By Santokh Singh Bains | Malaysia |
In a democratic country like India, the numerical strength of every religious minority is of great significance. But it seems that unlike other religious minorities like the Muslims and the Christians, India’s Sikhs have so far failed to comprehend the significance of the numerical strength as far as the Sikh minority is concerned.
India’s new census was originally scheduled for 2021, but it was considerably delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and some other factors. Now, the new census is expected to begin sometime in 2025, and conclude in 2026.
Percentage-wise, the Sikh population of India has been declining continuously due to various factors. In 2001, Sikhs were 1.87% of India’s total population; in 2011, their population percentage declined to 1.72%. As regards the Sikh population of Punjab, it was 59.91% of the state’s total population in 2001; it declined to 57.69% in 2011. In the new census that will be conducted in 2025-26, the percentage-wise population of Sikhs may further decline significantly in Punjab mainly due to rapid Christianization in this state. It would not be farfetched to say that the percentage population of Sikhs in Punjab may fall below 50 soon (if it has not already come down to that level).
India’s Muslims, who constitute a large minority population of the country, successfully exert great pressure on the political parties to address their concerns and include them in their policy making. This usually leads to increased allocation of funds for their welfare programs in several states. Also, Muslims are the majority community in Jammu and Kashmir.
As regards Christians of India, their population is rising rapidly all over the country. India’s three Northeastern states – Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya – are already Christian majority provinces. Due to Punjab-based Christian missionaries’ proselytization activities on a war footing since last several years, Punjab’s present Christian population is probably around 45 lakhs (about 15 percent of the state’s population). It is really ironic that there are over 700 churches in Amritsar district alone where premier Sikh institutions like the Akal Takhat, the SGPC and Chief Khalsa Dewan are located. Asia’s largest and the world’s fourth largest church is being constructed in Jalandhar at a cost of about Rupees 2,000 crores. As anticipated by several Christian bodies of Punjab, this state is definitely moving speedily towards becoming a Christian majority state in future. Given their continuously rising population, Punjab’s Christians are now demanding representation in state’s Legislative Assembly; they are also demanding 2 percent reservation for them in Punjab’s government jobs.
There are more than 5 crores Sikligars and Vanjaras in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Also, there are about one crore Satnamis settled in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. While about 20,000 Johris live in Maharashtra, and Gujarat, another 20,000 Tharus are settled in Uttar Pradesh. All of them are basically Sikh, but due to the apathy of mainstream Sikhs and the absence of proper Sikh Dharam Parchar amongst them, their links with Sikhism have weakened. It is time for us to embrace them as our co-religionists, and provide them with proper help and guidance in various spheres like education, health, vocational training etc. Also, proper arrangements should be made to teach them Punjabi language and Gurbani Kirtan. Wherever necessary, new gurdwaras should be established for them.
In his recently published book titled Exploring the Sikh Roots in Eastern India, Jagmohan Singh Gill has provided exhaustive information about various rural and urban areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh where there are thousands of Sehajdharis, Nanakpanthis, and followers of numerous Udasi and Nirmala Deras. If proper Sikh Dharam Parchar is carried out amongst them with sincerity, many of them may be formally brought into the fold of Sikhism.
It is crystal clear that Sikligars, Vanjaras, Lobanas, Satnamis, Johris, Tharus, Nanakpanthis, Sindhis, and followers of various Udasi and Nirmala Deras are not counted as Sikhs in India’s census. This position needs to change now. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), other important gurdwara management committees, and various important Sikh organisations should come forward to ensure that all members of different communities mentioned above are listed as Sikhs in the country’s upcoming census. In case of poor and uneducated Nanakpanthis and others, a lot depends on the enumerators on the ground. So the Sikh leaders should be very vigilant in such cases to ensure that the concerned persons are listed as Sikhs.
Thus, in India’s next census, the population of Sikhs should appear as approximately 7 crores.
If we don’t wake up today, tomorrow may be too late.
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Insights from the 2021 UK Census: Unravelling the Sikh Identity Issue (Asia Samachar, 28 Dec 2023)
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