Caste System in Sikhism: A bitter truth

The recent news about the first “Dalit Sikh” becoming Chief Minister Punjab has brought everybody’s attention to the Caste system being practiced amongst Sikhs. Though in Principle Sikhism rejects the caste system in reality we can see it is being prominent amongst Sikhs. Even the Shiromani Kirtaniye like Bhai Nirmal Singh JI Ragi faced discrimination because of his caste.

I am a 5th generation Sikh. My great grandfather converted from an Upper caste Hindu (Patil- Marathi) to Sikh because he was impressed by the teachings of Sikhism. So unlike most of the Punjabi’s I did not get Sikhism in inheritance but we chose Sikhism. Hence we did not follow any caste label like Jat/Ramgariah etc. We only called ourselves Sikhs.

Being born in a Sikh family I have always been told that the Sikh religion does not believe in caste systems and we follow the principle of Manas ki Jaat sabhai Ekay Pehchanbo (Consider all human races as one). But I found a huge contradiction when I saw the caste system being practiced by fellow Sikhs. We can see different castes still exist in the Sikhs like Jat, Ravidasia, Arora, Rajput, etc. It is not just caste but there also exists other types of discrimination like Jat-Bhappa, Dakhni-Punjabi, etc. Some villages even have different Gurudwara sahib for people from different castes.

For the world, we preach that we consider everyone equal and our Langars and Gurdwaras are open for everyone. Some people think that they are true Sikhs and do not follow the caste system but when it comes to things like marriage, we can see them mentioning caste in the desired partner criteria. Even the Granthi’s, Kathakar, and Kirtaniye follow similar practices when looking for marriage proposals.

Though the caste system is deeply rooted in Punjabi Sikhs it is not limited to Punjab. We can also notice them in Non-Punjabi Sikhs as well as Sikh Diaspora outside India. We often talk about racial discrimination being faced by Sikhs in the west but we conveniently ignore caste-based discrimination being followed by us and our family members. Also, the Punjabi songs lyrics and movies are often extremely casteist (other than being Misogynist and objectifying women of course).

Many Hindus (especially lower caste Hindus) accepted Sikhism because they want to move away from the Caste system which is deeply rooted in Hindu Society. But they often face similar discrimination by fellow Sikhs. Which is sad.

What can we do as an individual?

Caste is not just a label. It is also a mindset. The upper caste believes that they have inherent superiority and consider other people inferior. While lower caste people often have anger and hatred towards the upper caste because of thousands of years of oppression.

Accept the problem: The first step is to accept that Casteism exists in the Sikhs and it is a bitter truth. Don’t turn a blind eye. Accepting the problem is the first step towards solving it. Talk about the problem. If you see your relatives practice the caste, point them out. Have that conversation with your parents and kids. Don’t be afraid to call out caste-based discrimination if you see one.

Stop mentioning caste/surname which represents caste: Most of our last names represent our caste. Stop using them. Just use “Singh” and “Kaur” As ordered by Gurus. If you must use a surname, use generic ones like, “Khalsa”, “Sardar” or even your village name.

Stop mentioning caste in matrimonial ads: Stop looking for partners from the same caste/ background. Rather encourage intercaste marriage within Sikhs. “Sikh” should be the only criteria when it comes to caste.

Accept your caste privilege: If you belong to the upper caste accept your caste privilege you should know that many things have been easier for you because of the caster. Whether you know it or not. So try to help Sikhs from lower caste to uplift them and help them to live a life with dignity and equality as our Guru’s intended.