Sikh Organizations on Caste Basis

Although, the Sikh Gurus discarded caste distinctions, the Sikhs still continue to be influenced by the caste system. It is mainly determined by the groups that were formed as Misals during the eighteenth Century. The Misals that were formed at that time are now indicated by the caste groups like Ahluwalias and Ramgarhias. Since then, a number of other names were given to different groups on the basis of their earning engagements or the places to which they belonged in groups. Thus, we have Bhapas, Aroras and Bhatras. When India became free, some of the castes were included in the schedule in the constitution for the purpose of bringing them at par with others. The basis of putting them in the schedule was their education, way of living, and prosperity and those who were lacking in respect of these were considered as eligible for certain benefits and concessions. The groups were also distinguished on the basis of the territories left in Pakistan where Sikhs and Hindus lived before partition. (e.g. Rawalpindi). If we consider all these groups as they are known, they have made their separate identities with their own customs and traditions. So, we can see that Bhapas who are mainly Kshatries have certain different customs as compared to Aroras, who are mainly engaged in business. Similarly the position of Ahluwalias as compared to Ramgarhias and Bhatras. The different groups have been progressing socially, culturally and educationally by forming their own organisations in the country and when they started migrating to other countries, there also this group identity has been continuing to exist. The common thing, among all these groups is that they have faith in the ten living Guru and the present eternal Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In this Chapter, when we are dealing with Sikh organisations empowering them, we will have to look at some of those organisation which have strengthened these groups in particular and the Sikh community in general. As it is not possible to mention all such organisations which are functioning for the benefit of particular caste groups, a few of them which are related with Sikh historical events and personalities need a mention. To start with Bhatras who have a history of association with Sikh religion right from the time of the Gurus.

Bhatra Sikhs

When we visit U.K., we will notice that a number of Gurdwaras are managed by Bhatra Sikhs. The word Bhatra was used in the earlier times for those Brahmins who were bards or eulogists of their masters. In Sanskrit, this word used to refer to the priest, bards or scribes. Their association with Guru Nanak Dev Ji is stated to have begun from the period of Raja Shivnabh, who is believed to be the ruler of Batticaloa in Sri Lanka. Baba Changa Bhat Rai, a descendent of that ruler became the preacher of Guru’s teachings later on, some of the Bhats started praising the Sikh Gurus in their compositions known as Savaiyyas. Guru Arjan Dev Ji included 120 Swaiyyas of these Bhats in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. They also wrote the Bhat Vahis recording the events relating to the Gurus and the said Vahis have become an important source of information about them. When Guru Hargobind Sahib fought battles, these Bhats fought for the Gurus and some of them like Bhat Kirat became martyrs while fighting against the Mughals. Bhai Mati Das Ji and Bhai Sati Das Ji, who went to Delhi along with Sri Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib also belong to Bhat clan. They were executed along with the Guru at the Kotwali (Police Station) near the Sunehri Masjid in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, under the express orders of Emperor Aurangzeb. Bhat Bhai Sati Das was wrapped in cotton wool and set on fire by the Mughal authorities for refusing to denounce his faith. His brother Bhat Bhai Mati Das was also tortured to death, by having his head sawn in two.
During the period of Guru Gobind Singh Ji also they acted as soldiers, preachers and even recorders of the important events. Bhat Kirat’s grandson Bhat Narband (son of Keso Singh) was in attendance to Guru Gobind Singh and accompanied him to Nanded (now Sachkhand Hazur Sahib) where Guru Ji spent his last days.

In the Bhat-Vahis, Bhat Narbadh records an entry, of the conferment of Guruship upon the Guru Granth Sahib in 1708 before the tenth Master left for his heavenly abode. As Bhats had always been moving from one place to other for selling their products, their movement to foreign countries also became notable in the last century. Thus, whereas the Bhat Sikhs can now be seen in various cities of Punjab like Patiala, Jalandhar, Nava Shehar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Bhatinda, a big chunk of their population is now settled in U.K. It was in 1920 when some of them travelled to Britain to work as door-to-door salesmen, most leaving their families in the Punjab to begin with. By the time of the Second World War there were a few hundred Sikhs clustered in British seaports like Cardiff, Bristol, and Southampton and Hull. Some returned to India when war broke out, but others stayed on and used contacts with Punjabi merchant seamen to import scarce goods.
The Partition of India in 1947 led many Sikhs to emigrate, and the Bhat population in the UK was greatly enlarged. Later arrivals tended to join relatives, friends and neighbours from the Punjab, so that some British Bhat communities have links to one or two particular villages. The association of Bhatra with the construction and management of the Gurdwaras is very old. Even before partition, some of the Gurdwaras in Pakistan were under their management. For example, in 1930s Dr. Kartar Singh Bance and his brother Gyani Preetam Singh researched and located the site of Gurdwara Reetha Sahib in Uttar Pradesh, where Guru Nanak miraculously made the normally bitter fruit of a soap nut tree sweet for Bhai Mardana to feed on. There now stands a large Gurdwara at this place. Thus, as the Bhatras were among the earliest among of the Sikhs to emigrate to Britain, they took the initiative to construct and manage the Gurdwaras.

