vijaydeep Singh
SPNer
Integration of out-castes in Sikhism.
As we are aware that there is no caste in Sikhism, yet a person from outcastes converted into Sikhism could later on be the front runner to convert more outcastes into Sikhism.. By our own folly in past we have missed the chance when we did not let Dr Ambedkar convert into our faith.
As we see that many of us are more interested to work with DTNT(denotified and nomadic tribes)like Sikligars, Vanjaras etc., we must forget another part of Sikhi the outcastes or ST.
Some info about them.
Raghuretas/Majhabis- They are from the caste Kshpacha as per Manusamriti, in Hindus they are called Valmiki while I am not giving the derogatory terms used by upper caste for them. In Sikhs we have the history of them since Baba Jivan Singh Ji Raghureta, Bhai Beer Singh and Dheer Singh(of Talwandi Sabo Ki, where they were shown by Tenth Master as mark of death defying loyalty of Sikhs in comparison to Dhalla Berar mercenaries) ,Bhai Garja Singh(from Bhai Bota Singh and Garja Singh Shaheed), Bhai Beeru Singh(a Misaldar of Taruna Dal, who won various battles in Afghanistan but left the empire there on call for the fellow Sikhs so termed religious or Mazhabi).
There has been a good lot of Patit hood/apostasy in them too due to lack of the knowledge about Sikhism. Other people who may try to pray upon them are Seva Bharati(of RSS, which may not convert them into Hinduism but encourage them to worship mother India, a demigoddess’s picture etc. which is their way to integrate while such acts only will make them an idolater), Christian missionaries ,Aad Dharmis(Hindu Valmikis too want them to revert back to worship Lord Valmiki as their God, they have once made a picture where Lord Valmiki was shown giving blessing to Bhai Jivan Singh Ji) and Bhaniare Wala Piara etc.
Recently I have seen some of their great men other then S. Jaswant Singh Ji of Bhai Jivan Singh Ji Trust,Chandigarh(Ph:09814575196),who is a researcher on the life of Dalit Sikhs and their contribution in Sikhism and has good lot of publication by himself.
It was on last Saturday ie 5/9/9 when a March commemorating Bhai Jaita Ji/Bhai Jivan Singh Ji came to Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib came to Delhi and I had a chance to talk to some other Singhs also, who have assured me for their up most help if we start some work in service of deprived Sikhs in Punjab.
Their details are given below:
S. Amrik Singh Shergill,Chairman, Shaheed Baba Jivan Singh Ji Nishkam Seva Society ,Amritsar,Ph 9316908616, while other number for member ship of the society are as follows:93167-04785, 98142-04785, 92560-96593, 98728-19308.
Sant Baba Balbeer Singh Ji, Main coordinator, All India Pingla Ashram, Post Box, 120, Sanour Road, Patiala, Ph:0175-2204785, 98142-04785, 9316704785.
Bhai Darshan Singh and his son Bhai Upkar Singh, former is a Granth Singh while the latter is a Ragi Singh, they have promise to assist us in their town ie Chamkaur Sahib and to establish our contact with another community ,the Ramdasia’s who also have a Gurdwara there in the memory of Baba Sangat Singh Ji. Ph No of Bhai Upkar Singh Ji is :9465153984.
Ramdasia Sikhs:-also called Ravidasias. They were converted enblock during the time of Fourth Master hence named after him. Other then Bhai Sangat Singh Ji(childhood made of Tenth Master and made sacrifice of him during the Chamkaur fort assault as ,his head was taken by the enemy taking it as of Tenth Master, being from east India, he was called Bangesar) we have another Great Sikh from this community named Gyani Dit Singh Ji, (he was first Dittaram Kabeer Panthi,later became Gyani Dit Singh, a great reformer and scholar of Sikhism, he defeated swami Dayaland ,Arya Samaji, three times in debate).
Main threat to them: Ravidasi Hindus (who are trying to make them worship idol of Bhagat Ravidas Ji and as per the act of HKL Bhagat of 1984 riot fame, they have taken the Verses of Bhagat Ravidas out of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, making another text called Ravidas Deep, recently Vienna episode is between them and Sikhs), Schcha Sauda dera of Sirsa(active in Malwa region as most of the followers are from Ramdasias and further into north Hariyana),Buddhist missionaries(Active in Doaba and Paur(east Malwa ie Ropar and Ludhiana).
I have seen some of them even more staunch Sikh then myself and are in mainstream but do not divulge their caste at all which is appreciable. More contacts with them will be established and information will be sent. They are the most well educated and well placed in jobs out of deprived Sikhs yet ready to help other Sikhs.
Rahitiyas/Presently call themselves as Weaver Ramdasiyas.
They are perhaps the Dhanuk converts. Dhanuk Sikhs from Rajsthani stocks are there in Firozpur District and number around 30,000 are separate from Weaver Ramdaisias. In past Arya Samaj tried to poach them into their faith. Dhanuk in past used to make a string of bow(Dhanush) from hide of the animal so termed Dhanushkar. They too claim to be weaver but are different from Kori/Koli Shurdas, the case of Bhagt Kabeer. Spread upto Maharhstra and West Bengal and Beyond. In Jammu they are called Chandal(working in cremation ground) while in Rajsthan, they are part of Scheduled tribe breaking the stone. In Punjab, they are by and large united with Ramdsiya Sikhs but prefer to not to divulge their caste.
