|
The 1986 Sarbat Khalsa was one of the most consequential moments in modern Sikh history. But it was not a true Sarbat Khalsa in the historic sense. Rather than uniting the Panth it created deeper fissures, alienating Sikhs who should have stood together at the most critical hour. Most critically the Hukam taken from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji through Ardas before the Sarbat Khalsa was clear. Do not declare Khalistan. Establish a Khalsa Sarkar first. That divine instruction was ignored. The declaration of Khalistan proceeded anyway in direct contradiction of the Guru's Hukam. This episode examines why the 1986 Sarbat Khalsa failed on its own terms, how it diverged from the historic model of Sarbat Khalsa, and what the consequences of going against the Guru's Hukam have been for the Sikh movement ever since. The fire that '84 lit was real. The question this episode asks is who extinguished it and how.
|