They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds

This evening, Sikhs from the DC Metro area gathered at Lafayette Park in front of the White House to stand in solidarity with Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa and the Sikh political prisoners languishing in Indian jails beyond the terms of their prison sentences.

It was nostalgic…

I remember being a kid 25 years ago standing in that same park, protesting the atrocities of 1984 and the human rights violations that followed.  Back then, we would shout at the top of our lungs, demanding the Indian government give us justice.  For me, tonight wasn’t about issuing any demands.  Personally…I’m done with that.

Bhai Sukha & Bhai Jinda said “The Khalsa does not worship power, rather it enters history by empowering itself.”

Tonight, if even with a handful of Sikhs over a short period of time…we empowered ourselves.

There’s a saying, “They tried to bury us.  But they didn’t know we were seeds.”  Seeing all the young people who organized and led the event tonight made me realize what these seeds have blossomed into.

The passionate speeches and thundering naaray sent a clear message to the Indian state…

We’re watching you
We will not be silenced
We will continue to raise our voices
And soon enough, the whole world will be watching you
And you will be exposed for the fake democracy that you are…as Sikhs have known from the beginning

The fact that majority of the attendees were born long after 1984 inspires me, it gives me comfort that the rebellious spirit Guru Sahib has bestowed upon us is alive and kicking

It shows that we will not forget
That we will not sit quietly
That we will not “sweep it under the rug”
Or just “let go of the past”

We are Sikhs of Guru Nanak
And we’re not going anywhere
Until justice is served

#FreeSikhPoliticalPrisoners #BapuSuratSinghKhalsa #DCForBapu