THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF DIASPORIC SIKH NATIONALISM! FROM ANGUISHED CRIES OF ‘KHALISTAN’ TO PLEAS FOR ‘RECOGNITION’

Abstract

This paper explores the nature of the diasporic Sikh nationalism in the post-1984 period. Generally labelled as a movement for an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, overseas Sikhs’ reaction was a highly emotional demonstration of anger and protest at the desecration of the Golden Temple in Amritsar – the holiest shrine of the Sikhs. While it seems certain that most Sikhs were suddenly made aware of the lack of state power, the strategy and ideas advocated by various Sikh leaders and their organizations did not produce a sustainable movement. The paper discusses reasons why such a widespread and shared diasporic nationalist movement failed to generate ideas and appropriate strategies for statehood and instead subsided with pleas for recognition.