There is a no of organizations which are engaged in such activities which aim at apprising the people of our unique identity so that the Sikh community may be able to live in a peaceful and cordial atmosphere in their adoptive countries. Whereas, the Sikh children have been facing in schools considerable bullying and even neglect in the schools, colleges and at a later stage even at their working places, the Sikhs in general have also been facing the risk to their life and properties at the hands of local people who hate them just because of prejudice or lack of understanding about them and their religion.
The Media Organizations of Sikhs
It is a known fact that the media is the most effective and successful way of propagating any ideology, be it political, social or spiritual. The term media has become so wide in the present age that it rules almost every sphere of life. It may be print media, electronic media or social media. It is because of its increasing power that most of the communities have started making use of it for their benefit and promotion. Sikhs have also realized this fact that the media is a must to promote Sikh values, culture, traditions and above all the unique Sikh religious identity. It is also true the most of the media persons have a commercial angle and they use their media mode as a source of earning. That is why most of the media modes are owned by individuals, families or corporate controlled by big business houses, politicians or the governments. So, we cannot think of such media organizations which consist of community members and work exclusively for the Sikh community. So far ‘Dharam Parchar’ is concerned, the same being not a lucrative field, there is hardly any media mode which can be said to have been exclusively devoted to this aspect. Despite this position, the contribution made by the media is so significant that it cannot be ignored. In this chapter, we will mention briefly some of the well known media outlets which have made the people aware of Sikh identity, values, teachings of the masters, Sikh history and traditions. For example, only some years back even majority of the Sikhs did not know about a rare unequal ‘Battle of Saragarhi’ in which 22 Sikhs had fought with thousands of Pathans and won the battle after becoming each one of them Martyrs. Nobody knew that these brave soldiers were given the highest honour by the British Government and were given a standing ovation by the British Parliament who were ruling over us at that time. Similarly, nobody knew about the valour shown by the Sikhs in world wars or about their maximum participation in the freedom struggle. If people have come to know about these facts, the credit goes to the media.
Print Media
Firstly, talking of print media, though there is not even a single newspaper which is exclusively meant for Sikh news and view points, there are a number of Punjabi news papers which mainly deal with these aspects bringing the Sikhs in world attention. In India, major Punjabi Newspapers are published from Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi. Jalandhar is the hub of such newspapers which include the most important ones like Ajeet & Jagbani. The Tribune Group publishes Punjabi Tribune from Chandigarh and Rozana Spokesman is published from Mohali. Many other newspapers in Punjabi are also published from other cities of Punjab including Chardikala from Patiala.
Early Newspapers
The history of Sikh media starts with those papers and magazines which were started during the period of Sikh movements like Singh Sabha movement and Gurdwara reforms movements etc. towards the end of 19th century. These papers and magazines were started with the object of awakening the Sikhs regarding their history and heritage. Originally some of these were started in Urdu. For example Aftab-i-Punjab, by weekly publication in Urdu was started in 1866 by Diwan Buddha Singh for encouraging reforms efforts. After some years some of the scholars associated with Khalsa Diwan Movement tried to bring out Punjabi papers. When Bhai Ditt Singh established Khalsa Press, Khalsa Akhbar was started in 1883. It was a weekly newspaper in Punjabi. Then came such papers like Gurmukhi Akhbar (1880), Khalsa Akhbar (1883) and Khalsa Samachar (1899) in Punjabi. Some English language journals were also started such as The Khalsa (1899) and the Khalsa Advocate (1903). Some papers were started for fighting against the Britishers and to support the freedom struggle. These included Hindustan Ghadar, which was a weekly publication of the Ghadar party started in San Francisco. The two publications that became very popular before independence were Mauji and Phulwari. Mauji (1931), a Gurmukhi weekly published first in Amritsar and later in Lahore, featured satire humour, commentary, and critical essays modelled after those in the English Punch. Phulwari (1931), a monthly specializing in social, literary and political commentary, evolved from a narrow and essentially political focus to a broad-based journal prominent among educated Sikhs who appreciated its range of concerns. Edited by Hira Singh Dard, Phulwari set new standards of Punjabi prose and served as a major sounding board for Sikh intellectuals. Some of the most important essays by Sikh historians and theologians were first printed in Phulwari. After 1947, the Sikh journalism took another shape and started emphasizing upon the creation of a Punjabi speaking state. In the 21st century, the Sikh journalism mainly revolves around news regarding the community, the Sikh issues and the state of Punjab. Some of the old papers and journals continuing even today also focus upon these matters as well as Gurbani with a view to clarify the Gurmat concepts. These old journals and newspapers include Khalsa Samachar started by Bhai Veer Singh and still being published by Bhai Veer Singh Sahitaya Sadan, Nirguniaara founded by Bhai Veer Singh is being continued by Khalsa Tract Society, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Amritsar. Chief Khalsa Diwan had also brought out an issue of Khalsa Advocate in the recent past. Among other old journals, mention may be made of Singh Sabha Patarka, which was started by Gyani Gurdit Singh, and is still being published by Kendri Singh Sabha Chandigarh. Akali Patrika is also an old newspaper in Punjabi which is continuing to be published from Jalandhar along with a Hindi edition of the same started at the later stage. Its present Chief Editor is S. Beerpal Singh.
