Vaisakhi, Symbolism in Sikhi, and the Legacy of the Khalsa Panth

As April ends, we would like to express our love and warmest regards to each and every one of you. We hope you are all safe and well during these trying times, and remain in the spirit of Chardi Kala.

As Easter term starts to back up again, we’d like to remind you all that every Friday we will be continuing our weekly Rehras recital over Zoom (https://www.facebook.com/events/935880700202420/). Keep your eyes peeled on our page and updates on the group chat. No matter the arrangements made by your department, we want to wish you all the best for this unprecedented Easter term.

We are grateful for all the feedback from the first bulletin. It was great to reflect on the experiences undergone by Sikhs in Afghanistan. As a follow up, here is a situation update from the Sikh PA detailing what has happened since that tragic attack.

The topic of this bulletin is, of couse, Vaisakhi, which we celebrated last month. This marks the 321^st year since that day where Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaaj ordained the Khalsa Panth. This, as you already know, was a monumental event. From a religious perspective, it was the creation of a formalised Sikh identity; the saint-soldier concept that married principles of justice and spiritual truth. Politically it was a turning point – whereby the Khalsa dedicate themselves to fighting opression in all its forms, continuing the resistance against the Mughal state started by Guru Hargobind Sahib, as well as a transmission of leadership from the Guru to the Panth as a whole. Socially, there was also tremendous revolution; with the removal of last names cleansing the indivudal from the plague of caste, pre-existing social heirarchies are replaced with the unified familial bond in the Khalsa. The equality of women is also stressed here, as we begin to see inspiring Sikh female leaders such as Mata Sahib Kaur play important roles. As we become Singhs and Kaurs we take part in a long legacy of revolution that began on 13^th April 1699.

Whilst the coronavirus pandemic has presented numerous challenges to the celebrations that would usually take place; Sikhs around the world have still taken every opportunity to mark this day. From engaging in seva, doing kirtan, or immersing oneself in Sikh history and Gurbani, there are always ways to celebrate and connect with sangat – whilst also looking after everyone’s well-being during these times. We’d also like to thank everyone that took part in our Vaisakhi quiz, as it was a fun way to learn more about this day.

In the spirit of this celebration, please find attached a series of links that we hope are able to offer some interest discussion, explanation, or perspective about Vaisakhi, or the role of the Khalsa as a whole. This list is by no means exhaustive, and there is of course much deeper discourse that can be made. Hopefully, however, this is able to provide some food for thought and spark a discussion. We would love to hear if there is anything interesting you would like to share.