The first Sikh Gurdwara in Britain

The first and only Gurdwara when the Bhat Sikhs began arriving to Britain in the 1920’s was the ‘Maharajah Bhupinder Singh Dharamsala’, which was founded with the generous donation of Maharajah Bhupinder Singh in 1911. Originally in Putney, the Gurdwara moved to 79 Sinclair Road, Shepherds Bush, London in 1913. It was in 1939 when the Bhatras decided to form an association of their own for protecting the interest of their people, Changa Bhatra Naujwan Sabha U.K. then came into being. The Bhats being the majority community during those days played a big part in running and constructing a number of Gurdwaras. The famous photograph of the 1938 gathering at the Dharamsala shows the predominant Bhat Sikh Community present at the time.

After that, in whatever part of Britain, the Bhatra Sikhs settled, they started congregations at the residence of the people of their community and after sometime constructed a Gurdwara at that place. Whether it was Birmingham, Manchester or Ipswich, they repeated the history by creating Gurdwaras. When, after partition, their number is increased in U.K., they may Gurdwara in other towns also like Cardiff, Bristol, Peterborough, Doncaster, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, and so on. That is why, the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism mentions ‘The Bhatras were first to get a Gurdwara registered in England, in 1953 in Manchester, and many of the total number of the Gurdwaras in England are Bhatra Gurdwaras.

Ahluwalias

Ahluwalia is another caste group emerging from the Ahluwalia Misal founded by S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Although, S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia is among the most important figures in the Sikh history, the Ahluwalia biradari at present is not that big as compared to other caste groups (e.g. Ramgarhias). S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was that brave General who had shot into prominence when he made a surprise attack on Ahmad Shah Durani’s force near Amritsar in March, 1761 and rescued 2200 women captives who were being carried as slaves. After that, he won many victories by commanding the combined forces of various Misls. For example Sukkarchakkias, Kanaiyyas and Bhangi Sardar were with him when Khawaja Ubaid Khan, the Afghan Governor of Lahore was defeated near Gujranwala in Sept. 1761. The victorious Sikhs entered Lahore and proclaimed Jassa Singh Ahluwalia as the King of Lahore with the title of Sultan-ul-Qaum (King of the Nation). A coin was issued in the name of Guru Nanak-Guru Gobind Singh commemorating the Sikh victory with the inscription taken from the seal of Banda Singh Bahadar :

Deg o Teg o nusrat be daring
Yaft az Nanak Guru Gobind Singh
(Prosperity, power and unfailing victory received from Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh).

Kapurthala state remained an Ahluwalia state even during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. S. Fateh Singh, Kapurthala ruler was the contemporary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and they had very cordial relationship. When Anglo Sikh treaty was made, it was he who acted on behalf of Maharaja and signed the treaty. Baba Kharak Singh was another historical figure of Ahluwalia community. He was the 2nd President of SGPC and had played a vital role in all the Sikh movements associated with the freedom of the country.

During the second half of the last century, many Ahluwalia Associations were working actively in different parts of the country, particularly at Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Amritsar and outside Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai. Now some cities have respective Ahluwalia Sabhas such as Kapurthala Ahluwalia Sabha, Jalandhar Ahluwalia Biradri etc. All these associations were active associates of SGPC and DSGMC at the time of celebration of 300th Birth Anniversary of Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. A grand procession was taken out from Sri Akal Tahkt Sahib to Delhi, where religious programs were organized at Red Fort coinciding with Dilli Fateh Diwas. It may be mentioned here that this day is celebrated to mark Sikh victory of Delhi and hoisting of Nishan Sahib by them. The Sikh forces had won this victory under the leadership of S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and S. Baghel Singh. The two prominent Ahluwalia organizations which are functioning even today are Nawab Jass Singh Ahluwalia Memorial Trust (Regd.) and All India Ahluwalia Mukh Sabha. The later is the oldest and largest organization of Ahluwalia community. It was established in the pre partition era by Late S. Mohan Singh Ahluwalia Ji (MD Coca Cola/Campa Cola) in 1930. Today under the patronship of Sardar JJ Singh and president ship of Jagirdar Jaspreet Singh Ahluwalia the sabha has reached new heights. A monthly magazine Ahluwalia Today is published by the sabha and community’s only online channel is also broadcasted by the same name. AIAMS has its working units in over 20 countries and reaches over 1 Lakh Ahluwalia families worldwide.

The main objective of the organization is to glorify the heroic deeds of the founder of the community Guru Ka Lal|Bandi Chhor|Nawab |Mukhi Dal Khalsa|Badshah e Hind|Bani Riyaasat Kapurthala|Sultan Ul Quam Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Ji and educate the young generation of the glorious history and the contribution of the community to the motherland, at the same time continue to follow in the footsteps of Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Ji. It works to eliminate social evils and help and protect the poor and needy without discriminating on the bases of cast colour or creed.

Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Memorial Trust

This organization had been formed in 1962 under the patronage S. Manjit Singh Kolkata. S. Jagjit Singh Ahluwalia and S. Bhupinder Singh Alhuwalia were the president and secretary of the organization that time.

