His name needs no introduction. Although I had met him once earlier, my first substantive encounter with him was through the book "Punjab the Fatal Miscalculation." Patwant Singh and Harji Malik edited this fine collection of essays shortly after the Indian Army's invasion of the Golden Temple complex in 1984. Additional books followed which have been very well received - The Golden Temple, Gurdwaras, The Sikhs, Garland around My Neck. He has been a syndicated columnist for The Pioneer and The Hindustan times, and now writes regularly for the Asian Age.

Although he had made his mark as a writer earlier and "Punjab the Fatal Miscalculation" was not his entrée into political writing, it set him on a path of immersion into his Sikh roots. Over the years he has evolved into a most independent and powerful voice for Sikhs amidst the usually anti-Sikh culture and ambience of Indian journalism.

Patwant Singh was in New York over the last month and I met him for a very informal conversation over a wide range of topics on issues facing the Sikhs in India and globally.

Many readers of Global Sikh News at wrote and asked us to congratulate Patwant Singh on his writings. Our readers had sent us several questions and they touched on most matters of concern to Sikhs today. I have taken the liberty of rearranging them; some of these were:

How will the information technology and globalization affect the future of Sikhi? What measures can be practically effective to halt the flood of Sikh apostasy in Punjab?

Please describe briefly your concept of "Sikh Sovereignty?" Do Sikhs in India have any interest in either autonomy or independence if these ends are pursued in a peaceful, democratic manner?

You note very eloquently in your book, "The Sikhs", the phenomenon of the Buddhist faith disappearing from India due to Brahmin assimilation tactics. The Sikhs are in danger of the same but have thus far held back on being "totally assimilated". What do you feel will be the one or two major factors of our faith that will hold assimilation back further? How serious a threat does the RSS pose to Sikhs?

Will the Khalsa heritage survive another century?

You have suggested the setting up of a Sikh museum in the UK and that several families who have Sikh relics would be willing to loan these for display. Have you been able to get a commitment from any Sikh organization for the setting up or purchase of a site to start this project? Have you any suggestions as to the setting up of this important project?

Patwant Singh's comments touch on most of these questions. Other related questions were also asked. But the questions are overlapping in their interpretations, as are his comments. What follows is a free version, not an exact record, of his views.

In spite of being a pragmatic people, Sikhs have been weakest in their attention to developing a presence in the media that could highlight our achievements and address our concerns. If an Australian - Rupert Murdoch - can build a worldwide media empire and not feel restricted by national and political borders, such an undertaking by Sikhs is not unimaginable or impossible. Our basic history is known to all Sikhs as is the injustice done to us in India over the past 44 years since independence. The Punjabi Sikh feeds much of India but his contributions are not recognized or celebrated in his country because the media neglect him. Not only do we need media presence in India but we also need it in the lands to which we have emigrated. The question of museums to highlight our presence is related to marshalling our resources towards collective community projects and needs.

We have made some inroads into the society of Great Britain, Canada and Singapore in that we have become an integral part of its mainstream and its decision-making process. But in the United States, despite much material success, we have remained isolated and unseen. Again I suggest that we need to pay attention to the media - print and television - to carve an equal niche in society.

Sikhism is the most republican of all faiths. This religion, more than others, recognizes the meaning of equal opportunity irrespective of lineage or caste. The Sikhs, under Banda Bahadur, were the first in India if not the whole world who started a meaningful land reform movement. Ours is a nobility of faith marked by seva, truthful living, justice, pragmatism and courage. Remember that of the forty or so Victoria Crosses awarded by the British, twenty-one went to Sikhs. We need to focus on these values and attainments. But we have absorbed the Indian cultural trait of backstabbing. We must move with the times while remaining true to out tradition. Our media presence must be both national and international. What does a small nation like Britain have but a sense of tradition. That is where their spirit springs from. Our tradition is unmatched in its richness. We need to harness it. Only then will the movers and shakers in the global arena notice us.

In the political area, Patwant Singh was highly agitated by the lack of honesty and integrity in the Sikhs governing Punjab. In his view, politically the greatest threat to our survival in India comes from the RSS externally and from the Jat/non-Jat division within us. The current rulers of Punjab, although nominally Sikh (Parkash Singh (Badal)) have, for their personal interest and fiefdoms, become collaborators with the RSS dominated power structure in India. Corruption runs wild in India and Punjab. Unless and until we regain a sense of honesty and integrity in our leaders, the future does not bode well. If Bangalore can become India's Silicon Valley, so can Punjab. But because of its inept and corrupt leadership, Punjab has missed the bus.

There are lessons from the past - whether from Buddhism or Jainism - that we need to remember. The RSS would like to do to Sikhism what it did to Buddhism. Much depends upon how we develop a sense of self and how honestly and courageously we respond.

There is no guarantee that one day the holocaust like pogrom will not visit us again as it did in November 1984. I have suggested to the Delhi gurdwaras that they build a defensive perimeter around each gurdwara and that they stock food and lathis etc. Furthermore, young Sikhs should learn the art of self-defense. That will deter more than you think.

As far as governmental inquiries into the killing of Sikhs in 1984 go, the Mishra Commission was a bit of a hoax. He was a Trojan Horse who delivered what the government wanted and was well rewarded for it. But Patwant Singh expressed a far greater confidence in the latest commission headed by Justice Nanavati. He recently testified at it and was satisfied by Justice Nanavati's apparent independence and integrity. He stated that the mandate of the Nanavati Commission was to primarily focus on the killings in Delhi; he was not sure if Kanpur and other cities were also included. A declassification of secret government records on the whole Punjab problem remains an area that has not yet been approached.

At this time, there appears to be no coherent movement for Khalistan in India. Raj Karega Khalsa is interpreted to mean that the Khalsa remains sovereign and independent; this is not necessarily achieved by a piece of land.

We are now undoubtedly a global presence. We need to develop a model for our global needs. Perhaps we need to think of a representative body like a globally derived Electoral College with representation from Sikhs around the world consonant with their distribution. This cannot be done in a hurry but we need to start thinking about it.

The question of Sikhism surviving for another century elicited an emphatic yes and the further "Why the question?" summed it up. Patwant Singh, at least, has no doubt.