Sikh Students Conference || www.SikhStudents.org

Host: Center for Sikh Studies & Sikh Students Federation (UC Berkeley)
Start Time: Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 4:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 6:00pm
Location: UC Berkeley Campus
Email: sikhstudents.contact@gmail.com

The Sikh Students Conference will bring focus on the determining factors in the current Sikh situation as well as the trends among the Sikhs. The Sikhs, whose entity has been reduced to subjects after 1849, have been victims of the processes that defined the nature of the secular Indian nation-state. Such definitions represent the imperialist agenda to universalize meaning, construct a uniform identity, and deny any difference. The conference aims to contest the accepted definitions and break away with the conventions in Sikh activism. The conference is a result of the realization of having a fresh engagement with the area of Sikh studies in particular and the related areas such as theory and method in the study of religion and different branches of Western philosophical traditions that provide basis for theoretical approaches. Although the conference is mainly focusing on the 1984 attack on Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, the primary focus is on the philosophical trends that shaped historically-significant events or even the historical context itself.

Therefore, the conference is unlike venues that try to locate the Sikhs within any given space, whether it’s Indian secularism, or the American liberal democracy, but an attempt to locate a Sikh space. Because what Sikhs encounter in life, particularly in the West, is unavoidably complex, simplistic approaches are incapacitating. The few available venues are stifling potential. The Sikh Students Conference aims to foster the faculties critical and necessary for a real engagement with life and the issues.

ਪਰ ਪਰਾਰ ਕੋਈ ਸੂਰਮਾ...

The Sikh Mothers You Know Not

Mata Gurnam Kaur, Shaheed Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda's mother
who embraced martyrdom alongwith Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha
after punishing Vaidya for his crimes.

PURAN SINGH

While the dawn was yet young a Sikh mother emerged out of

Space, and was seen moving towards the Golden Temple at

Amritsar.

“Whither are you going mother?” said Dewan Kauramall. A minister

Of the Mughal ruler of Lahore.

“To the Guru’s Temple,” said she, “to-day assemble there the Guru’s

Khalsa, the holy ones, and I have come to bathe myself and my

child in the current of Nam.”

“But the opening of the temple to the Khalsa to-day is treachery,”

Said the Dewan, “The imperial forces are here to kill every one

That enters the temple.

To-day there will be a great massacre of the Khalsa.”

“What matters it, O good man,” said the Sikh mother, “if my blood

Be mingled with the waters of immortality, it is no death?”

“Have pity on your innocent child,” said the Dewan.

“I loved him so I bring him with me; this death is life for us. You do

not know,” said she and passed on.

ਫੌਜਾਂ ਕੌਣ ਦੇਸ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਆਈਆਂ?

ਹਰਿਭਜਨ ਸਿੰਘ

(1)

ਫੌਜਾਂ ਕੌਣ ਦੇਸ ਤੋਂ ਆਈਆਂ?
ਕਿਹੜੇ ਦੇਸ ਤੋਂ ਕਹਿਰ ਲਿਆਈਆਂ,
ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਜ਼ਹਿਰ ਲਿਆਈਆਂ
ਕਿਸ ਫਨੀਅਰ ਦੀ ਫੂਕ ਕਿ
ਜਿਸ ਨੇ ਪੱਕੀਆਂ ਕੰਧਾਂ ਢਾਹੀਆਂ
ਸੱਚ ਸਰੋਵਰ ਡੱਸਿਆ
ਅੱਗਾਂ ਪੱਥਰਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਲਾਈਆਂ
ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਮੰਦਰ ਵਿਹੁ ਦੀਆਂ ਨਦੀਆਂ
ਬੁੱਕਾਂ ਭਰ ਵਰਤਾਈਆਂ
ਫੌਜਾਂ ਕੌਣ ਦੇਸ ਤੋਂ ਆਈਆਂ?

(2)

ਸਿਮਰਨ ਬਾਝੋਂ ਜਾਪ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ
ਅਹਿਲੇ ਜਨਮ ਗਵਾਇਆ
ਕਰ ਮਤਾ ਹੈ ਆਖਰ ਉਮਰੇ
ਇਸ ਕਾਫਰ ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਧਿਆਇਆ।
ਦਿੱਲੀ ਨੇ ਜਦ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ’ਤੇ
ਜੰਮ ਕਰ ਮੁਗਲ ਚੜ੍ਹਾਇਆ
ਹੈਵਰ ਗੈਵਰ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਤਕੜਾ
ਜਦ ਲੌਹੇਯਾਨ ਦੁੜਾਇਆ
ਮੈਂ ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਧਿਆਇਆ।
ਫੌਜਾਂ ਨੇ ਜਦ ਸੋਨਕਲਸ਼ ’ਤੇ
ਤੁਪਕ ਤਾਨ ਚਲਾਇਆ
ਖਖੜੀ ਖਖੜੀ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਡਿੱਗਾ
ਜਦ ਮੇਰੇ ਸਿਰ ਦਾ ਸਾਇਆ
ਮੈਂ ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਧਿਆਇਆ।
ਸੱਚ ਤਖਤ ਜਿਨ੍ਹੇ ਢਾਇਆ ਸੀ
ਉਸੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਬਣਾਇਆ
ਤਾਂ ਅਪਰਾਧੀ ਦੂਣਾ ਨਿਵਦਾ
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਨਜ਼ਰੀਂ ਆਇਆ
ਮੈਂ ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਧਿਆਇਆ।
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਇਹ ਕੀ ਕਲਾ ਵਿਖਾਈ।
ਤੂੰ ਕੀ ਭਾਣਾ ਵਰਤਾਇਆ
ਮੈਂ ਪਾਪੀ ਦੀ ਸੋਧ ਲਈ ਤੂੰ
ਆਪਣਾ ਘਰ ਢਠਾਇਆ
ਮੈਂ ਰੱਬ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਧਿਆਇਆ।

