ENVISIONING THE KHALSA STATE MODELED AFTER THE VATICAN STATE: SEEKING THE GOODWILL OF THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT
Authors:
Tennyson Samraj
Abstract:
This paper intends to present a practical solution to the aspirations of the Sikh community of believers. The three facets of this study are: (1) The Sikhs’ aspiration for a Khalsa state, where they can define, defend, and practice Sikhism. (2) The Sikhs’ yearning that the Harmandir Sahib (Akal Takht—the throne of the timeless one) and the Golden Temple complex be the supreme centre and seat of authority of Sikhism. (3) The Sikhs’ wish to work and worship with fellow Indians who live within the Punjab state and the rest of India, their country. Sikhs can achieve these aspirations by seeking the ‘goodwill’ of the Indian Government. To this end, it is proposed: (1) to create the Khalsa State modeled after the Vatican state, where the Chief Guru, like the Pope, can be both the temporal head of the Khalsa state and the spiritual leader of the Sikhs in India and around the world. The Khalsa state is created from the area around the Harmandir Sahib Temple of Amritsar, modelled like the Vatican state around St Peter’s Cathedral. (2) The Punjab state government continue and maintain the current relationship with the federal or central Government of India. (3) The Khalsa State accept India’s sovereignty and consign foreign policy to the Indian Government. This would create a religious haven for the Sikh people, similar to the Vatican state for Catholics.