Episodes
An analytical episode on what our forefathers exactly fought for and how modernity regresses their sacrifices. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 12/25/23
Published 12/25/23
Niccolo Machiavelli, the infamous author of the equally infamous The Prince. Contrary to the popular view of his immorality, Machiavelli argues that power is amoral and only its execution can be bifurcated into immorality or morality. The Prince is highly relevant to the Sikhs today considering their unceasing pursuit of power. What can we learn from Machiavelli as Sikhs and is the man's reputation deserved? As we say, listen to find out. --- Send in a voice message:...
Published 11/19/23
The enforced regression of Sikh societal values as a political policy and its adverse impacts on Punjabi culture, overall, are unmissable today. From ludicrous stunts on tractors costing lives unnecessarily to high-handed caveman antics abroad, Sikh youth lack the foundational cornerstone of Sikhi: Responsibility. So then what is the solution if a lack of responsibility is the problem? Listen at your own peril. --- Send in a voice message:...
Published 10/30/23
Hate it or love it, but it is fast becoming a conspicuous fact that the smarter generation of Sikhs was finished off in the 80's and by some seeming design the incompetent were allowed to escape and spread abroad. These vestiges of a fallen generation now control Gurudwaras and Panthic institutes captaining the Khalsa ship to oblivion due to their lack of guile and an even more atrocious lack of vision. How did this situation arise and what are the cures, if any? Listen at your own peril!...
Published 09/03/23
Would you trust a serpent to repay its dues to you after you save its life? Or would you be realistic enough to acknowledge that the serpent is venomous by nature and strikes both friend and foe alike? If the latter is your answer and not the former, then ask yourself: why would you trust individuals or communities whose beliefs emphasize your eternal damnation in hellfire because you do not conform to their way of life? Why then would you help the arbitrators and disciples of such belief...
Published 07/17/23
Bhaichara, a term fast devolving into a pejorative for asinine solidarity in which Sikhs suffering from inferiority complexes splurge the community's precious resources on non-Sikhs whose religious ideology emphasizes that we will burn in hell for our non-conformism to their beliefs. We are joined by the legendary historian S. Inderjeet Singh in discussing the fate of Sikhs outside Punjab and how several sections of diasporic and Punjabi Sikhs whitewash the atrocities inflicted upon them for...
Published 07/09/23
We are joined once again by the legendary Anmol Singh Rode, Ranneeti Punjab, for another exciting episode. This time we discuss the discipline of historiography, a field bordering on an art form in which academics and intellectuals study how and why history is formed in our minds. We delve deep into the fundamentals of historiography, its relation to Sikh academia and its implications for the future of the Panth. We are greatly indebted to Sirdar Anmol Singh Ji for taking the time out of his...
Published 06/17/23
In this brief episode we look at a marvellous incident from the Sri Gur Sobha of the poet Sainapati, a contemporary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Sainapati was an eyewitness to the Guru's destruction of a village called Alsoon in the vicinity of Anandpur Sahib after the 1691 battle of Nadaun. The Sikhs had triumphed and were returning home when the Guru passed near Alsoon. He immediately ordered it destroyed with his forces driving out all inhabitants and razing it to the ground. What had the...
Published 06/10/23
This idea for this episode originated after a heated debate between a team member and an evangelical zealot. The zealot in question ,Shahi 1987, adopted the position that death could not be divine and was not brought into existence by God. Such fictional mythologizing runs against the grain of reality that Sikhs accept as being Hukam, divine will. In this episode we distill the gist of what this debate taught us but also how Sikhs can answer evangelical missionaries using their own baseless...
Published 04/16/23
In 1781 the fanatical Mughals attacked the Punjab for the last time. Bested by the maverick general Baghel Singh of the KaroraSinghiyaa Confederacy they were effectively routed and beat a hasty retreat never to return. But the KaroraSinghiyaa was an unique body of Khalsa men who swore to get even and in 1783 launched a massive campaign which resulted in Delhi, the subcontinental capital, being raided by the major Sikh Confederacies. Who were the KaroraSinghiyaas and what made them unique?...
