The following is an Essay/Review of the Book titled: Struggle for Justice by Dr. Ranbir Sandhu
A) Being an avid follower of the Sikh faith, I am extremely passionate about learning more and more about my religion’s history and its past. The reason I have this zeal is due to my dad, whom I have to accredit for continuously teaching me and inspiring me about the Sikh heritage ever since I was a young boy. I have scanty information about Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – the key figure in the book. Being curious by nature I want to continue to acquire more knowledge about the religion I so proudly profess I belong to.
B) Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was an extraordinary man, akin to Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. I wish to learn more about the Sant’s past and how he became the man he was. What struggles he faced due to his decisions and why some Sikhs dislike him even though he gave his life for the betterment of the Sikh religion. This book contains the speeches that the Sant gave starting from the early 1980’s all the way up to June 1984. These are the speeches that I wish to read, understand the context, and gain a better understanding of his views and how he empowered so many people through his short life. The book contains his speeches as well as the conversations that the Sant had with individuals in high positions during the time. All I have heard ever since I was a boy were the inspiring stories of this man and what he did for our faith. Now I finally have real, factual information that will give me further insight towards who this lion-heart was and figure out the veracity of the stories I have been told since childhood.
C) I chose this little known book to gain insight into a much maligned hero and to write about it as well. I would use this opportunity to educate my fellow classmates and my teacher, as very few know about the Sant and his life. Also the topic is something that I like, which makes reading it even more interesting and enjoyable.
2.
A) As I have grown up, I have been told that the Indian government’s sole mission was to annihilate the Sikhs completely by any means necessary. Hearing these blood churning stories is one thing, but to actually read them myself is another. What surprised me as I read the book was the fact there were so many allegations against the Sant and his followers, not just by the common people but the Indian Government. The same Indian Government that claims it’s the ‘world’s largest democracy’. To make a long story short, India is not a place of ‘peace, rights, or freedoms’ it is the exact opposite especially for minorities. It is built on inequality (Hindu caste system), as there is no concept of a ‘free man’. In the Sikh philosophy and as the Sant said, “Sikhs cannot live in a country that takes away their freedom to practice their faith”. For instance, as of today in India’s constitution – Article 25B states; Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists are all to be classified as Hindus. This is just absurd; imagine all Christians and Jews being called Muslims in a country! For this reason and many others, the Sant took it upon himself to stand up and protest in order to purge the corrupt government and bring justice for his fellow Sikh brothers and sisters. What really surprised me was how far the Indian government went to defame the Sants name and label him “a terrorist, a radical, a threat to national security.” In the book, Dr. Sandhu says, “To brand devout Sikhs as criminals, the government stage-managed crimes. The police would orchestrate a crime and ascribe it to Sant Bhindranwale. The Sant had never advocated anything of that sort, but was still blamed.” (Sandhu, 29) This really surprised me, as to how pathetic can a government get? He was blamed by the very same government that had no interest in prosecuting a person caught red-handed for throwing tobacco[1] in the premises of the Darbar Sahib[2].
B) Since I was raised as a practicing Sikh, with my parents inculcating all the good values in me, giving me the ability to connect with Waheguru – Almighty by teaching me Japji Sahib[3] starting at the age of three; I am now at a position where I can continue to learn while helping my peers within the Sikh Community. The information this book provided me rare insight into the hidden truth in understanding the sanctity of the Sant and the deeplicty is just another ‘rung on the ladder’ to bringing the Sikh community the justice it has so rightfully deserved for years. During the Sant’s time and even today in India, if a Sikh passionately practices his/her religion and/or is active in the field of human rights they would be labeled ‘fanatics, or radicals’. I am no radical or fanatic; I am a proud American Sikh who believes that under the eyes of the Almighty all humans no matter what religion/race/color should be treated equally, just like the U.S. Constitution. This book has only bolstered my passion and love for my religion. Sadly, not many Sikhs read history and that is the inconvenient truth. I tend to use not only what I have learnt from this book but to gather information from others as well and enlighten people about the Sikhs and their proud history. I would like to continue what Sant Bhindranwale started, and try to fulfill his wish of attaining justice for all those Sikhs that have died fighting for equality, liberty, and religious freedom which is the foundation of our great country United States of America.
