The Guru decided to resist the nefarious act of forcible conversion of Hindus even at the cost of his life
The year-long celebrations to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary (Prakash Purab) of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur concluded on April 21 with an address by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Red Fort in Delhi. Prime Minister Modi has all along shown great reverence for the Sikh Gurus.
The Prakash Purab serves an ideal opportunity to recall atrocities and persecution suffered by our forefathers at the hands of Muslim rulers and the supreme sacrifice made by the Sikh Guru to protect their freedom and dignity. Hindus, and later the Sikhs, suffered the worst of violence and religious persecution by the Mughals. Guru Nanak’s agony over brutal tyranny of Babur, the first Mughal invader, is echoed in his own words: “Khurasan Khasmana Kiya Hindustan Draya. Apey Dos Na Deyi Karta Jum Kar Mugal Chareya. Eyti Mar Pyee Kurlanney Tain Ki Dard Na Aiya”.
Hindus and Sikhs also suffered the worst brutality during fifty years of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s reign (1658-1707). Aurangzeb was a cruel bigot who wanted to establish Muslim theistic state, Dar-ul-Islam, in India by the power of the sword. With this sinister design, he ushered a reign of terror and tyranny on Hindus. They were coerced to choose between Islam and merciless oppression. He ordered heavy- handed implementation of ruthless Islamic fundamentalist programs on Hindus and Sikhs. Religious tax (jazia) was imposed exclusively on Hindus to curtail their economic sustenance. Celebration of the most popular Hindu festivals, Diwali and Holi, were forbidden. Many sacred Hindu Temples were demolished, and mosques erected in their place. Forced mass conversion of Hindus and Sikhs to Islam became the first and foremost function of the Indian Islamic state. Resistance to these atrocities meant loss of life and dignity. Under this genocidal tyranny, millions of Hindus, most in Kashmir, were massacred and their property looted.
According to the earliest historical narrative relied on by the SGPC and other historical literature, Hindus of Kashmir, unable to withstand the tyranny unleashed by Aurangzeb, approached Guru Tegh Bahadur for support. The Guru accepted their prayer and agreed to defend their freedom to religion and religious right to wear their ‘sacred threads and frontal marks.’ He decided, even if it cost him his life, to resist the nefarious act of forcible conversion of Hindus. On his instructions, a communication was sent to the emperor asserting that if the Sikh Guru could be persuaded to accept Islam, the Hindus would convert as well. Hearing this, the Guru was summoned by Aurangzeb to Delhi, and, when he refused to forsake his faith, he was publicly decapitated on November 11, 1675 and his followers were butchered for their refusal to abandon their faith. Thus, the Guru led a stubborn but non-violent resistance against zealous proselytization and bigotry of Aurangzeb and willingly sacrificed his life to protect Hindustan. But for his sacrifice, Hindustan would have been Islamised.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the second Sikh Guru to be executed by the Mughals for their unyielding commitment to freedom of religion. Seventy years before his execution (1675), Guru Tegh Bahadur’s grandfather, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606), was tortured by emperor Jahangir. He was chained and thrown into the river Ravi on May 30, 1606 at Lahore. The resistance against religious persecution demonstrated by Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Tegh Bahadur and his son and successor, Guru Gobind Singh, invited the wrath of the Mughal empire. While the two elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh died in battle against Mughals, his two younger sons were bricked alive for refusing to embrace Islam and protecting the persecuted.
The Hindu-Sikh bond has been cemented in perpetuity by the blood and sacrifice of the Sikh Gurus. And there is universal acknowledgement and gratitude of the Hindu community towards the Sikh Gurus and the Sikhs on account of the sacrifices made by them for the protection of Hindu faith. In recognition of this, Prime Minister Modi arranged worldwide celebrations of the 550th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev and the 350th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh with immense reverence and
fervour. To honour Chote Sahibzadas, December 26 will be celebrated annually as Veer Bal Diwas all over the country.
But some anti-national elements attempt to sow the seeds of division between Hindus and Sikhs. To achieve their nefarious designs, they project fake threat to the Sikh identity. These evil designs must be frustrated. Guru ka Khalsa is invincible. There is no threat to it, least of all from Hindus.
(The writer is a former IAS officer. The views expressed are persomal.)
