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24 Oct, 5 tweets, 2 min read
THE ELITE FAMILIES OF PUNJAB AND THE JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE (THREAD)

How does the Jallianwala Bagh massacre expose the lineages of current political elite leadership in Punjab?
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Let's start with Sir Sunder Singh Majithia, great grandfather of Bikramjit Majithia and Harsimrat Badal. The wealthy man apparently hosted a meal for General Dyer the evening following the massacre on 13 April 1919. Majithia was knighted in 1926 for services to King and Empire
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Let's now go to Giani Arur Singh. Here's a former "Jathedar" of Sri Akal Takht and maternal grandfather of Simranjit Singh Mann. This Jathedar is known to have presented a siropa to Lieutenant Governor O'Dwyer after the massacre.
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Finally, Royal House of Patiala. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, grandfather of Capt Amrinder, close friend of O'Dwyer, regularly wined/dined together. The Maharaja even visited O'Dwer at Caxton Hall, where in years to come Udham Singh would assassinate former Lieutenant Governor
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A century on, many of the elite families of Punjab are now capitalising on chasing an apology for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre overlooking their own families default associations and even their complicity back then.
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More from @MankamalSingh

Mankamal Singh Profile picture
22 Oct
Duleep Singh (4 Sep 1838 – 22 Oct 1893) 

In reality Duleep Singh was a war trophy, a political pawn and an effective prisoner of the state. Duleep Singh's life was one of the most tragic stories of royalty and political solitude.

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Duleep Singh had his flaws, he was not perfect in any way, which was prevalent throughout his life. 

But many Sikhs today have so readily adopted and accepted all the character assassinations of Duleep Singh

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If we see beyond the alleged motives of Duleep Singh’s self-interest, we cannot overlook the reason why he was removed from Punjab as a child, separated from his mother, converted to Christianity and denied permission to return and settle.  

3/ Image
Read 4 tweets
Mankamal Singh Profile picture
17 Oct
USTAD SITAL SINGH SITARA (THREAD)

Saddened to hear of the passing of Ustad Sital Singh Sitara.

Three generations of Sikhs, perhaps thousands of UK Sikhs, over a span of 50 years have learnt Kirtan from Giani Sital Singh Sitara.

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Today, as third generation British Sikhs, my children sit in our living room and sing Asa Di Vaar because of the huge contribution of GurSikhs like Giani Sital Singh Sitara who made Kirtan accessible to the Sangat a generation ago.

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Blind at birth, Ustad Sital Singh never let that hinder his independence and his tenacity to travel on public transport with his Baja and Tabla. He travelled the length and breath of the UK, from one Gurdwara to another, ensuring that he never let his students down.

3/
Read 7 tweets
Mankamal Singh Profile picture
10 Oct
SIKH COMMUNITY ATTITUDE TO SAFEGUARDING!
This article is not a pleasant article to share. It brings Sikh faith schools into disrepute, but it's a reality and public outcome of a drawn out legal challenge hopefully opening the eyes of wider Sikh community.
The reported Khalsa Academies Trust scandal demonstrates complacency/breach in following statutory safeguarding procedures & subsequent covering up. It resulted in unnecessary clashes with educationalists, local authorities, Ofsted, governors, parents, @educationgovuk etc.
The cover up attempt created such a big fallout, severely damaging staff careers, ruining kids education, undue stress on parents, gaslighting of governors (such as myself) and trustees for raising concerns.
Read 10 tweets
Mankamal Singh Profile picture
28 Jul
WE ARE NOT SEEKS!
Diaspora Sikhs need to seriously make concerted efforts to stop mispronouncing "Sikh". It is NOT meant to be pronounced as "seek". In Punjabi spheres we use the correct pronunciation. We know the translation of ਸਿੱਖ. So when did it become "seek" and why allow it
US/Canadian Sikhs have done better to ensure "Sikh" is pronounced properly within the mainstream. However, in the UK, we need to undo 100+ years of accepting an incorrect pronounciation. I take it on board that I too have been conditioned into the incorrect pronounciation.
This is not a minor thing, if from the outset we cannot hold our ground on how "Sikh" should be pronounced then what hope do we have for defending Sikh identity, values and culture. We cannot even protect the pronounciations out of fear of not fitting in.
Read 5 tweets
Mankamal Singh Profile picture
18 Jun
Gurdwara Sri Satranj (Chess) Sahib - Bassian village.

The site was being dug in 1933 by local villagers and a clay pot was discovered. The villagers threw away the pot thinking it was worthless. When the pot broke it revealed 32 old chess pieces with 4 pieces of paper
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The discovered papers in the clay pot revealed that Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji visited this place in 1705, while coming from Machhiwara.

Guru Sahib played Satranj (Chess) with Rai Kalha, the Muslim Pathan chief of Raikot, at this place, hence the name of the Gurdwara.
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Guru Ji went towards Siloani from here and left the chess pieces with Bhai Basso who was living here.

Unfortunately after the Gurdwara was built in the early 1930s, some chess pieces on display went missing over time, so Sangat built secure cabinet for the remaining pieces.
3/
Read 4 tweets
Mankamal Singh Profile picture
21 Jan
Many like Sikhi to be interpreted as an oversimplified set of popular soundbites and buzzwords for the sake of assimilation and acceptance.

We throw around well-liked words like equality, love, courage and expect it to sum up the Sikh Gurus message.
We want to project a cultural experience that's appealing to the mainstream.

We want access to the ceremonies, the infrastructure and any past glories.

We continually want to cash in the religious colletaral.

Well that's all good and well!
But Sikhi is a framework, an order, a Panth, an identity, a sovereignty.

A distinct way of life.

A history that unfolded from that way of life.

A future that takes into account that way of life.

A spiritual infrastructure that leads us back to that way of life.
Read 4 tweets

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