For one week, Sikhs were happy and cheerful thanks to the words and images of Harjit Singh Sajjan on his maiden visit to homeland Punjab and India as the Defence Minister of Canada.            

Humility personified, suave, gentle, focussed, determined, God-fearing, cosmopolitan, respectful son, loving husband, a doting father, progressive, inclusive, a pure Punjabi at heart -during his 7 days in Punjab and India -Harjit Singh Sajjan humbled us all and made us very happy with his amazing qualities of being a good Sikh and a perfect Canadian -an ideal combination to be called a Sikh-Canadian. He may have left the shores of India but people and politicians are still feeling the impact.

Since Orwellian 1984, Sikhs in Punjab and around the world, have had very few community-level occasions to be happy and cheerful. For 7 days, Harjit Singh Sajjan spread happiness to Sikhs across the world. We were overawed with joy.  His image of taking the salute from the Indian soldiers on the ramparts of the South Block in Delhi, with his merit badges on his chest, looking to be a dedicated follower of the martial race of Sikhs, shall remain embedded in Sikh minds and hearts for a very long time to come.

I can recall less than a handful of times when we have laughed or been cheerful at such a mass level. To my mind, prior to the visit of Harjit Singh Sajjan, one such occasion was the adoption of the true Nanakshahi Calendar of another Sikh-Canadian Pal Singh Purewal by the Sikh nation in 2003.

Travelling from New Delhi to Amritsar to Bambeli to Chandigarh to Mumbai, Harjit Singh Sajjan fully lived up to his name –Sajjan -a true friend, wherever he went. His cheerful image, looks, mannerism, truly empathising face with children at Pingalwara, Amritsar and the Unique home, Jalandhar, his to-the-point presentation in seminars in Delhi, Chandigarh and Mumbai, his handling of the effervescent Punjab media, his truthful responses to the international media in Delhi, his interaction with India on bilateral issues and his handling and updating of his Facebook page in English and French -oh, we loved it all! He was a Sajjan of God being a Sajjan to all!

His statement to Punjabi Daily Ajit, which extensively and remarkably covered his visit that, “whatever I am today is because of the Grace of God, the Gurus and the environment and opportunity provided by Canada and Canadians”, sums up the personality of this great son of Punjab who as a child accompanied his parents -father Kundan Singh and mother Vidya Kaur, to leave the soil of Punjab, to return back this time as the Defence Minister of Canada, earning a living and traversing through the hurdles of life in a far-off land, which now has many more like him who have risen to zenith of their glory in social and public life. A public figure in her own right, he is blissfully assisted by his doctor-wife Kuljit Kaur.

Isn’t it amazing that after Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s generalissimo Hari Singh Nalwa who ruled over Kandahar and many other parts of Afghanistan, where mothers used to tell their children –Hari Aaragle -sleep otherwise Hari Singh will come, it was the decorated Canadian Army Lieutenant Colonel Harjit Singh Sajjan PC OMM MSM CD MP, who served 3 times in Afghanistan on the military intelligence side with allied forces under the command of a US general for which he was honoured with the Order of Meritorious Service by the government of Canada for reducing the impact of the Taliban.  He also served in Bosnia and Herzegovina after which he joined the Vancouver Police department too and specialized in neutralising drug gangs. Upon return from Afghanistan, he took over command of the British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own). We were simply overwhelmed when he received the gun-salute from the same regiment of the Canadian army which had mistakenly stopped the elderly Sikhs who wanted to descend on Canadian soil for a better life after completing the dangerous journey by sea from India on the Kamagata Maru. On that day, when he received the honours, after a century, history came full circle for the Sikhs.  

Way back on 7 October 1974, speaking to the youth of the All Canada Sikh Federation, Sirdar Kapur Singh -the philosopher-politician, Sikh national professor of Sikhism, in his speech, said that the mosaic-pattern of Canadian society comes closest to the ideals of community living as enshrined in Sikh teachings and in his precise words, “..while as Canadian citizens, the Sikhs may look forward to a hopeful and bright future, in India, their historical homeland, they now face the basic problem of their identity and existence, since the control of their own history has been snatched out of their hands and their historical potential has been submerged and throttled.” How prophetic! How true as the progress of Sikh-Canadians unfolds before the Sikh world and the world at large! With as many as 21 members of Punjabi heritage, out of which 18 are Sikhs, at the federal level and many more at the provincial level, the Sikhs have never had it so good. Thank you, Canada, and a huge compliment to all those who made it with grit, determination and faith.

For someone like Harjit Singh Sajjan and his ilk, there is no contradiction in serving their countries and being supporters of Sikh nationalism, free speech, respecting dissent, if understood in the right perspective.   As I understand, the true intent of Sikh nationalism goes beyond the limits of a geographical area. Thinkers, politicians and theorists wanting to know the Sikh mind, honestly need to understand that there is no contradiction in being a Sikh nationalist and at the same time serving the country which has become their home or for that matter serving India too. The religio-political nature of Sikhism enjoins upon a Sikh to be true to his faith, true to the dictum of the Gurus in letter and spirit and true to his work -in this case being the protector of the rights of the people of Canada and defender of the interests of the country at the highest level of being the Defence Minister.  This trait was ably considered and recognized by Malala Yousufzai-admired dashing, daring and handsome Prime Minister of Canada -Justin Trudeau who followed the footsteps of his father Pierre Trudeau who championed the cause of equality for all, enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is envied by many countries including India who boast equality but provide only semantics.

Trudeaumania gripped Canada when Pierre Trudeau was elected the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada.  Sajjanmania gripped Punjab and the Sikhs during the one week that Sajjan descended on his homeland and the warmth still lingers on. Unquestionably there was even more joy than when he and four other Sikh stalwarts were elected to the Canadian Parliament.  The day he was nominated to take job as the Defence Minister of Canada, I could not help but make the comparison of how Maharaja Ranjit Singh had French and Italian generals in his army and how a Sikh is today leading the army of another country!

Harjit Singh Sajjan is our modern-day Sant Sipahi -a Saint-soldier! I certainly would like to call him so! And you?