The Vaisakhi Tercentenary (1999) passes unsung-uncelebrated

The Vaisakhi Tercentenary (1999) passes unsung-uncelebrated

 It is an age old custom among all the civilizations of this universe that whenever they celebrate any particular a historic occasion they recreate the same incidence in some kind of act or drama. On the day of Diwali when lord Rama returned to Ayodhia people lighted the lamps to welcome him. Celebrating Diwali we also light lamps . On the day of Dussehra  Ravana was killed. We celebrate Dussehra by burning the effigy of Ravana. Prahlad escaped fire on the day of Holi and we throw water to extinguish fire. We observe Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of Ali Hussain and take out the mourning processions chests are beaten. On the day of ld-ul-Zuha, Prophet lbrahim sacrificed his son. We sacrifice goals, sheep and other animals . We celebrate Christmas and recreate the deed of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) and distribute gift and do lighting. On the day of Vaisakhi 300 years ago, Guru Gobind Singh baptized the Sikhs with a double-edged sword and gave 'Amrit' to liberate them  from the  cycle of births and deaths and freed the Sikhs from the clutches of 'masands'. He exhorted them to rebel against tyranny oppression and discriminatory social and political codes which did not allow downtrodden 'shudra' and 'achhut' to keep arms,  ride on horses and wear good clothes. And liberated them from the middle men and declared that Khalsa was directly linked to God, no middleman on masand. ( lnterpretation of Khalsa as 'Khals' i.e. pure is erroneous )

Obviously celebrating and glorifying Vaisakhi in some grand way the Sikhs were required to go mass baptisation and recreate the incidence. Though a mammoth gathering at Anadpur did take place but sadly the ideal those who volunteered were in thousands only that too from the segment which is already in the fold of Khalsa. Nothing was done to bring back those leaders of the faith those Khatris, Aroras, Brahmins, Mohiyals, Ramdasis, Sindhis etc as also the families which deserted Guru in 1984 under threat and coercion.  On the contrary celebrating Tricentanary of Vaisakhi a lot of rituals were observed which the Guru had particularly prohibited. Both the Government and the SGPC did not encourage baptism as it displeased Badal's ruling partners. The BJP (and Congress also) unfortunately believe that a baptized Sikh comes to possess secessionist ideology). One felt that there was thus a need to remove misconception and ill will from their minds through persuasion.

However for Badal it was an occasion to demonstrate his strength and he humbled the 'Congress's Rally Culture’. We saw kesri of 'Hindu renunciation (sanyas) white and colour of Brahminism everywhere. ALAS!!!! THE  BLUE OF GURU WAS MISSING.  lt was thus a melodrama of the modern masands to which the unsuspecting and innocent Sikhs have responded  in large numbers of coarse. BUT THE INCIDENCE OF 1699 COULD NOT BE RECREATED. The Vaisakhi thus remained cold. Neither are we hopeful that the tercentenary' year will pass like 1699 or 1799 when the Khalsa was vibrant. Unfortunately it was neither eventless unlike 1899. …Z