Guru Gobind Singh ji completed Guru Nanak Sahib's
mission of establishing Sikhi as the global Khalsa
Panth, the egalitarian Order of the Khalsa.
Today, Sikh identity, ideology and institutions
continue to face challenges in India and in the
Sikh diaspora. For British Sikhs, as for other UK
communities, year 2018 will be remembered as the
year of the Brexit negotiations, and the
countdown for the UK to leave the European
Union (the Brexit) was approaching its end. In the US,
minority communities including the Sikhs, have
been apprehensive following Donald Trump's victory
to become the President due to his extreme right
wing views. Other countries can follow this
trend to the extreme right to cause problems for
the minorities by challenging the very ethos of
multi-culturalism.
Terrorism in the name of misguided "Islam" which
has been spreading since 9/11, has posed
challenges for Sikh identity in the West. Yet, as
a recent Sikh Network survey has shown, Sikhs
continue to remain invisible to the government of
the UK and other Western countries because they
are not counted and monitored reliably as "Sikhs"
under the current system. For example, many crimes
against Sikhs are recorded as crimes under
"Islamophobia".
There is a new awakening to push Sikh identity at
global level. There is a global Sikh reaction to
being lost in figures as "Indians" or "Asians" or
misidentified as "Muslim" or even mis-profiled as
"terrorists".
The challenges to main stream Sikh ideology and
the independence of central Sikh institutions have
been only too obvious for more than a century when
Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha was compelled to write "Hum
Hindu Nahi". There are Snatan dharmi Sikhs
who are now openly preaching Brahmanic thought.
Internal controversy about the Dasam Granth must
be avoided by fully accepting the Guruship of Jugo
Jug Attal Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib in
accordance with the Command of Guru Gobind Singh
ji. Dasam Granth should be researched and
celebrated as an invaluable source of literary
heritage but not placed at par with Sri Guru
Granth Sahib.
Otherwise, today, Sikhs are better engaged with
governments in the diaspora countries. We look to
Year 2021 as the year of Chardhi Kalaa of
the global Khalsa Panth.
Let us "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope
for tomorrow."(Albert Einstein)
May the Khalsa be imbued with humility and high
wisdom. (Sikh Ardaas)
Have a promising and fulfilling New Year.
Further reading -
Parkaash = illumination. Birth of a saintly person who becomes a source
of spiritual enlightenment.
Gurpurb (or Gurpurab) is a
religious festival commemorating a Guru.
For Sikh word concepts refer to the
glossary
under 