C) The book ‘Struggle for Justice’ is written by Dr. Ranbir Singh Sandhu a professor (emeritus) from Ohio State University, an extraordinarily bright man who happens to be a close relative. He has spent a tremendous amount of time dealing with various issues that Sikhs have come across. Dr. Sandhu has taken it upon himself to compile the largest library of Sikh related books outside Punjab and articles to empower the Sikh community globally. He has got authenticated taped speeches, and then translated them in sequence as well as filling in the gaps by newspaper reports. Throughout his book he has given copious references to the sources from where he has received the information. I fully trust Dr. Sandhu’s work and what he has written, as I have known him for all my short life and seen his dedication life to this line of work.
3.
A) Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was an extremely humble man, a preacher who made the survival of the Sikh religion his number one priority. His personal mission was not related to any extremism but simply to inspire the youth of Punjab to become better Sikhs. As he would always say, “Nashey chado, amrit shako, gursikh bano” meaning “give up addictions, become formally initiated, and be good Sikhs.” The most important thing I learned from this book is that the Indian Government discriminated against the Sikhs in every possible way they could. In a conversation the Sant had with Surinderjit Singh Bains a reporter from Canada in January 1983, the Sant gave examples of such gruesome acts carried out by the Punjab Police with the help of the Indian Government that I was shocked. For instance, the Sant says, “All ten nails from the hands as well as the feet of Gurmeet Singh of Dhulkot were extracted with pliers and salt sprinkled over the wounds. Candles were lit under his hands and he was burnt. Then he was shot.” (Sandhu, 34) “Has any Hindu been treated like this?” the Sant questions. Again and again only Sikhs were targeted by the Police in these ‘encounters’ as the Indian Government calls them, no Hindu ever went through this much cruelty. Why does the Indian Government treat those who follow the Sikh Faith so malevolently? The answer is quite simple; India’s population is approximately 1-2 billion and of those, 80.5% follow the Hindu Faith. Sikhs only comprise 1.9% of that population. Clearly the majority belongs to the Hindu Religion, even the Indian Government is made up of higher caste Hindus. Which brings me to the next point; India is built on the caste system, the highest caste are the Brahmins and the lowest are the Untouchables. The Sikh Religion on the other hand is made on the principles that everyone is equal; no matter what race, religion, class, etc. This ideology disrupts the whole structure which India is built on, hence the Indian Government is so hell-bent on removing the Sikh way of life from India. For this reason and many others, is why the Indian Government was fearful of Sant Bhindranwale, because they realized if he continued to draw in all the members of the lower castes, there would be no one left for them to control, as more and more would rise up to want liberty, equality, and justice for all!
B) As I continued to further analyze the Sant’s speeches, I was amazed at how well he spoke and made the most uneducated understand what his views were. All this was coming from a man who did not even attend college. I also realized as I was reading some parts of his speeches that his job was actually made easy! All the answers were already in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji – (Holy Scripture of the Sikhs), the Sant was simply the messenger! So whenever the Sant was questioned about the legitimacy of his views, he would use the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as his tool to quiet those who were trying to find faults in his beliefs. The way Sant Bhindranwale addressed the gatherings he attended is simply amazing, his ability to enthrall massive crowds is due to the fact from an early age he was extremely religious and joined the Damdami Taksal – a premier theological seminary. Everything he spoke and quoted was based upon the touch stone of basic human rights values which every American would be proud of.
C) Using his years of experience writing various articles and books, Dr. Sandhu incorporated several writing techniques that made reading this 500 page book more thought-provoking while making the information easier to understand at the same time. Firstly, there are numerous line breaks; which spread out the ideas of the paragraph. Secondly, he provides footnotes on every page which depicts his sources for the information in the book. If there are phrases in Punjabi, he has given the translations for them, making it easier to understand the point of using that particular phrase in the paragraph. The most important technique he used was incorporating sub-headings. This allows the reader to understand what the paragraph is about, instead of reading it and then having to think about the main idea about. Using these techniques allowed Dr. Sandhu to create a magnificent book that truly portrays Sant Bhindranwale’s Struggle for Justice in the proper light.
[1] Tobacco is prohibited in the Sikh Faith
[2] Darbar Sahib is like the Vatican
[3] Japji Sahib is one of the 5 prayers all Sikhs do
