SIKH WARRIOR ORDER RALLIES TO DEFEND PROTESTING FARMERS
▶ Nihang use their martial skills to guard a camp outside India’s capital, writes Taniya Dutta in New Delhi
Son Singh, 15, wakes up every day at 4am on the outskirts of New Delhi and bathes before praying for two hours at a makeshift gurdwara, or Sikh temple. After meeting his guru, the teenager helps out in the community kitchen before feeding and grooming his horse, Dillitod. Then he trains in swordsmanship and other martial skills.
He is one of the youngest members of the Nihang, an ancient Sikh order of warriors guarding tens of thousands of farmers camped outside India’s capital. The protesters have been on the outskirts of the city since November to show their opposition to agricultural reforms announced by the government.
“It is now more essential than ever that we practise fighting because these farmers need our support in their fight against the black laws,” Son Singh tells The National.
He lives and trains in the tent city at the Singhu border, north of New Delhi. He was born into a Hindu family from Haryana state, which borders New Delhi on three sides, but he said he was inspired to join the order three years ago, after being struck by the charisma and lifestyle of a Nihang guru.
He left his parents and two younger siblings to join the dera, or camp, in the neighbouring state of Punjab and follow the same path.
“I have learnt fighting with a sword, horse riding and important lessons on the Sikh religion,” he said.
“I have learnt to follow the path of truth and protect people as a Nihang, which I could not have learnt in a modern school.”
The order was founded in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh to defend the religion. It later became an army of the Sikh empire that existed from 1799 to 1849 and spanned what are now the Punjab provinces in India and Pakistan, as well as parts of Kashmir. The empire’s capital was in Lahore, which is now the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan.
The order was reduced to performing ceremonial roles after Britain dissolved the Sikh Empire in the mid-19th century, but a sizeable number of its members continue to practise its martial and religious traditions.
People of any age and religion can join, but they must adhere to the strict lifestyle and tenets of the order. These include wearing long, electric-blue robes and turbans reinforced with steel rings, training in disciplines such as horsemanship and carrying weapons such as swords, spears and daggers at all times.
The Nihang only use iron utensils and cutlery to cook and eat their meals. They drink an infusion of ground almonds, poppy seeds and rose petals that is sometimes laced with cannabis. Horses hold an important place in their lives and are called “jaan bhai”, or “life brother”.
The Nihang also distance themselves from worldly matters, including domestic life. While some members of the order marry, they live away from their homes in camps spread across the country, from where they travel on horseback to Sikh temples and community meetings every three days.
The farmers’ protest is the first time in decades that hundreds of Nihang have remained in one place for 100 days, said Raja Raj Singh, a top commander.
“We are the armour of the protesting farmers,” Mr Raj Singh, 46, told The National.
“This is the first time that the Nihang have come out of Punjab to join a movement because this is a fight for justice. Farmers are here for their rights and if anyone tries to harm them, they will have to face us first.”
The farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, are in a tense stand-off with the government over new laws passed last year that deregulate India’s vast agriculture sector. The government said the reforms are necessary to modernise the sector.
The farmers have been camped along a five-kilometre stretch of road near the Delhi-Haryana border since November 26, when riot police stopped their march into the capital.
The area resembles a conflict zone after authorities used concrete barriers, iron spikes and barbed wire to block off the encampment. Thousands of armed police are posted there.
The Nihang, equipped with swords, spears, axes and walkie-talkies, act as security in the tent city and ensure the safety of the protesters, many of whom are Sikh. Members of the order believe their presence at the camp reflects their history of defending the Sikh religion.
But the order faces accusations of undermining the rule of law, particularly after clashes between farmers and police in New Delhi on January 26, when some Nihang attacked police and stormed into the historic Red Fort on horses.
Talwinder Singh, 50, who joined the order 25 years ago, said the Nihang were fulfilling their religious duties and their weapons were only to be used to protect those in need.
“Some people are scared of us or our weapons, but we fight for righteousness. We are not here to harm anybody but to protect the farmers who are being oppressed,” he said.