This article will focus predominantly on the Sikh framework and historical dimensions of the farmers’ protest; the historical connotation of the protest, the Sikh principles ingrained in the movement. Using historical evidence, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and on the ground realities, this piece will try answering one compound question. Why are Sikhs so heavily invested in the farmer’s protest and what is the lens through which their movement can be understood.
From the beginning of Sikhi, the political and spiritual have been tied and the idea of serving 1-ness has been paramount. Whether someone believes that 1ness is god/humanity, religious/secular, personal/societal, or even internal/external is up for individual interpretation however in the definitions of the guru they are all one and the same. One prism used to see many lights yet the light remains the same. The Sikhs’ spiritual-political identity is not separate, the same flag that serves langar (communal meals) wages a continual war against vices both internally and while walking through the world.
This is encapsulated by a single institutional complex we call Darbar sahib or by its reinterpretation by the west as the golden temple. However, prior to the 1800’s, it was neither a temple nor golden. The gold plating was brought about by Khalsa raaj under Ranjit Singh and the temple aspect implies simply a spiritual hub. Both ideas conflict with what the term Darbaar sahib means. “The sovereign court”, this sovereign court exists at the center of a complex that has historically been surrounded by watchtowers for protection, schools, with four doors representing its openness to all. However the center structure is only accessible by one pathway and directly in front of this path to this court stands “The Sovereign Timeless Throne”, Akaal Takht Sahib.
From this throne, Sikhs have gathered and made decisions on all issues pertinent to humanity and the duties of Sikhs in those ordeals. Every issue, decided with the cornerstone of Sikh ethos, Guru Granth Sahib at its center, and the spirit of its divine wisdom. This is the lens through which every Sikh sees our faith, the lens through which every Sikh must practice their life.
Divine virtues are like brothers and sisters to Nanak, liberation; his gift to life. Nanak started a governance, giving it the foundation stone of truth.
Lahna was given the canopy, embellishing him with virtues imbued in the immortal wisdom.
Written in Ramkali Ki Vaar by Bhai Satta and Balvand the mission of Guru Nanak is placed in front of us. Neither completely religious nor completely secular, nor power driven nor by lineage. This governance is focused on the virtuous and facing the realities of the world with the goal of liberating everyone, from the class struggle and their religious ones as well.
Such is the lineage later passed onto the Sikhs by the miracle of Vasakhi through which the governance structures of the Sikhs exist today. Thus begins the policy of the Sikhs of Langar which has fed people around the world 24/7 for the past 500+ years during countless pandemics, wars, and natural disasters. Whether through oxygen during covid, materials, and equipment during airport shutdowns in Britain, or simply meals through the efforts of local programs like Degh Tegh Fateh Community Kitchen in Seattle, Sikh SOCH’s homeless langar initiative, Khalsa Aid’s work around the world, or Darbaar Sahib providing food to the needed in war-torn and natural disaster-stricken areas in India. The governance of Sikhs exists in all realms to make this work and exists as our ever-present war against the mal intentions at play. Therefore the war against tyranny remains true in other aspects as well. The most pertinent of which is the world’s largest labor protest in the history of the world. Pioneered, spearheaded, and mainly participated by Sikhs.
Guru Nanak after his travels settled a new city and named it Kartarpur where he implemented Sikh governance in this city on the ideas of Halami Raaj or egalitarian rule. The city is also based on the ideas of Bagampura mentioned by Bhagat Ravidas Ji.
“ Sorrowless City” is the name of this town.
Where pain ends and the need for it fades.
No anxieties remain and unfair taxation is extinct.
There’s no fear, wrongdoing, angst or decline.
Where no one is persecuted and all differences are laid to rest, this is the benevolent rule. Thus Sikh governance and its vision are realized and brought to fruition. Now, the fight is simply not in one land, one town or one country the fight against tyranny is global and the Sikhs stand once more in its way. The right to food is fundamental to survival and essential is the work of a farmer. While, during and after settling Kartarpur Guru Nanak worked as a farmer till his last days.
Those who are the “haves” are those the can give and take at a whim. The “have nots” muster what they can and fight what they would like with their very lives on the line. And thus exists the paradigm of the farmers’ protest in India. The very ethos of the entire movement exists around the rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness not simply for the Sikhs but for all of India.
Historical Realities:
This movement is a culmination of decades-long persecution against the agricultural industry at the hands of corporations and governmental interests alike. The individual farmers, seen as collateral and ammunition for the propulsion of the economy and “state”. However, the state is a mass charged with the protection of interests of collective beings, the sovereign’s job is to protect the interest of individuals and their society not the interest of a handful at the expense of many.
This is why the Sikhs fight and why the entire country has come to their support. Because when the country was ridden with famine and strife, the majority Sikh State of Punjaab carried the mantle in the war against it (Shiva). Hailed the breadbasket of India to the point where the deficit became a surplus and now India is an exporter of agricultural products. This, at the expense of Punjab; its soil, its water, people, and economy. Their fault? Having faith in a system that didn’t even give them a seat at the table while passing three privatization bills at the peak of the covid-19 pandemic in the most undemocratic method imaginable (“Farm bills passed in Indian parliament with controversial voice vote | Rajya Sabha | WION”) (“Farm Bills: Rules Violated In Farm Bill Vote? Rajya Sabha Video Counters Government”).