(3)

ਸ਼ਾਮ ਪਈ ਤਾਂ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬੈਠੇ
ਇਕੋ ਦੀਵਾ ਬਾਲ ਕੇ
ਪ੍ਰਕਰਮਾ ’ਚੋਂ ਜਖ਼ਮ ਬੁਲਾ ਲਏ
ਸੁੱਤੇ ਹੋਏ ਉਠਾਲ ਕੇ
ਜ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਰਾਤ ਗਜ਼ਬ ਦੀ ਕਾਲੀ
ਕਿਤੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਕੋਈ ਤਾਰਾ ਸੀ
ਭਿੰਨੜੇ ਬੋਲ ਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਬੋਲੇ
ਚਾਨਣ ਵਿਚ ਨੁਹਾਲ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਦੀ ਰਾਤ ਕਿਸੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੌਣਾ
ਹਾਲੇ ਦੂਰ ਸ਼ਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ
ਅਜੇ ਤਾਂ ਸੂਰਜ ਰੌਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਨਾ
ਆਪਣੇ ਹੱਥੀਂ ਬਾਲ ਕੇ
ਨਾ ਕੋ ਬੈਰੀ ਨਾਹਿ ਬੇਗਾਨਾ
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਦਾ ਸਭ ਸਦਕਾ ਹੈ
(ਪਰ) ਵੇਖੋ ਜਾਬਰ ਲੈ ਨਾ ਜਾਏ
ਪਰ-ਪਰਤੀਤ ਉਧਾਲ ਕੇ

Gurbani Kirtan by Master Madan-Chaitna Hai To Chait Lai

The most promising vocalist Maestro Master Madan, who died at the young age of 14 yrs, sang only few songs which are everlasting with unmistakable intonations and deep soul touching. One could only imagine where this young Maestro could have catapulted to, had he lived his normal life?Master Madan was born of Mrs. Puran Devi and father Amar Singh, on December 28, 1927, in Khanna, a village in District Jallandhar of Punjab.Ghazals were written by Saagar Nizaami and set to music by Amaranaath, elder brother of the duo Husanlal-Bhagatram. Hiralaal was on tabala and Master Madana's elder brother Master Mohan on violin.

Sojhi's Philosophical Prejudices

Randeep Singh Hothi

Professor Sahib I.J. Singh has produced some comments on the Sikh Research Institute’s Sojhi curriculum claiming that the forceful concerns raised in the face of Sojhi beg straightforward explanation — those questioning Sojhi are simply angry and cannot channel their emotions into efficiency. However, several deep and manifest concerns become apparent upon a study of the Sojhi syllabus for which mere “anger in the streets” cannot be an explanans.

Because Prof. I.J. Singh’s article brings not to the fore those very issues at stake motivating his article, an effort will be made to present some of what’s at stake with the Sojhi syllabus. We should be concerned with the substance at hand rather than ad hominem claims about people’s psychology.

At the beginning of his article, professor sahib says, “Now, critics are surfacing who are pointing to what they see as missteps and inaccuracies in the Sojhi offerings,” suggesting that some relatively minor mistakes were committed in the process of accomplishing some monumental task — as if those designing the syllabus merely slipped in a couple of places having valiantly climbed the summit of Mount Everest. But this isn’t the case. Because professor sahib does not discuss any of the issues that are at hand, they must be introduced.

One of the many theses of the Sojhi syllabus that stray far from gurmat is Sikh Research Institute’s rejection of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s deh saroop.

For instance, the second-grade syllabus includes a poem about Sri Guru Granth Sahib that says such indefensible remarks as, “The Book itself is not my king.” Another is, “Mere print removes not anger, lust, nor pride, But the ESSENCE that is found inside.” Another is, “Not a chaur waved in an arc, Has placed upon my soul mark.” Several of these lines are presented in the syllabus. For one more, Sojhi goes as far as to write in bold font, “No mere book with pagination, Inspires my soul to contemplation.”

