Kuttabanda2

I think our only hope as of now is to begin proselytizing non-Sikhs in our part of Punjab (including Haryana, northern Rajasthan, Himachal, Delhi), as well as promote and stimulate Sikh population growth and encouraging Sikh settlement in Punjab. If a war were to break out between India and Pakistan in the near future, giving a reason for India to invade the Pakistani held Punjab, we could assert some influence to permanently retain areas like Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Bar Doab Canal Colonies (that WE built), Lyallpur, former Montgomery area, Toba Tek Singh, Norwal, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Hafizabad, and even Pothohar. The Muslim population of those areas would likely become refugees, accept their situation, or face oppression for any opposition or insurgency they may begin. However, that's all theoretical.

It's human nature and communalism-nationalism. A tit for tat policy. Not exactly moral on our part, but it had to be done. In east Punjab, Muslims were provoking some of the violence, in the Hoshiarpur Zila and northern Doaba, for example, Muslim Jats and zameendars began organizing Muslim militias to attack overwhelmed and isolated Sikh villages. Since a number of Gujjars were loharis (Iron-smiths), they provided arms to these hordes, the Muslim zameendars provided horses and other arms (rifles, pistols, etc). When they saw the tables turning almost immediately (as Sikhs in Doaba put up a good fight, and later received help from Majhaili and Malwai reinforcements) and the repercussions of their doing, did they began fleeing westward en masse. From a point of view shaped by human nature, circumstances, survival, and necessity, Sikhs have less, if any, reasons to be apologetic. The Rajas of Malwa were wise to begin accumulating arms and forming militias, they served us well.

No, heard of it,but was unable to get my hands on it

The blame falls upon the muslims as they had brought it upon themselves and started the carnage of partition, especially in the case of Punjab, that's indisputable. With Jinnah's and the Muslim League's agitation growing, organized unprovoked massacres and regional purges befell the Sikhs of west Punjab as early as 1946, in Pothohar and the Multan area in particular. Newspapers blame Sikhs for killing more on our side of the border and organizing the attacks more effectively and in a well calculated fashion. It is, however, well established that in Punjab, the Muslims had started the carnage. Your "random search" shouldn't be that, a "random search", it should be thorough and comprehensive. I get sick tired of Sikhs castrating themselves by taking the blame for partition, as if it was mostly and solely our doing.

You'll find attacks on Sikhs and Hindus documented as well, you just have to have the intention to look for them, which isn't too difficult.

Actually, the Muslims began their genocide and ethnic cleansing well before even the summer of Partition, The Sikhs and Hindus of Rawalpindi, other parts of Pothohar, and Multan were first attacked in 1946, we waited a whole year before getting back at them, and even then, when they started killing more of our people, did we retaliate.

I saw this like a month or so ago. The Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan live in a sea of sulleh, they really have no hope. A while back, they even converted Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji's Shaheedi asthan to a mosque. The Sikhs there need arms, finances, and resources, that is their only way to thrive and survive there.

Hahaha. I'm not surprised, not a lot of people in the Punjabi-speaking community are interested in 'books'. Jughera di kaum.

yeah, not as in bale-bundle, but as in the caste-occupation

Going on a small tangent here, but Someone needs to digitalize and publish all the manuscripts Dr. Anurag Singh and his counterparts have hoarded up in their collections and libraries. It's about time now. Sikh Academia has declined in the past two decades, compared to the time before.

Interesting views from the Traditional School of Thought.

That's an interesting stanza. According to Bhai Pyara Singh Padam, that couplet was written on a Parchi, slipped into a bir of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib. Dr. Ganda Singh Ji on the other hand, says in 'Makhisheh Twareekh-e-Sikhaan' that he found it in a manuscript of Sarbloh Granth. Both can actually be correct.

As for my favorite texts, I can't really point to one particular text, But I can make a list haha. I've fallen in love with Bhai Nand Lal Ji's works, specifically the ones in Persian, knowing Persian culture, medeival Indic Vairaagi; Sikh & Sufi-Shia Mysticism, and most importantly the Persian language, the work can be recognized for being the precious jewel that it is. The Panth Prakash Granths, by both Gyani Gyan Singh Ji and Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu are inspiring to me. Sri Dasam Granth Sahib is obsessively fascinating to me, with it's various ideals and concepts, as well as the style of writing. The Rehatnamas (Bhai Daya Singh's, Bhai Nand Lal's, Bhai Desa Singh's, Bijay Mukat Marag, and Bhai Chaupa Singh's) provide knowledge on abiding by the Khalsa code of conduct-living, Khalsa ethics, and the importance thereof.

Those are found in Gurbilas and Suraj Prakash as well, I think. Dasmesh Pita Ji had quite a few proverbs, dictums, adages, etc. that remained in the Panth's Oral tradition and Khalsai culture.

is Twarikh Bhai Binod Singh the one that mentions the Amrit Sanchar method, Panj Kakkars, with a Rehatnama, and certain excerpts of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji's life up until Sachkhand Gaman? sorry for going off topic.

Yeah, for example, on a social level, the attitude towards Kurehatees, anmatiye, turks, etc. have changed. On a socio-political level, we've become relaxed on Sikh Nationalism/Identity and maintaining even the fundamental tenets of the Sikh Panth.

Looking at the transition from the 19th century to the 20th century, seems like they did accept most of them. As some of the ones we'd call "Un-Gurmat" today, happened to be in practice back then.

I don't know. There are so many manuscripts around India's libraries. So possibly.

Whoever reproduced the Rehatnamas tampered with them. The motive is quite obvious. With Rehatnamas being an authority on Sikh law, way of life, social structures, governence, etc., Scribes who reproduced these Rehatnamas added, edited and removed injunctions as they pleased. This was done to better suit their own needs. To justify (to the Sikh masses), propagate, and authenticate the personal ideals, practices and convictions that the scribe had held onto. Another motive was to address issues in the Sikh Panth at that time.

from non-Nihangs/Akalis. Janamsakhis and Rehatnamas were tampered with when being copied and/or printed. Sau Sakhi is notable for this, the original text was altered repeatedly. Piara Singh Padam details this very well. The Singhs of old noticed this, thus they became protective.

The Nihangs feared interpolation and corruption of texts which kind of became eventual, so they resorted to extreme measures to hide many Granths, like their Rehatnama Granths, Sarbloh Granth, Janamsakhis, Sau Sakhis, etc. by burying, transporting it to different places or placing it in the care of trusted individuals. Despite their efforts, many of these texts were discovered anyways.

Imo, the Sarbloh Granth seems to be a compilation of Kavi Bani and Guru Gobind Singh Ji's Bani. Bhai Gurdas Singh's Vaar has been found within the Granth in certain manuscripts. There also hasn't been enough research done into the text, no one even undertook the endeavour to do it's Shudai, there are portions misplaced, missing, rearranged, mispelled, undecipherable, etc. variations between manuscripts.

The language most used is Persian ( this is the most problematic because the transcribers made errors transliterating from the Persian script to the Gurmukhi script, many portions are incomprehensible because of this), Braj Basha, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Aphram Basha, Sanskrit, Standard Arabic vocabulary is used abundently as well.

yeah good for you, i'm not trying to convince anyone that it's not Bani.

Which is another reason why their words aren't the gospels of truth. They don't hold anymore authority or veracity than anyone else.