Khalsa Sajna Diwas and the Future of the Guru Khalsa Panth

As the Guru Khalsa Panth celebrates Khalsa Sajna Diwas, it’s crucial that we reflect on our political circumstances today and how we truly embody the legacy of “Khalsa Jee Ke Bol Baalay”.

Looking at every turbulent period of the Sikh sangarsh since the Guru-Kaal, the Guru Khalsa Panth consistently uses each Jor Mela to reconnect our surat (consciousness) with Naam and Gurbani in the sangat of other gurmukhs, while also reflecting on the next steps of our ongoing struggle for halemi raj.

As the Guru Khalsa Panth continues to celebrate Khalsa Sajna Diwas over the coming weeks, with Keertan Darbars and Nagar Keertans all around the world, it’s crucial that we reflect on our political circumstances today, and how we truly embody the legacy of “Khalsa Jee Ke Bol Baalay” in our current context.

While we continue to face aggressive external attacks from the Indian state, we are also seeing increased polarization and confusion internally about how the Panth needs to organize itself and its jathebandak structure, as well as revitalize the sovereignty of Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib. This has been seen most plainly in the events at Sri Akaal Takhat Sahib on December 2024, and the rhetoric since then revolving around resurrecting the Akali Dal as a “Sikh political party”.

This piece from the Khalistan Centre—in both English and Gurmukhi—offers imptorant insight on how we understand the political environment around us today, the internal missteps that have been made in the past, and how we move forward effectively.

Throughout each period of political turbulence, the Khalsa has been guided by its commitment to Khalsa jee ke bol baalay, sarbat da bhala, and the establishment of halemi raj. Khalsa jee ke bol baalay, in particular, has always been at the heart of this project as the independent political power and sovereign decision-making authority of the Khalsa is necessary in order to achieve the latter two goals. This vision has been at the forefront of every phase of panthic mobilization from the misl period and Sirkar-e-Khalsa to the original emergence of the Akali Dal, and most recently, the ongoing struggle for Khalistan. In each example, our bazurg (ancestors) prioritized the development of sovereign, autonomous panthic power in order to confront and replace the political structures around us–not the other way around.