I started writing this article some time last year only to find that the vital ingredient of inspiration was missing. My initial urge to put pen to paper was probably sparked by a sense of despondency. The 1999 Khalsa tercentenary had been a wonderful emotional experience but as the euphoria passed and the mist of excitement lifted it was becoming clear that all was not well. The choice of title was meant to convey the troublesome sentiment that whilst the citadel of Sikhism, as represented by the community, appeared to be eternally vibrant and strong, in fact beneath this superficial bluster, alarming cracks were appearing.

The image can be applied to many specific scenarios and in each case will fit very precisely. Take the central Sikh institutions of the faith, take the management of Sikh institutions outside India, and indeed take the gradual erosion of the Sikh form in Punjab itself. As with so many issues I had probably started the article spurred on by some sense of frustration only to find that whilst the ailment can be easily diagnosed it was the cure, which presented the real challenge.

In this case the article has been resurrected by inspiration which came in abundance following the recent "Preserving Sikh Heritage Seminar" held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The museum was at the centre of the global celebrations of 1999 with the landmark "Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms" exhibition. That had given birth to a series of fresh collaborative initiatives of which this seminar was one.

In 1999 Amandeep Singh (Madra) and Parmjit Singh had been hailed as newly emerging Sikh scholars who represented the concerns and passionate energy of their generation, a generation, which sought to transcend petty politics and fruitless ideological entrenchment. Their book "Warrior Saints" caters to the thirst for information that characterises the Sikh youth of today and, at this event, they continued to excel.

The speakers starting with Jeevan Singh (Deol) eloquently set the scene. This was not another academia-orientated gathering couched in incomprehensible syntax. What was being explained had direct relevance and interest to the laypeople who sat engaged by what they heard. At a time when the words heritage and culture have become misunderstood, overused and hence undervalued in the newfound Sikh vocabulary, it was refreshing to hear speakers who used the phrases not as fashionable accessories but as concerns that underpinned the very rationale of their presentations.

It is not often that you admire the intellect and passion of the speaker but just hope that their message was less painful. Yet no amount of sweetener could have reduced the impact of what was slowly unravelling in front of our very eyes. The monuments and manuscripts that represent the history of which we are so rightly proud are disintegrating at an astounding pace. What makes it even more unpalatable is that this is not an ancient and obscure history shrouded in confusion due to a distance of many centuries. This is heritage, which is often as little as only three generations old. It is conceivable that our own great-grandparents were a party to the events that took place at these locations.

With each click of the projector, Gurmeet Rai confronted us with yet another heritage disaster that loomed on the horizon or had just been averted in the nick of time. The mosque constructed by Guru Hargobind, the very site upon which the Khalsa had been formed in those visionary events of 1699, the Hazuri Baradari of Sher-e-Punjab, the Bungas of Darbar Sahib, the Lahori gates to the city of Sri Hargoindpur appeared one by one as ominous reminders of imminent catastrophe.

Whilst Gurmeet and her colleagues have won many concessions and secured the future of a number of vital sites, these are minor victories in comparison to the many disasters that are happening at this very moment.

Senior Metal Conservator at the V&A, Simon Metcalfe, who lead the team that skilfully restored dozens of pieces of Sikh arms and armour to their former glory for the "Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms" exhibition delivered a presentation showing the potential of the conservator's art. The patience, duty of care, diligence and respect with which objects of Sikh heritage had been lovingly restored was a further reminder of the neglect and destruction earlier speakers had shown in their presentations. As a Sikh you could not but sink in embarrassment into your seat as Simon presented the near microscopic detail with which Sikh armour was restored, having just seen Dr. Jeevan Singh's photography of similar pieces of Sikh armour laying in the sodden basements of a Patiala fort.

In a way it was appropriate that Simon introduced the topic of technology that is based on an understanding of the laws of science. Central to that science is Newton's third law which decrees that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Sikh leaders have their own version: "if you do nothing then, nothing happens to you".

Now is the time to smash this charter of apathy that has rendered a powerful and brave nation helpless in the face of a silent cancer. Let it not be that those who have sacrificed to preserve the heritage and rights of others fall victim to their own negligence.

As charitable as the audience may have sought to be there was no escaping the criticism of the institutions that were wilfully, or through unmitigated neglect and apathy, overlooking this relentless erosion of an irreplaceable heritage. The SGPC and Akali Dal got their knuckles rapped but no more than they deserved. To overlook their negligence would have been inexcusable. But this gathering was not about recriminations and navel gazing: the focus was on action and tangible ways to turn the tide.

The presence in the audience of senior representatives of not only the V&A but also of English Heritage and the Wallace Collection was a clue to the agenda that the conference wished to set. The European faces scattered in the lecture theatre bore testament to the fact that Sikhs had successfully engaged with such bodies in introducing the topic of our heritage onto their agendas. But it was also more than that. It was about corrective action.

For too long speakers have walked onto platforms, delivered their lectures and departed to the ivory towers from whence they came. The focus of this gathering was different. The speakers themselves were investing their skills in ensuring the continuation of positive dialogue and action. If there was one recurring theme to which the participants returned time after time, it was the need to act rather than just deplore the inactions of others.

As we left the V&A, it was with the aspiration that the conference should prove to be a memorable first step in the battle to rescue this endangered heritage. In reality, the campaign will not be easy nor can it be won without engaging the SGPC and others on whose shoulders the burden of responsibility lies. It would be naïve to think otherwise.

As I drove back home, a diversion took me past a plot of land in central Birmingham, which is the site of a new Sikh Gurudwara. No matter that there were a further three already operating within a mile's distance and that the very young Sikhs who could ensure the future existence and prosperity of such Gurudwaras were haemorrhaging from the Panth at an alarming rate. Indeed this new establishment with wholly inadequate self appointed officials squabbling over irrelevant issues and the protection of their petty fiefdoms seems to be the norm rather than the exception. True to form, it also will have the now inevitable shining dome and spire placed atop it.

In applauding and encouraging such developments we would be deluding ourselves. What use are such new and modern shining spires while earlier foundations crumble in front of our very eyes?

Postscript: The conference at the V&A took place on 30th July. On the 3rd August Gurmeet Rai and Jeevan Singh met with senior representatives of English Heritage, the British Council, the Department of Culture Media and Sport, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Indian Department of the V&A to hold exploratory talks on the issues and concerns raised at the conference. The meeting took place under the auspices of the UK based Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust. For details on the conference see www.oursikhheritage.org; the organisers can be contacted on info

Misl-UK is a column coordinated by the author of Warrior Saints. Regular contributors include Harbinder Singh Rana, the Project Director of the Maharajah Duleep Singh Centenary Trust a charity at the forefront of promoting Sikh Heritage, and the bright young Sikh scholar, Jeevan Singh (Deol).