Speech from Sikh Freedom & Remembrance March Last year at Trafalgar Square
Vaheguru ji ka khalsa, Vaheguru ji ke fateh
The Aspiration Of Freedom
In 1947, Maulana Azad, a muslim gave a speech on the birth of the Indian Nation. He highlighted with statistics in detail of how the Sikh Nation had given more than 80% of the sacrifices to create this Nation of India.
The nation of India was built by the sacrifices of our great grandfathers. How could Sikhs not be loyal to India, when it was their lives and blood that created it?
Despite the horrors of Partition, which saw 1.5 million people die. Who bore the brunt of this? It was Punjabis, kashmiris and Bengalis. All the other states just raised a the new indian flag. It was these states that were divided and bore the brunt. It was the Sikhs who lost access to half their history and places of worship. Key promises made to Sikhs before 1947 were all broken. But still they were loyal. When India was attacked by Pakistan and China, it was the Sikhs who stood firm at the front to defend the Indian Nation.
For all the hardships that Sikhs faced, they were never disloyal. For India was the Nation that was built on the sacrifices of Sikhs.
Maulana Azad gave them key statistics in that speech, but then they were left in the books of history. Ironically never mentioned again in a land where the media are so dominant? When all states in India were divided in linguistic basis, only Punjab was denied. Instead of granting autonomy, the Punjab was divided further to less than 1/3 of its original size. There were forces in India, that did not wish to enrich India with benefits of secularism, multiculturalism and freedom. Instead they pushed another agenda of Hindi and Hinduvata on the masses to build their Hindustan. They forgot the Rule of Law and created Deras to denigrate the Sikh religion and Sikhs, and in 1978, openly killed Sikhs in the streets of Amritsar, Kanpur and Delhi.
Despite provocation after provocation, despite Sikhs being killed in the streets and police cells. Sikhs were still loyal to India. It was still the Nation that was built by the sacrifices of our great grandfathers. However Sikhs were now beginning to realise a very important lesson. Despite India being built on the sacrifices of Sikhs, it was ruled by a Brahmin elite. Sikhs did not create a separatist agenda. It was those Brahmin forces who where so intolerant of any minority, that they pushed Sikhs to a point where finally began to question their loyalty. For Sikhs built and wished for secular India, which had rule of law and freedoms for all minorities. Sikhs had never signed up to an intolerant Brahminised Hindustan.
When Baba Jarnail Singh Bindranwala was asked whether he wanted an independant State, he categorically stated that Sikhs wished to remain as part of India and co-exist. In fact, he was astonished by the claim. He stated, “I do not wish to discuss it because it has nothing to do with our Morcha.” But when pressed on the subject, he stated “I am neither for or against Khalistan. Asking for it is not our demand. However if the government feels it cannot accommodate our just aspirations in India, and offers us a separate homeland, then we will not refuse it like we did in 1947.”
This Gursikh did a bachan, that if Siri Darbar Sahib and Siri Akal Thakht Sahib were attacked then that would lay the foundation stone for Khalistan.
Now we ask ourselves who made the decisions to separate Sikhs & India? For it was not the Sikhs, it was those brahmin forces in India who were blinded by their intolerance of Sikhs and all minorities. Just they as they allowed Pakistan to be created so that Hindu Raj will always remain in India, so they pushed Sikhs away aswell.
The Khalsa Nation was created in 1699. The Sikhs have always been a Nation. Like all Nations, we require a State. In 1947, we hoped for all our sacrifices, that India was that our State. But the events of 1947 - 1978 -1984 - to today have taught us that Sikhs cannot live in freedom in India, but only as a tolerated under class. The freedoms enjoyed by Sikhs who live abroad, were never granted to them by India.
There are those who ask us to forget 1984 and that Sikhs will never overcome India? How can we ever do that? It is now etched into our very pschye. 27 years on, it is as powerful as ever. Despite the huge sacrifices over the last 27 years we realise that Nation States take time to be created. It took many years for Israel to be created. Similarly it took many years for USA, Canada, Russia, and so many more Nations including India, to struggle for their Independence. The likes of Nelson Mandela spent their lives with that aspiration for freedom. It can take generations to build Nation States. It is a process. For Sikhs, we have seen 27 years of that process, and despite every attempt to crush the Spirit of our Nation, Our Nation still stands with the same vigour.
While some in the Canadian media may wish to question Sikhs. Let them understand that the Sikh Nation has an aspiration of freedom. This aspiration is no different than that expressed by many great leaders of many nations over time, whether that be Nelson Mandela, Charles De Gualle, Winston Churchill, George Washington, or even your own Mohandas Gandhi.
Baba Jarnail Singh Ji once said, physical death I do not fear, it is death of conscience. Those who ask us to forget 1984, ask us to accept a death of conscience. When the Khalsa Nation from 1699 has shown time and time again, generation after generation that it never refrains from physical death, why would it today accept a death of conscience?
Instead we ask the next generation of Indians. Why do you accept such a death of conscience? How can you be silent when your Government has Ministers who are responsible for genocide of thousands of Indian Citizens? Why in India is the rule of law only for the elite and not the common man? How can you justify your human rights record?
Sikhs will never forget 1984. We will never accept a death of conscience. The Khalsa has overcome all obstacles in the past and made the impossible possible. Many great empires told the Sikhs to give up it struggle, but History stands in testimony that it was they who fell before Khalsa Nation. So let us be clear, the Khalsa nation will achieve our aspiration. The Khalsa Nation will once again build a State, and this State will have at its heart, the Siri Akal Thakht Sahib. For in 1984, that was were foundation stone for Khalistan was laid.
We will never forget 1984.
This is our Aspiration of Freedom !
Vaheguru ji ke khalsa Vaheguru ji ke fateh
Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