The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism
throughout Sikh History
Page 3 of 9
Tat
Khalsa Singh Sabhias cont'd
Since the Indian Mutiny of 1857, Sikhs were
actively recruited in the army of the British
Raj. Here, it was British policy that Sikhs
should be segregated and nurtured as a distinct
entity from Hindus.
Indian Mutiny
The Queen's Bays charging at Lucknow, circa
1858
The emergence of the Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhias
was simply a subtle and politically correct
version of this already widespread policy of
‘divide and rule’.
John Campbell Oman commented:
‘For years past the
question, “Are the Sikhs Hindus?”,
has been raised from time to time, and discussed
in public prints not without acrimony. By
a certain “advanced” [Tat Khalsa]
party the question has been answered emphatically
in the negative: but the old Sikhs, including
some of the ruling Sikh chiefs, have expressed
the opposite view: and the conflict of opinions
has been productive of what might almost
be regarded as a schism in the sect. Of
course the question is primarily one for
the Sikhs themselves and not for outsiders:
though the Indian Government with a view
to creating a valuable recruiting ground
for its army, has through its military officers
and otherwise done what was possible to
foster the growth of Sikhism as a distinct
cult. The idea underlying this
policy is apparently that Sikhism, divorced
from ordinary Hinduism and stimulated by
its own martial traditions and its militant
creed, would provide a special, distinct
and numerous class of professional fighting
men available for the Indian army. That
this State encouragement, or stimulation,
has not been without results, would appear
from the increase in the number of Sikhs
as recorded in the last census returns.’
‘Cults, Customs
and Superstitions of India’, John
Campbell Oman, 1908, Pa. 101-103
The 32nd Mess House
First attack of Sir Colin Campbell in November
1857, Lucknow
As Sikhs passed through the British education
system throughout the Punjab, the virus of anti-Hindu
sentiment was spread amongst the Sikhs. This
eventually resulted in spore – the Tat
Khalsa Singh Sabha.
Lawrence College
Founded by Sir Henry Lawrence, in 1860, as an
asylum for the orphans of the British soldiers
killed in the wars which later began to educated
Sikhs and Hindu children
