Chandigarh: Amid the bustle of parliamentary elections, Punjab is gearing up for another significant electoral process — the election of the members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Scheduled for later this year, the SGPC elections will fill 159 seats.
Only those Sikhs who are registered as voters by the Gurdwara Election Commission, established by the Union home ministry, are allowed to vote in the SGPC elections. Registered voters include adult Sikh men and women who are Keshdharis (Sikhs with unshorn hair) but may or may not be Amritdharis (baptised Sikhs).
Sehajdharis, who are not Sikhs but are “on the path” to becoming Sikhs, are excluded as voters.
Although SGPC elections are supposed to be held every five years, they are held irregularly. The apex body of the Sikhs responsible for managing historical gurdwaras across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, the SGPC is witnessing a dwindling voter base for its elections.
The last SGPC election, in 2011, recorded over 52 lakh voters in Punjab alone. However, the ongoing voter registration for the upcoming elections, which started in October last year, has only seen about 27.4 lakh sign-ups despite deadline extensions to 30 April.
Since only Keshdharis are allowed to vote in these elections, their low registration has given a fresh impetus to the long-standing demand of the Sehajdharis for voting rights. The Sehajdharis have asked parties, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to add this demand to their manifestos in Punjab.
Who are the Sehajdhari Sikhs and how do they differ from the Keshdharis, Amritdharis and Patit Sikhs? ThePrint explains the various subgroups of Sikhs and the issues around them.
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Amritdhari Sikhs
An Amritdhari Sikh is one who has taken the amrit or holy nectar. These Sikhs are baptised and have been initiated into the purest form of Sikhism. This was first done by the 10th and last Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, when he established the Khalsa on Baisakhi day at Anandpur Sahib in 1699.
A person who has taken amrit is also as a result considered a member of the Khalsa. The initiation of ‘Singh’ and ‘Kaur’ as surnames for men and women, respectively, commenced with the Khalsa’s creation.
For every Sikh, partaking of the amrit is a step towards adopting the religion in its highest form.
The initiation ceremony features the ‘panj pyaaras’ — five beloved Amritdhari Sikhs. The ritual involves stirring water and sugar with a double-edged sword in an iron bowl while reciting religious scriptures, culminating in the aspirant drinking the mixture, known as ‘Khande Bate Di Pahul,’ which means nectar from the double-edged sword.
During the ceremony and after that, Amritdhari Sikhs must always wear the ‘five Ks’ — a kirpan (sword), kesh (unshorn hair and beard for men and all body hair for women), a kanga (wooden comb), kachera (cotton undergarments), and a kada (steel bracelet). These articles of faith are deeply respected within Sikhism, and any disrespect towards them is considered to be sacrilegious.
While kirpans can vary in size, a small one is attached to a cross-body cloth belt, which is worn either on top or under the clothes; a small wooden kanga or comb is kept inside the hair. Kachera or shorts are worn under clothes, while the kara, a steel bracelet, should be worn on the right wrist.
An Amritdhari Sikh’s life is one of religious dedication, marked by the recitation of the ‘panj Bani Da Paath’ (five daily prayers) and adherence to the ‘rehat maryada’ (Sikh code of conduct). Only those committed to this disciplined lifestyle partake in the amrit ceremony.
In the SGPC, every member has to be an Amritdhari Sikh. The jathedars of the five takhts or seats of power of the Sikhs also have to be Amritdharis. The raagis, who recite hymns, and the granthis, who read the Guru Granth Sahib, and generally employees of gurdwaras and management committees are all Amritdhari Sikhs.
Though the exact number of Amritdhari Sikhs in Punjab is unknown, they form a relatively small part of the total Sikh population. Anyone, including those not born in the Sikh faith, can become an Amritdhari Sikh, provided they have adopted the tenets of the religion and practise it according to the traditions.
Keshdhari Sikhs
These are Sikhs who, while not baptised, maintain uncut hair, adhering to most of the faith’s articles except for carrying a kirpan.
Men typically sport a full beard and turban, while women keep their hair long, often covered with a chunni or dupatta. Keshdhari women refrain from eyebrow grooming. Collectively, both men and women are known as “sabat soorat Sikhs”— meaning they embody the complete outward appearance of a Sikh.
Keshdhari men exhibit diverse turban styles and beard care. Some opt to tie their beards with a special thread, while others leave it open, termed “dade da prakash” (the beard in its full glory). Those with tied beards are perceived as having a modern religious outlook, whereas those with open beards are seen as traditionalists.
One of the more important duties of the SGPC’s dharam prachar committee, or the committee that is responsible for spreading the religion, is to bring more and more of those born in the Sikh faith into the sabat soorat form, where they stop cutting their hair and trimming their beard and don turbans.
Apart from the unshorn hair, Keshdhari Sikhs may or may not follow the strict discipline of an Amritdhari Sikh. However, it is expected of every Sikh to follow the rehat maryada and read the holy scriptures, listen to hymns, visit the gurdwaras and participate in community service.
In SGPC elections, Keshdhari Sikhs form a significant portion of the electorate. The registration process entails a village-level government officer documenting the voter’s adherence to the Keshdhari tenets, accompanied by a photograph depicting their “sabat soorat”.
Anyone, including those not born in the Sikh faith, can become a Keshdhari Sikh provided they adopt the tenets of the religion and practice it according to the traditions.
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Sehajdhari Sikhs
The concept of the Sehajdharis is the most complex. During pending litigation, the SGPC in 2008 defined the Sehajdharis for the Punjab and Haryana High Court as those born in non-Sikh families who follow some of the tenets of Sikhism and retain some of the articles of faith. They are neither baptised nor are they Keshdharis, it said.
According to the SGPC, the word Sehajdhari means “adopting slowly”, hence a Sehajdhari is a person who is on the path to becoming a Sikh. Such persons will continue to be Sehajdharis till they finally adopt the religion. However, no period has been fixed for the change from Sehajdhari to Sikh.
The SGPC also made it clear that a Sehajdhari is not the same as a Patit Sikh, who is either born into Sikhism or converts to it but later trims their hair and beard. This includes those who wear turbans but trim their beards.
The Sehajdharis trace their history to the time of Guru Gobind Singh and were listed as a separate category within the Sikhs in the all-India census during the British times.
The Sehajdhari Sikh Party, led by Dr Parminder Ranu, has campaigned for nearly two decades for the voting rights of Sehajdharis and Patits in the SGPC elections. Dr Ranu asserts that Sehajdharis possessed voting rights from 1944 until a 2003 government notification revoked them.
According to him, they recognise the difference between Sehajdhari and Patit Sikhs, but his party is demanding voting rights for both because, according to him, a majority of the Sikh population in Punjab comprises these two subgroups. He says that, of the 1.76 crore Sikhs in Punjab today, 1.4 crore are Sehajdharis and Patits.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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