Published 01/23/23
December, a month of remembrance for the Sikhs who pay tribute to the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh Ji's family and four sons while treading the path of Guru Nanak. However, do we still retain their militant spirit? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 12/25/22
Bhai Bota Singh and Bhai Garja Singh are two of the most conspicuous Martyrs of 18th century Sikh history. In this episode we explore their lives and the relevance they hold for the Sikh world today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 12/12/22
Professor Audrey Truschke, the Hindu Right and Islamists-these three seemingly disparate entities are united in denying and disparaging the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth Sikh Guru. In this episode not only do we answer their allegation that no contemporary source exists to evince this martyrdom, but we also cite contemporary Persian sources written by those nearest to Aurangzeb substantiating the lead-up to the event and its aftermath. We are joined in this episode by eminent Sikh...
Published 11/19/22
A Punjabi episode on how disparate gender ideologies and second wave feminism harm the Sikh nuclear family unit. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 10/30/22
Life is cruel, so is reality. But what if we make this Cruelty our mentor like Guru Nanak emphasizes? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 10/01/22
The Sri Gur Panth Prakash is a 19th century Sikh chronicle delineating the historic ascendance of Khalsa sovereignty in 17th-18th century Punjab. In this episode we explore all the information available on the text; discuss its history and compilation as well as refuting H.S. Chopra's specious allegations (made in 1988) that the polemic Bhai Vir Singh altered it.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 09/17/22
Society overtly favors professional victimhood. The Khalsa opposes this. Listen to how this war plays out today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 09/04/22
We are joined by eminent guest Dr. Joginder Singh Ji Tej Khurana who is the foremost historian of the Afghan Sikhs. An ex-serving member of the Afghan Grand Assembly, medical specialist and unrivalled intellectual-Dr. Tej Khurana charts the past, present and potential future of Afghanistan and its Sikh populace. Since the seeding of Sikhi among the Afghans, Sikhs have confronted hostility and sanguinary persecutions. Yet their unwavering faith in Sikhi has seen them surmount even the most...
Published 08/20/22
Sikhi is universal. Its moralistic aspect transcends borders, nations and territories. The Sikh faith was seeded beyond Punjab by its progenitor Guru Nanak. One of the fecund regions of the subcontinent which even today has a strong and growing Sikh population which Guru Nanak graced is this very same East India. The rich history of East Indian Sikhs has only now been revealed by eminent authority Professor Jagmohan Singh Gill who joins us to discuss the vanguard of Sikhi in the East of the...
Published 07/30/22
Misl Shahid was an 18th century Khalsa political Confederacy which was a precursor to the likes of the SGPC today. Its rise and fall encapsulates the internal strife which plagued the Misls after their heyday. By understanding the history of Shahid Misl we can unlock many enigmas of the Sikh past, particularly those of the modern Akali-Nihangs. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 07/02/22
Maharajah Ranjit Singh-maybe the most Machiavellian ruler of them all. His meteoric rise to power belied a very cunning and Machiavellian persona which unfortunately the Sikh leaders of today lack. What can we learn from Ranjit Singh and how is it relevant to today? Listen to hear more.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/message
Published 06/26/22
The Heart Of A Warrior is a leadership principle. Akin to the Warrior stepping onto the field of battle, preparing to make sacrifices, so too does the Leader step onto their field of battle. The Warrior steels his heart and stiffens his spine; resolute in the face of death. The Leader too must steel their heart and stiffen their spines; resolute in the face of the unknown. In this episode we discuss how the Heart of a Warrior principle can alter our futures and even lives for the better and...
Published 06/06/22
We are joined by savvy historian/historiographer Anmol Singh Rode (Ranneeti Punjab) in debunking the outrightly fallacious claim of right wing propagandists that the Marathas entered the Punjab in the mid-18th century to save Sikhi and rebuild the sacrosanct Sikh Darbar Sahib. Relying primarily on Maratha historians (Besam, Kulkarni, Sardesai, Gordon and Sarkar) as well as contemporary material we evince that the Marathas had: (a) No interest in being in the Punjab and only arrived when...
Published 05/07/22