Revisiting Our Roots

Wind has stilled. The vast fields stretch off into foggy distance.

Poh is when winter peaks in Punjab. Poh is when Chaar Sahibzadey embraced martyrdom.
For the Sikh community, it’s commemoration of unparalleled sacrifices.
The sacrifices chronicled by poet Allah Yar Khan Jogi in these poignant lines: ਬੱਸ ਏਕ ਹਿੰਦ ਮੇਂ ਤੀਰਥ ਹੈ ਯਾਤਰਾ ਕੇ ਲੀਯੇ ! ਕਟਾਏ ਬਾਪ ਨੇ ਬੱਚੇ ਜਹਾਂ ਖ਼ੁਦਾ ਕੇ ਲੀਯੇ! There is only one shrine worth pilgrimage in the land of Hind (Indian subcontinent), where a Father (Guru Gobind Singh Ji)  made the highest sacrifice, laying down the lives of his children for Faith (standing up for human rights and justice).

But how does our knowledge of Chaar Sahibzadey compare to the understanding the community had of them in the years past?

As part of UNITED SIKHS educational campaigns under our Community Education and Empowerment Development (CEED) program, our volunteers have fanned across Punjab’s landscape, circulating questionnaire about one of the most significant phases of Sikh history.

Out on a mission to find out how deeply the present-day Sikhs in the heartland of the faith know the details and the context of the Shaheedi of Chaar Sahibzadey.

“The aim is to know about the lives and the martyrdom of Chaar Sahibzadey and what they stood for. We encourage learning the history of our faith at a deeper level, beyond the peripheral understanding of high points in the past 550 years.” — Amritpal Singh, UNITED SIKHS Ludhiana Director

Respondents are given a questionnaire on Chaar Sahibzadey. They can quiz each other in their own family. They can quiz their friends.

“We are organizing this campaign under our ongoing Community Education and Empowerment Development (CEED) program. During this Shaheedi month, we’d encourage people to have a deeper understanding of Sikh history. It’s high time we revived the Sakhi tradition in our families. Let’s revisit our roots.” — Daljit Singh, Executive Director, UNITED SIKHS

Participants stand a chance to win exciting prizes. Answers can be sent to a designated address.

An open quiz in Ludhiana hosts prize giveaways for different age-groups.

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