Let us reflect here. Sikh Research Institute sells a syllabus to gurudwara sahibs that speaks of the deh saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a “mere book with pagination.” This is no mere “misstep” or “inaccuracy” as professor sahib says. Recall that it is in the second-grade syllabus that we find this poem.

If there is doubt as to whether this vicious language is an isolated incident, then please consider Sojhi’s proposal that the Dohra sung before Ardaas is wrong. According to SRI, the Dohra we sing:



is “inaccurate” or “wrong” because, as justified in the syllabus, “It dangerously brings us closer to becoming idol worshipers rather than keeping us away from it.”

As we can see, this rejection of Dohra works in parallel with the aforementioned poem in rejection of the deh saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

This goes to show that SRI has systematically thought out a philosophy and justification for its rejection of Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s deh saroop, in a method that pervades throughout the SRI syllabus. These aren’t just accidents, but systematic philosophic stances pervading the syllabus.

Instead of studying the Sikh vision and conception of idolatry, SRI has imposed its own philosophical prejudices that are not of the Sikh tradition, but within the tensions of the Western tradition of philosophical theology.

SRI shows itself to be working within a mode of philosophical discourse grounded in the tradition of rationalist metaphysics articulated in its premier form in Descartes’ Meditations. In this face of the Aristotelian scholastic philosophers’ failure procuring a wholly successful methodological approach to the sciences, we see Descartes embark on a new project to determine the possibility of establishing scientific knowledge on new grounds. However, instead of grounding knowledge on the basis of a teleological metaphysics grounded in the Being of God as per Scholasticism, Descartes grounded the possibility for scientific knowledge on the cogito — the thinking substance. This is, what we nowadays call, the mind. The ontological distinction between mind and body ever since has become a chasm in large part due to Cartesian metaphysics.

Sojhi’s translation of jot within the confines of Cartesian metaphysics leads to a rejection of the deh saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, which is seen as merely contingent and finite — what Sojhi calls “idol worship.”

Of course, the effects of Sojhi’s approach pervade its contents. We can see the effects of SRI’s rejection of the Guru Sahib’s deh saroop in the extremely disrespectful language used for the Guru Sahiban. It would break any Sikh’s heart that such language should be used to describe Guru Arjan Sahib’s shahadat, so it will be located in the endnotes for those who must know (ii).

The pervasiveness of the Western metaphysical edifice in nearly all facets of the West including art, philosophy, pop culture, and politics cannot be overemphasized. We ought study those philosophical assumptions manifest in methodology that have resulted in such false scholarship, instead of mechanically imposing such assumptions on Khalsa school syllabi.

But, ultimately, what’s most important here is not only that Sojhi is inherently flawed, but also that individual-centric interpretations should not determine the course of study for little children. If one has peculiar thoughts about Sri Guru Granth Sahib, one may consult panthic scholars to correct one’s views. However, for SRI to publish its peculiar thoughts in the form of a syllabus, to slip into the minds of children under the radar, is not right.

Footnotes:
(i) SRI must have meant to write “revered” here, as “reverend” does not make much sense. Typographical errors of this kind are common throughout the SRI syllabus.
(ii) Describing Guru Arjan Sahib’s shahadat, Sojhi says, “He was, therefore, deprived of food and water and put into hot blazing sand and stoned, which caused blood to ooze out of his head.” [emphasis mine].



Note: The author, Randeep Singh, is a student at the University of California at Berkeley. He will graduate with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in Spring 2009.

Guardian of Language: An Interview with Hélène Cixous

Kathleen O'Grady

Introducing the work of Hélène Cixous is not an easy task; it involves describing several lifetimes of achievement.

I could describe the early Cixous who earned her doctorate for a thesis on the literature of James Joyce and was soon after awarded the prestigious appointment at the University of Paris VIII as Chair for the department of English literature. This Cixous has written a number of articles and books in both literary criticism and philosophy. Or I could describe the Cixous who discovered the world of creative writing, where she initiated a kind of fictional autobiographical style that has inspired writers, philosophers, and literary critics alike. Then there is Cixous the playwright. Her numerous plays, screenplays and even an opera libretto have been both popularly and critically acclaimed. But perhaps the personage that is best known internationally is Cixous the feminist. In 1974 she created the Centre d'Etudes Féminines at the University of Paris VIII which offered the first doctoral program in women's studies in Europe. This Cixous celebrates a theory of écriture féminine -- an ethical writing style (which women in particular can access) that is able, through a phonetic inscription of the feminine body, its pulsions and flows, to open up and embrace the difference of the other.

Combined, Cixous the literary critic, philosopher, playwright, and feminist has produced well over 40 books and more than 100 articles. This is not the accomplishment of a lifetime, but the culmination of several lifetimes, each united and infused by the solitary voice of a poet. As Cixous states herself, "I give myself a poet's right, otherwise I would not dare to speak."

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