Sikh delegation's Asom visit highlights age-old connection

Guwahati, Sep 23 (UNI) The arrival of 18 writers of the Haryana Punjabi Sahitya Akademi will go down as a red letter day in Asom's calendar as it has rekindled interest in the history of the visit of Sikhs from distant lands hundreds of years ago.

Needless to say, the age-old Sikh settlers here are more than happy to host their visitors from their ancestral homes in Punjab and Haryana.

The Sikhs are believed to have appeared in the state during the Mughal invasion. Many chose to stay behind, while others departed for their homes.

A sizeable portion of the present 10,000-strong Sikh population in the state are believed to have come on invitation of Ahom kings in the early 17th century to defend the region from Burmese attack.

Interacting with newspersons at the Guwahati press club here yesterday, the visitors sounded a note of caution over 'commercialisation' of bhangra.

'' We are almost ashamed to say that we are from the land of bhangra, in the form in which we see it today, '' they said.

While the Sikh community had adorned pages of history for their bravery, the present generation associates the community with bhangra.

But the traditional dance of the Sikhs has undergone a sea change with the popular dance losing its original touch, the members of delegation rued.

However, they expressed happiness that the members of the community in this distant land were maintaining the traditions with true zeal and contributing to the welfare of their adopted state.

The visiting delegation had been invited at the initiative of Asom Kalatirtha to promote better understanding of the North East region by people of other parts of the country.

The delegation would visit Dhubri, home to one of the oldest Gurudwaras in the country. Sikh Guru Tegbahadur had also visited the state during the Mughal rule.

Many towns in Upper Asom have a considerable Sikh population, forming an integral part of the local community.

They have assimilated with the indigenous population over the centuries. Their rituals and customs, though based on the original Sikh traditions, have accommodated local beliefs in due course of time.

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