The Story of Vaisakhi

CHALLENGE INJUSTICE

These are the words that come to mind when thinking of Vaisakhi. It’s not the food, festivals or folktales but the fierce commitment to being an upstander. Knowing that if we see something, we cannot unsee it. The more I continue to study and learn, the more I’ve been able to grow and shift conditioning of what we believe to be true. I cannot unsee the horror of this world – the 20,000+ children whose lives have been brutally taken by force and still, no justice.

“And a promise was made that day. They would share the seedlings from the Garden of Peace and plant them alongside their local crops. The Khalsa promised to give each other a fair chance to grow, with the weeds of course. Weeds were plants too, after all.” (The Garden of Peace, 2017, Saffron Press).

As educators we are always asking students to infer and interpret. I feel that’s at the core of all learning. And this is also true of Vaisakhi – a time to contemplate, think upon and evolve. What is our role in communities? How do we care for each other? Who is being trodden upon? Do we remain silent while witnessing human rights abuses? Or do we call for justice?

How can you interpret the seedlings?

For me, they are the five steps to become the kind of humans who would stand for the liberation of all, beginning with Daya. Each action requires us to push further, to challenge ourselves and to become uncomfortable before we can become agents of change.

The Garden of Peace required the most research of all titles so far, given the need for historical context. One of the most beautiful insights was the learning that the Panj Pyaray travelled from each ‘corner’ of undivided India (then including Pakistan, Bangladesh and even beyond some say) to reach Anandpur – the city of happiness. Today, borders are becoming deeper and higher which ultimately will result in some sort of resistance. I wonder what that looks like for each of us? Does it impact us today or will it show up in months or even years to come? We are all interconnected, whether we are here or over there – when 20,000+ childrens’ human rights are erased before our eyes, we have to question how this can happen.

Days and heritage months come and go. We can either perform or work to reform.

​SARBAT DA BHALLA: for the collective liberation of all!