• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Contact Us

The Punjab Pulse

Centre for Socio-Cultural Studies

  • Areas of Study
    • Social & Cultural Studies
    • Religious Studies
    • Governance & Politics
    • National Perspectives
    • International Perspectives
    • Communism
  • Activities
    • Conferences & Seminars
    • Discussions
  • News
  • Resources
    • Books & Publications
    • Book Reviews
  • Icons of Punjab
  • Videos
  • Academics
  • Agriculture
You are here: Home / Areas of Study / Social & Cultural Studies / Rangreta – Guru Ka Beta

Rangreta – Guru Ka Beta

December 28, 2022 By Guest Author

Share

Brig PS Gothra (Retd)

Dalit farmers in Punjab

“I was only a child when I was hit by a hot stick,” said Sardar Ranjit Singh and then paused for a few seconds to swallow down his saliva to wet his throat.

Instantly I felt that we have gone wrong in asking anybody and everybody to speak in that meeting at Dispur, Guwahati with Mazhabi Sikh in the new Harijan Colony. But I was wrong. What the individual said made me very sad.

“I had come from school and gone to the sugarcane field where my father was working for an upper caste farmer. I started playing with the other kids of the farmer. Nearby the sugarcane was being crushed and the juice boiled in a huge Kadai (utensil). As the juice turned into a jelly, they emptied it into a large wooden tray to cool. The kids were excited and picked up some stick or sugar canes, dipped it into jelly and started eating the improvised candy.  I also did the same but the hell broke loose. The farmers snatched the stick from my hand and hit me with the hot end. I still have that burn mark on my back,” said Sardar Ranjit Singh. His body and psyche must have got badly hurt as I could see his eyes getting wet.

After regaining his composure he continued, “my father interfered but he was also  hit by  the farmer who said that the whole lot of Gud (Jaggery) has been spoiled by the touch of the ‘untouchable’. I am sure that my father must have compensated the farmer with a number of days of hard labour because soon the family started talking of moving to Shillong. We came to Shillong to pick up the work of Safai Karamchari. For more than fifty years we have been doing this menial job but we have maintained our Sikh Swaroop. We left our native place because of the atrocities and discrimination by the upper caste. But we have faith in Gurbani which says,

“Niche Unch Kare Mera Govind, Kahu Te Na Dare”

Being from an Army family I have hardly stayed in Punjab and as such was oblivious to such practices of untouchability. It is very sad to note that the practice remains and is impelling many from the SC/OBC/Dalit community to leave the path of Sikhi and embrace Christianity.

It is the biggest disrespect to our Gurus who were strong proponents of equality. Guru Gobind Singh Ji said, “Rangreta Guru Ka Beta.”


Share
test

Filed Under: Social & Cultural Studies, Stories & Articles Tagged With: Dalit Farmers, SC/OBC

Primary Sidebar

News

PM Modi to address Indian-Americans in Washington on June 23

June 9, 2023 By News Bureau

ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਦਾ ਸਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਪੁੱਜੇ CM ਮਾਨ

June 9, 2023 By News Bureau

ਆਰਟੀਆਈ ਦਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਖ਼ੁਲਾਸਾ

June 9, 2023 By News Bureau

नशा भेज रहा है पाकिस्तान, सबक सिखाने के लिए सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक की जानी चाहिए : पंजाब राज्यपाल

June 9, 2023 By News Bureau

अमृतसर में पकड़ी 37 करोड़ की हेरोइन

June 9, 2023 By News Bureau

Areas of Study

  • Governance & Politics
  • International Perspectives
  • National Perspectives
  • Social & Cultural Studies
  • Religious Studies

Featured Article

The Akal Takht Jathedar: Despite indefinite term why none has lasted beyond a few years?

May 15, 2023 By Guest Author

Kamaldeep Singh Brar The Akal Takth There’s no fixed term for the Jathedar (custodian) of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat in Sikhism. That means an Akal Takht Jathedar can continue to occupy the seat all his life. Yet, no Akal Takht Jathedar in recent memory has lasted the crown of thorns for more […]

Academics

ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਲੇਖ : ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ, ਵਰਤਮਾਨ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਤੇ ਸੰਭਾਵਨਾਵਾਂ

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਖੇਤਰਾਂ ’ਚ ਤਾਂ ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾਤਰ ਰੁਝਾਨ ਘਰਾਂ ’ਚ ਵੀ ਹਿੰਦੀ ਬੋਲਣ ਦਾ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਦੇ  ਵਿਕਾਸ ਤੇ ਤਬਦੀਲੀਆਂ ’ਚ ਸੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਵੀ ਅਪਣੀ ਭੂਮਿਕਾ ਨਿਭਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। ਜਿੱਥੇ ਸੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਾਹਿਤ ਨੂੰ ਇਕ ਵਖਰਾ ਮੰਚ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਹੈ, ਉੱਥੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਫੁੱਲਤਾ ਵੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਸੋੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਤੇ ਵਰਤੀ […]

Uranium and fluoride enriched saline groundwater around Punjab

Uranium and fluoride enriched saline groundwater around Punjab Scarcity of fresh surface water increases dependency on groundwater for agriculture and domestic consumption which itself is unsafe in many instances by excess salinity, fertilizer inputs and heavy metals. The present study examined groundwater geochemistry up to 460 ft depth around a semi-arid region of Punjab, India where fluorosis, cancer and […]

‘सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला’ धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 – भाग-11

सिंघसूरमा लेखमाला धर्मरक्षक वीरव्रति खालसा पंथ – भाग-10 विजयी सैन्य शक्ति के प्रतीक ‘पांच प्यारे’ और पांच ‘ककार’ नरेंद्र सहगल श्रीगुरु गोविंदसिंह द्वारा स्थापित ‘खालसा पंथ’ किसी एक प्रांत, जाति या भाषा का दल अथवा पंथ नहीं था। यह तो संपूर्ण भारत एवं भारतीयता के सुरक्षा कवच के रूप में तैयार की गई खालसा फौज […]

Twitter Feed

ThePunjabPulse Follow

@ ·
now

Reply on Twitter Retweet on Twitter Like on Twitter Twitter
Load More

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Signup to receive regular updates and to hear what's going on with us.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TAGS

Academics Activities Agriculture Areas of Study Books & Publications Communism Conferences & Seminars Discussions Governance & Politics Icons of Punjab International Perspectives Media National Perspectives News Religious Studies Resources Social & Cultural Studies Stories & Articles Uncategorized Videos

Footer

About Us

The Punjab Pulse is an independent, non-partisan think tank engaged in research and in-depth study of all aspects the impact the state of Punjab and Punjabis at large. It strives to provide a platform for a wide ranging dialogue that promotes the interest of the state and its peoples.

Read more

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · The Punjab Pulse

Developed by Web Apps Interactive