To arrange and celebrate the birthday on May 3rd and anniversary on 20th October at Samadh of S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in the parkarama of Gurdwara Baba Atal Sahib, The Golden Temple, Amritsar.
To properly maintain the Samadh
To construct and maintain the gate of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
To preserve and maintain the S. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Qilla located near Gurdwara Saragarhi.
To establish Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia chair in the University and organized seminars, declamation contests and to give awards.
To publish a magazine high lighting the life, history and achievements of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
To install statue of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia at Amritsar & Delhi.
To popularize and propagate brotherhood in the Ahluwalia bradari and to make co-ordination with all district level Ahluwalia societies

Now the society under the patronization of S. Jagjit Singh Ahluwalia leadership of S. Pardeep Singh Walia, Jagdesh Singh Ahluwalia (Raja) and Gurdeep Singh Calcutta, with their team has been working hard towards fulfilling society goal. Recently tri-century programs on anniversary of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia were organized at large scale, Akhandpath on Samadh, Kirtan in Manji Sahib and precession on Delhi Fateh from Manji Sahib Amritsar to Lal Qilla Delhi were organized with collaboration of SGPC and all India Ahluwalia Mukh Sabha. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia’s Third Birth Centenary was celebrated in April 2018. When a procession led by Panj Piaras was taken out from Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar and which ended at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib Delhi. A float decorated with followers carried Sri Guru Granth Sahib. At
the time of starting of the procession the President of SGPC Bhai Gobind Singh Longewal, President of DSGMC, S. Manjit Singh G.K., Jathedar Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Giani Harpreet Singh and head of Shiromani Panth Akali Buddha Dal, Baba Balbir Singh head of Taruna Dal, Baba Nihal Singh Hariyanwela and many other prominent persons were present. Fateh March to mark Fateh Divas is also taken out which ends at Lal Qila. For any information regarding the organization, S. Jagjit Singh Ahluwalia may be contacted on 9815545629.

Ahluwalia Association of North America (AANA)

Even in foreign countries, the number of Ahluwalias being small, very small organisations are working in Europe and Australia.

The only notable Ahluwalia Association in North America is Ahluwalia Association of North America (AANA), based at Toronto. This organisation came into being in 2014. It is a legal body registered with Govt. of Canada and administered by Board of Directors with a span of two years. It is a charitable organisation that is striving to serve Ahluwalia community world over with aim to serve all other communities without the barrier of caste, creed, and nationality. Their main aims and objects are-

To promote fraternally, get together by promoting brotherhood among the Ahluwalia community and other communities.
To organize religious, social and recreational functions for the community.
To adopt/help poor, needy intelligent students/pupils of Ahluwalia Community or any other communities while pursuing school education or higher education by adopting them or offering scholarship/fellowships.
To have effective liaison with other associations of similar nature and aims, with governments, to promote and implement various social welfare schemes.
To grant affiliation to other association of the community from Canada or any part of the world of a purpose of welfare of the Ahluwalia community.
To help a poor member of the Ahluwalia community or other communities in Canada or world over in case of emergency/regular medical aid to alleviate disease.
To take up the issue of charitable organisation with the concerned departments like Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
To work for the official recognition of the Birthday of the founder of Ahluwalia misl, Sultan-ul-Qaum Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Ji (who was the Supreme Military Commander of Dal Khalsa, a Sikh Confederacy of the Eleven misls), with the Government of Punjab and Haryana in India.
To create a corpus fund (special fund) in a designated bank account for receiving grants, aids, and donations from members, non-member, Member of Parliament and Governments for the building of the Ahluwalia Bhawan in Canada for the community which can only be used for that purpose.
To work for the building of the Ahluwalia Bhawan in Canada along with office, conference hall and meeting room for the Ahluwalia community and all other communities or cultural or literary organizations or any other non-profit organisation.

For the fulfilment of their objects, the organisation has been undertaking several projects focussing upon the welfare of all. For example, they are helping cancer patients in Punjab, they have also adopted a project for the year 2018 to educationally help 8 kids who were lucky enough to escape death in a most tragic school bus accident in Nurpur area in Kangra district of HP, India in which 24 kids lost their lives. They also organise get-to-gather of Ahluwalia community in the form of picnics, social and literary programmes. On these occasions they honour not only the distinguished Ahluwalias, but also other prominent persons. For example, in one of their get-to-gather in August this year, they welcomed the Sikh couple who had ventured to travelled by car from Chandigarh to Canada. This Chandigarh based couple, named S. Prabhsimran Singh and his wife Jasleen Kaur undertook this trip of Chandigarh to Vancouver covering 30 countries in 170 days. The members of this organisation with this adventurous couple are seen in the following photograph. The registered office of this society is Tandoori Nite, 7079, Torbram Road, Unit #1. Mississauga, ON, L4T 17 Canada. S. Birjinder Singh Walia (001-6472428100) and S. Ravinderpal Singh Walia (001-6479822643) are President and Vice President of this organisation.

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