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Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ki Fatih!
Thirty-nine years have passed since the attack by the Government of India on the Golden Temple complex - Sri Harimandar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib - and about 90 gurduaras throughout the Panjab, as per the latest count. The 1984 Ghallughara memory is now embedded in Sikh consciousness. It has entered the Sikh DNA forever.
Memories are painful.
Memories shape us.
Memories teach us.
1984 Ghallughara teaches us the fragility of democracy: however precarious it is ever more precious. Yet, how quickly it can be undermined when leaders show a weak commitment to democratic rule, when political opponents become adversaries, when violence is tolerated, when the mighty State machine is employed to suppress dissent, and when civil liberties and press freedom are restricted.
Memories are powerful.
Memories shape our collective psyche.
Memories invoke our Ardas-inspired remembrance.
1984 Ghallughara reminds us to be like IkOankar: Feel 1Force to continue to chisel the Love and the Justice virtues within us. To become the civil servants of the Panth (Sikh collective) to keep alive Nam-Culture: Identification with 1Force in myriad ways.
The study of 1984 is challenging, emotionally and intellectually. However, the study is needed to strengthen everything that we value as human beings. Our curated content this week focuses on the events of 1984.
“The effect of this barrage on the Akal Takht was devastating. The whole front of the sacred shrine was destroyed, leaving hardly a pillar standing.” - Mark Tully, Amritsar, Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle
Join Harinder Singh and Manpreet Singh as they discuss 1984 and explore its parallels with human rights movements today.
The June 1984 army action on the Golden Temple complex – Sri Harimandar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib – was a tipping point in the Sikh and Indian history 33 years ago.
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