New chapter: DU plans UG course on Sikh resistance during Mughal period

Time of India

10 hours ago

New Delhi: Delhi University plans to introduce a course on Sikh martyrdom for all undergraduate students, focusing on how the Sikh community emerged in response to "religious persecution" and "state oppression" during the Mughal period and later during foreign invasions.
Spanning the time frame between 1500 and 1765, the course traces the evolution of Sikh identity through episodes of resistance — from the martyrdom of Sikh gurus to the rise of Sikh warriors like Banda Singh Bahadur. It will be offered by the Centre for Independence and Partition Studies as a four-credit generic elective based on Undergraduate Curriculum Framework, 2022, making it accessible to students across disciplines.
The course will be tabled for approval before the Academic Council of the University slated to meet on July 5. The final decision lies with the Executive Council, DU's highest decision-making body.
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According to the curriculum, the course aims to "throw light on the moral basis of emergent struggle by Sikhs to resist religious persecution" and "focus on the neglected social-religious history of martyrdom in the Indian context."
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It also aims to "encourage critical and reflective engagement with Sikh history, especially the legacy of martyrdom, from a moral and socio-political perspective."
The syllabus is divided into four units. The first unit begins with an overview of how Sikhism emerged, the conditions in Punjab under the Mughal empire, what martyrdom means in the Sikh tradition, and the contributions of the early Sikh gurus from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Ramdas.
The second unit looks at how the Mughal state used its power to suppress Sikhs. It focuses on the lives and martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur, as well as the responses to state policies during the time of Guru Hargobind and Guru Harkrishan. It also includes the stories of Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das, and Bhai Dayala.
The third unit delineates the forging of Sikh identity by Guru Gobind Singh by organising community and by opposing the "misdeeds of the Mughal State".
It also covers the struggle of Sikhs under Guru Gobind Singh, their battles, the martyrdom of Sahibzadas, the rise of Banda Singh Bahadur, his victorious battles and his martyrdom.
The final part focuses on other key Sikh warriors and martyrs and their struggle in encountering "religious bigotry of Mughal rulers and foreign invaders". It also highlights important places linked to Sikh history, such as Sri Harmandir Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Sirhind, Gurdwara Sis Ganj, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, and Lohgarh Fort.
The syllabus includes field visits along with documentary screenings and engagement with translated primary sources like Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri and Bichitra Natak.
The course's learning outcomes state that students will be able to "understand the historical and religious basis of Sikh resistance and martyrdom," assess the "repressive strategies of the Mughal state," and critically engage with how Sikh history has been remembered and narrated.
Welcoming the initiative, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi cabinet minister and former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), said the course was a long-overdue recognition of the Sikh community in mainstream education and a timely addition ahead of the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Nov.
"DU's effort to highlight how the community stood up to religious persecution under Mughal rulers or foreign invaders is not only historically accurate but essential for national awareness.
Our younger generation must know the price their ancestors paid for justice and faith," he told TOI.
Sirsa added that the "teachings of Sikh gurus like Guru Nanak or Guru Tegh Bahadur hold relevance in the current socio-political times and must be taught to students."
However, the course has drawn criticism from a section of DU teachers for its alleged controversial framing.
"The proposed paper is a cause of much concern as it stretches the era of struggle for independence from British colonial rule to the earlier Mughal rule.
The course conceals the fact that the Mughals were well assimilated within Indian society. While they unleashed many kinds of oppressions — a general feature of all medieval political players — they did not facilitate a drain of wealth from India to outside and rampant racism, both of which were the hallmarks of British colonialism," said professor Maya John, an academic council member.
"Further, for their sustenance, the Mughals nurtured local alliances across religious communities, including the Sikh community, which consequently paved the way for many syncretic traditions and a flourishing social mosaic. Such courses will have an adverse effect on the ways in which future citizenry of the country will reflect back on their past," she added.