As we are aware that there is no caste in Sikhism, yet a person from outcastes converted into Sikhism could later on be the front runner to convert more outcastes into Sikhism.. By our own folly in past we have missed the chance when we did not let Dr Ambedkar convert into our faith.
As we see that many of us are more interested to work with DTNT(denotified and nomadic tribes)like Sikligars, Vanjaras etc., we must forget another part of Sikhi the outcastes or ST.
Some info about them.
Raghuretas/Majhabis- They are from the caste Kshpacha as per Manusamriti, in Hindus they are called Valmiki while I am not giving the derogatory terms used by upper caste for them. In Sikhs we have the history of them since Baba Jivan Singh Ji Raghureta, Bhai Beer Singh and Dheer Singh(of Talwandi Sabo Ki, where they were shown by Tenth Master as mark of death defying loyalty of Sikhs in comparison to Dhalla Berar mercenaries) ,Bhai Garja Singh(from Bhai Bota Singh and Garja Singh Shaheed), Bhai Beeru Singh(a Misaldar of Taruna Dal, who won various battles in Afghanistan but left the empire there on call for the fellow Sikhs so termed religious or Mazhabi).
There has been a good lot of Patit hood/apostasy in them too due to lack of the knowledge about Sikhism. Other people who may try to pray upon them are Seva Bharati(of RSS, which may not convert them into Hinduism but encourage them to worship mother India, a demigoddess’s picture etc. which is their way to integrate while such acts only will make them an idolater), Christian missionaries ,Aad Dharmis(Hindu Valmikis too want them to revert back to worship Lord Valmiki as their God, they have once made a picture where Lord Valmiki was shown giving blessing to Bhai Jivan Singh Ji) and Bhaniare Wala Piara etc.
Recently I have seen some of their great men other then S. Jaswant Singh Ji of Bhai Jivan Singh Ji Trust,Chandigarh(Ph:09814575196),who is a researcher on the life of Dalit Sikhs and their contribution in Sikhism and has good lot of publication by himself.
It was on last Saturday ie 5/9/9 when a March commemorating Bhai Jaita Ji/Bhai Jivan Singh Ji came to Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib came to Delhi and I had a chance to talk to some other Singhs also, who have assured me for their up most help if we start some work in service of deprived Sikhs in Punjab.
Their details are given below:
S. Amrik Singh Shergill,Chairman, Shaheed Baba Jivan Singh Ji Nishkam Seva Society ,Amritsar,Ph 9316908616, while other number for member ship of the society are as follows:93167-04785, 98142-04785, 92560-96593, 98728-19308.
Sant Baba Balbeer Singh Ji, Main coordinator, All India Pingla Ashram, Post Box, 120, Sanour Road, Patiala, Ph:0175-2204785, 98142-04785, 9316704785.
Bhai Darshan Singh and his son Bhai Upkar Singh, former is a Granth Singh while the latter is a Ragi Singh, they have promise to assist us in their town ie Chamkaur Sahib and to establish our contact with another community ,the Ramdasia’s who also have a Gurdwara there in the memory of Baba Sangat Singh Ji. Ph No of Bhai Upkar Singh Ji is :9465153984.
Ramdasia Sikhs:-also called Ravidasias. They were converted enblock during the time of Fourth Master hence named after him. Other then Bhai Sangat Singh Ji(childhood made of Tenth Master and made sacrifice of him during the Chamkaur fort assault as ,his head was taken by the enemy taking it as of Tenth Master, being from east India, he was called Bangesar) we have another Great Sikh from this community named Gyani Dit Singh Ji, (he was first Dittaram Kabeer Panthi,later became Gyani Dit Singh, a great reformer and scholar of Sikhism, he defeated swami Dayaland ,Arya Samaji, three times in debate).
Main threat to them: Ravidasi Hindus (who are trying to make them worship idol of Bhagat Ravidas Ji and as per the act of HKL Bhagat of 1984 riot fame, they have taken the Verses of Bhagat Ravidas out of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, making another text called Ravidas Deep, recently Vienna episode is between them and Sikhs), Schcha Sauda dera of Sirsa(active in Malwa region as most of the followers are from Ramdasias and further into north Hariyana),Buddhist missionaries(Active in Doaba and Paur(east Malwa ie Ropar and Ludhiana).
I have seen some of them even more staunch Sikh then myself and are in mainstream but do not divulge their caste at all which is appreciable. More contacts with them will be established and information will be sent. They are the most well educated and well placed in jobs out of deprived Sikhs yet ready to help other Sikhs.
Rahitiyas/Presently call themselves as Weaver Ramdasiyas.
They are perhaps the Dhanuk converts. Dhanuk Sikhs from Rajsthani stocks are there in Firozpur District and number around 30,000 are separate from Weaver Ramdaisias. In past Arya Samaj tried to poach them into their faith. Dhanuk in past used to make a string of bow(Dhanush) from hide of the animal so termed Dhanushkar. They too claim to be weaver but are different from Kori/Koli Shurdas, the case of Bhagt Kabeer. Spread upto Maharhstra and West Bengal and Beyond. In Jammu they are called Chandal(working in cremation ground) while in Rajsthan, they are part of Scheduled tribe breaking the stone. In Punjab, they are by and large united with Ramdsiya Sikhs but prefer to not to divulge their caste.
