As we somberly observe the 20th anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks (2001), we also reflect on the countless Sikhs who were targeted by xenophobes worldwide owing to their turbaned appearance. With the current Laissez-faire attitude adopted towards Sikh doctrines, it has become commonplace to criticize and even vilify those Sikhs who differentiate between themselves and fundamentalists given the turbaned appearance of both. Such disparity and self-apathy is becoming commonplace among western Sikhs owing to the promotion of self-hate academia in western educational institutes. We explore the eventual outcomes of this intellectual regression and how best to defend against it.

Nawab Kapur Singh-the charismatic but equally enigmatic 18th century Sikh leader who captained the Khalsa Panth during its darkest days in the post-Banda Singh period. What we know of him is derived from a few scant references in the Sri Gur Panth Prakash of Ratan Singh Bhangu, the oral histories of the remnant Nihang bands or the testimonies of his enemies. So who was Nawab Kapur Singh who historians told us preserved the existence of the Khalsa Panth as it faced oblivion in the face? And why is there such a silence around him?

We sit down with S. Deepinder Singh Virk and Mrs. Maninder Kaur of Bharatgarh Fort, 9th generation descendants of the Nawab's bloodline, to learn about a heroic figure who swore to die upholding Sikhi and liberate the Punjab and the subcontinent from foreign invaders. His ultimate betrayal came not during his lifetime but from those who he passed his mantle on to. 

Exactly! Who was the real Guru Nanak? A hyper-liberal pacifist? A renunciative Buddha-like Saint? A Vedic sage? Some Pooran Tam Avatar? Or was he something radically different? We are joined by Professor Balwant Singh Dhillon (GNDU) to seek out Baba Nanak's own testimony as to who he was within the Guru Granth Sahib and to prove that Baba Nanak envisioned the rise of the Khalsa and the Panth's sovereign ascendancy.  

We are joined by special guest Dr. (Prof, Retd.) Balwant Singh Dhillon of GNDU and also Retired Director of Centre For Studies in Guru Granth Sahib (Amritsar) in discussing the life and betrayal of Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur as per contemporary Persian sources recorded by eyewitnesses and military/political personalities conversant with the rise and fall of the first Khalsa state. Dr. Dhillon, in a career spanning three decades, has unearthed numerous primary sources in Sikh history and lent new avenues to the world of textual studies. This episode covers:

(a) Banda Singh: Pre-Sikh past.

(b) Banda Singh: Meeting with Guru Gobind Singh Ji and initiation into the Khalsa.

(c) Banda Singh: Paterfamilias of the first Khalsa state.

(d) Banda Singh: Revolutionary social engineer.

(e) Banda Singh: Betrayal.

(f) Banda Singh: Appropriation by Hindu Mahasabha.

(g) Banda Singh: Defended by Sikhs. 

A pointed discussion on the five cognitive rebirths of the Sikh upon entry into the Khalsa and what they mean in today's context. 

Sikhi is rivalled with atrophied South Asian cultural norms which are hampering its progression. One of these norms is the direction of violence against women and anyone else classified as being 'weak.' We discuss the inimical affect of this tendentious cultural nefariousness in Sikh families and how it is high time we obliterate it from within Sikh society.

The Devolution of Sikhi's emphasis on gender equity.

A wake-up call for all Sikh men: stop giving lip service to the concept of gender equality. Actually implement the gender equality which our Gurus envisioned and gifted to us! We are joined by Sikh activist Simran Kaur in this episode as we chart where we went wrong in regards to protecting our sisters' rights and why they are falling prey to grooming gangs today. 

How much selflessness is too much selflessness? And does selflessness only consist of spending consumable/financial resources for global notice? What is our overarching strategy here, and is it paying off? What is the cost to benefit ratio in everything we are doing on a worldwide scale? Or are we, Sikhs, wasting our hard earned resources as a Panth to only receive unwarranted hatred in return?