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Thread: The socio-political scenario of the subcontinent can be best described by placing the various culture that have evolved here on a scale from left to right (not reflecting the political spectrum!) (1/n)
On the left would be the Persian and Arabic influence , and on right would be the Vedic influence. While Indian Muslims can be described as being on the left, but in close proximity to center, Pakistani Muslims have already been pushed to the far left in some respects. (2/n)
For Indian Hindus, the process is ongoing and efforts are being made to shift them towards the far right. Sikh and Punjabi culture, can be described, as lying exactly at the center. (3/n)
By this I do not mean that Sikhi is some sort of a syncretic arrangement with elements of many different religions but I want to suggest that Gurmat philosophy lies on the intersection of the West and the East, not as a dividing force but as a uniting force.(4/n)
The role of Indian Sikhs in regard to this, is especially notable, as they command respect from both sides of the scale but also struggle to maintain their central position. (5/n)
Some people have been tempted to interpret Gurmat solely on the basis of Sufi esoterism, whereas others have drawn strongly on Vedantic thought. As the Indian Right Wing pulls the Hindus towards the right side of this scale.. (6/n)
and the Muslims are pulled towards the left, a tension is being experienced by the Sikhs themselves. While we hope that as the tensions are equal opposite on both the sides, our interpretation of Gurmat Philosophy will also maintain equilibrium... (7/n)
it is true that the effects of these tensions are far-reaching. As a reaction, there has been a middle path built, which tries to project Sikhi out of this scale - which could be described as the neo-modern interpretation of Gurmat as preached by the likes of Dhadrianwale. (8/n)
This school of thought draws more strongly on the philosophical aspects of Gurmat, rather than Sikh History. This attitude fails in the point that it is unable to build a sense of Community brotherhood, that is essential to keep a community functional. (9/n)
If we see the Hindu Nationalist movement in India that I believe is at its pinnacle in India, the strongest resistance to it is being offered by Sikh ideology, irrespective of their school of thought. (10/n)
The Hindu Right Wing likes to draw upon Vedantic interpretations of Gurmat and portray Sikh History as an example of Indian nationalism. They like to mention, what they call the 'Sanatani' faction of Sikhs, (11/n)
that largely supported Dharmic/Indic interpretations of Gurmat. However, they don't know that these very factions were staunch believers in the Political dominance of Sikhs, and the strongest proponents of Khalsa Raj. (12/n)
On the other hand, are what they like to call the Orthodox/Mainstream Sikhs, that strongly resisted the Vedantic interpretations of Gurmat, but believed in peaceful coexistence with other cultures. (13/n)
They argue that the second faction has overpowered the first and Sikhs have forgotten their Dharmic roots. What they forget is 1. Whatever their interpretations of Gurmat might have been, all factions more or less believed in the unique identity of Sikhs and (14/n)
2. No faction within Sikhi prefers that somebody from outside are culture tell us who we are and what our philosophy is. Thus, Hindu Rashtra not only experiences resistance from mainstream Sikhs but from all factions and sects of Sikhi. (15/n)
