiple textures that include splendor, fascination, intrigue, mystery, colorful images, marvels about the human spirit, responses to the unimagined and unexpected, and the tales of human survival, struggles, and trailblazing. These "snapshots of history" have a special place in our own understanding of who we are, where we have been, and what lessons, wisdom, and relevant markers highlight the unfolding story of living beings that inhabit this planet and deserve a special place going forward. In so many ways, many have understood and embraced the significance of this idea and they are offering their experiences, timeless photographs, DVD videos on sikhchic.com, other websites, and global print media. This effort does not even begin to touch millions who have invaluable stories of importance to many but have not taken the time, initiative, or recognized its true value to future generations. Dr. Harbans Lal is inviting us to be a community that should see value in faithfully scribing, archiving, writing, recording, and recounting our memories before they are lost forever as a resource for those who may be curious or inspired to know about themselves through these carefully preserved priceless recordings of their families, communities, and institutions as priceless pages of proud heritage. This is a gift that we must give ourselves; no embellishments, just the truth as we remember, for this is a living and sacred history, trust, faith and spirit of a people.