Since 1947 or the partition of Punjab and Bengal the livelihoods of farmers have been under constant threat. Whether simply by coincidence or intentionally it is undeniable that the Sikhs have faced disproportionate amounts of tyranny simply for speaking up for their rights to a way of life, a language, and right to self-determination. Till 1984 the Sikhs fought for their right to be recognized as a separate religion and when the government finally ceded this right 2 months prior to attacking Darbaar Sahib as a means of rebuking the Sikh claim to autonomy and sovereignty (Ortega). The Sikh wedding ceremony was denied for many more years as all Sikh marriages were deemed Hindu marriages in the court of law till 2012 (Basu). The myriad of India’s slip toward nationalism and fascism is not a new phenomenon nor one unfamiliar to the Sikhs. State actors partook in the Dehli genocide of 1984 and the government-sanctioned the events leading up to and during the days of the systemic pogrom of Sikhs. Releasing false media stories of trains arriving of dead Hindus in Dehli from Punjab and mass hysteria created to antagonize the Sikhs using state-controlled media apparatuses (Human Rights Watch). Sending in police officers to disarm neighborhoods prior to mobs being let loose to burn down Sikh businesses, gang kill all men, male children, and rape women and girls. This slaughtered Sikhs for the next two decades with an incentive system for the number butchered and impunity under the law still prevalent till today (ensaaf.org).
A natural line of questioning arises from this history: Why was Indira Gandhi killed? Why was the sanctum sanctorum of the Sikhs the scene of a battle between Sikhs and the Indian Government? And the answer was quite simple, agrarian rights and riparian rights of the people of Punjaab being violated and their fight to have these violations be rectified. The resolution at the heart of this peaceful revolution was dubbed “the Anandpur resolution” asking for water rights, compensation for the resources allocated to other states, and overall better treatment of Punjaabs people (Longowal). This document is at the heart of Punjaab’s and the Sikhs’ struggle prior to the 4 decades of state-sponsored terrorism faced by the Sikhs. Now, the ask remains the same after all these years and the catalyst for the movement today on an even larger scale.
During the green revolution the seeds given to farmers were at the expense of their own being thrown to the wayside, subsidized by the government and private entities in order to increase crop yield and save as many plants as possible. However, since the country has slowly increased its agricultural product, the toll paid by the farmer on seeds every season, water requirements for these seeds and the uselessness of the plants after harvest are all burdens now carried by the farmer’s (Shiva). The crippling debt coupled with underground water sources needed to carry out this unsustainable yet perpetual cycle has lowered underground water tables to dangerous levels, also increasing the cost to access this supply (“FINAL ASSAULT | Punjabi Documentary Film | Save Punjab Waters”). While the natural waters of Punjab have been dammed for hydroelectric power and diverted to other states. The benefits of the electricity generated are reaped by other states while Punjab receives no compensation. (“FINAL ASSAULT | Punjabi Documentary Film | Save Punjab Waters”)
Since the beginning of the protest the Sikhs have been critical in galvanizing, funding, gathering, and negotiating. This is not simply on the level of individuals making decisions to provide humanitarian relief but rather based on the principles mentioned above. The circumstances leading up to today’s protest are not simply the three bills threatening their livelihoods but 80 years worth of bad faith and trampling of human rights. Yet both the history of this torment and the underlying principles driving it are being sidelined by both leadership and the state. While a majority of protesters speak on these atrocities clearly and openly.
Works Cited
Basu, Indira. “Need for Anand Marriage Act for Sikhs & Why It's in the News Again.” The Quint, 21 January 2018, https://www.thequint.com/explainers/explainer-anand-marriage-act-anand-karaj-sikh-hindu-marriage-act-delhi-govt. Accessed 14 November 2021.
“Farm bills passed in Indian parliament with controversial voice vote | Rajya Sabha | WION.” YouTube, 21 September 2020, https://youtu.be/Z7zGMT758Kk. Accessed 14 November 2021.
“Farm Bills: Rules Violated In Farm Bill Vote? Rajya Sabha Video Counters Government.” YouTube, 27 September 2020, https://youtu.be/8Uiquk0N1mU. Accessed 14 November 202
“FINAL ASSAULT | Punjabi Documentary Film | Save Punjab Waters.” YouTube, 30 September 2016, https://youtu.be/-2_Viws3Ang. Accessed 12 November 2021.
Human Rights Watch. “India: No Justice for 1984 Anti-Sikh Bloodshed.” Human Rights Watch, 29 October 2014, https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/29/india-no-justice-1984-anti-sikh-bloodshed. Accessed 14 November 2021.
Longowal, Harcharn Singh. “The Anandpur Sahib Resolution.” Anandpur Sahib Resolution Authenticated by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, 8 January 1977, https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/document/papers/anantpur_sahib_resolution.htm. Accessed 14 November 2021.
Ortega, Nicolas. “INDIA WILL GRANT SIKHS NEW STATUS.” The New York Times, 2 April 1984, https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/02/world/india-will-grant-sikhs-new-status.html. Accessed 14 November 2021.
Shiva, Vandana. The Violence of the Green Revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology, and Politics. University Press of Kentucky, 2015.
About the Author
Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh is a teacher and avid student of Sikhi. His work focuses around bani and studies of Sikh history in order to better understand his own practice of Sikhi and creating solid Sikh governance models. He's led many camps, retreats and initiatives; using communal resources to serve the oneness