History repeats itself, quite often in horrifying ways. I hope fervently this does not happen in Punjab yet again. The signs are ominous, however, and it already feels like walking on quickly thinning ice.

Commentators have been quick in pointing out the parallels that exist between the events of the last few days and what had happened in 1978. On the Baisakhi day that year, followers of the Damdami Taksal had clashed with those of the Nirankari sect, leaving many dead on the spot, and triggering a process that took thousands of lives over the next 15 years.

Nirankaris were then accused of polluting the doctrinal purity and cultural traditions of Sikhism. It is the turn of Dera Sacha Sauda now to face the same allegations. Interestingly, neither the Nirankaris nor the Dera have ever claimed to represent Sikhism. Of course, for decades both have drawn into their fold followers of diverse backgrounds. Many of these came from Sikh background.

Any social historian of Punjab will tell you this was nothing new. In this land of Sufism, various spiritual traditions have not only coexisted peacefully but also blended effortlessly. For centuries, the people of Punjab sought spiritual solace and guidance by visiting, often simultaneously, gurdwaras, temples, dargahs, marhis and deras.

These very historians will tell you that this overlap has always irked those who gain and maintain political power by manipulating social-cultural identities. This was so in colonial Punjab, and this has been so since Independence.

... contd.