It is 25 years since Gajinder Singh moved away from the centre stage of Sikh polity. A greater part of his years of exile is spent in Pakistan. His exile in Pakistani prisons witnessed the transformation of a political activist to a leader.

He has been admired as a leader of the freedom movement, a founding father of the Dal Khalsa. It would be pertinent to evaluate Gajinder Singh as a leader and a statesman because of the decisive and prominent role that he played in Sikh history in the 20th century.

His life and mission is a vindication of what a determined person can achieve against extraordinary odds. Regardless of criticisms, he is one of the courageous and visionary leaders of the freedom struggle. He is a pioneering articulator of Khalistani resurgence and is unusually idealistic advocate of conscience in Sikh politics.

Gajinder Singh has a profound belief that the creation of independent Sikh State is necessary not only to safeguard Sikh interests and doctrine but also for the growth of the religion. To fulfill the vision of a free Khalistan he had in mind, he devoted his entire life for the cause.

He is an inspirational figure not just because he raised the banner of revolt against the injustice and discriminative policies of the state. More important, he delivered. Early in life he demonstrated a capacity for hard work and a will to succeed. He was an extreme Sikh nationalist by the time he joined college in Chandigarh. He played a major role in the student and youth movements. Born in 1951, he was deeply influenced by the statesmanship of Sirdar kapur Singh. Gajinder’s acceptance of Sirdar Kapur Singh as his political and ideological mentor was a surrender to a man similarly dedicated to the cause of Sikh Nation.

I can recall the views expressed by former IAS officer Sirdar Gurtej Singh. “Gajinder was a product of times in which every attempt at betterment of the Sikhs had come to nought. He is a good Sikh and an inspired poet of very sharp sensitivities, writes Gurtej Singh in his book ‘Tandav of the Centaur’.

Gajinder Singh is lauded as a writer of considerable merit. One of his greatest achievements is that he emerged as one of the respected revolutionary poet. He stands out as one who breathed in Sikhs a spirit to fight for reassertion of their human and political rights. His demand at the inception of Dal Khalsa in 1978 at the Chandigarh conference that complete independence instead of autonomy should be the goal of the Sikh Nation was a sign that he was a step ahead of his contemporaries.

Gajinder’s problem was he could not confront two enemies at a time- the Indian leaders and the Akalis. For Gajinder Singh, the struggle against Brahmnical hegemony was of paramount importance requiring unity of all Sikhs, irrespective of divergent ideologies.

There is a section of Sikhs who feel that he should not have indulged in the act of hijacking as it has confined him to a prison cell for 14 years at Kot Lakhpat, Lahore. He remained absent from the scene when his talent and expertise was required. Our submission is that before reaching to any conclusion we must take stock of the prevailing situation of those times. It has to be remembered that the young generation was totally disillusioned and shaken because of broken promises and indifferent attitude of Indian leaders towards the Sikh aspirations. Gajinder Singh and his associates could not divorce themselves from the prevailing atmosphere of mistrust against New Delhi.

More importantly, during 1978 to 1981, all efforts of Sikh leadership to get the Sikh problem resolved did not get a positive response from New Delhi. It was in consequence of this predicament that he entrusted the responsibility of drawing attention of the world community towards the Sikh plight in Hindu-India. Moreover, the act of hijacking was considered to be a ‘tool’ to express protest against the state’s terrorism and repression. The arrest of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and killing of 19 innocent Sikhs by the state police who gathered at Chowk Mehta at the time of arrest, pushed Gajinder and his four associates to take the ‘extreme step’ 25 years back on Sep 29. While the decision that he took seem logical and relevant at those times, the question to be answered is whether he would have contributed more to the Sikh cause had he remained in Punjab in 80’s and 90’s.

Gajinder Singh was imprisoned in the aftermath of the hijacking of Indian Airlines plane 737 and the Dal Khalsa temporarily banned. His drawback was that he had no strong organizational structure, he wished to create. He could not raise a second line of leadership which could sustain the state’s onslaught and carry the work forward. For once in 1982, the Dal Khalsa went into oblivion.

As a statesman, there is of questioning of his founding the Dal Khalsa and its relevance today. It is true that the organization has not been very effective in safeguarding the interests of the Sikh Nation. But of late, it has created a niche for itself in the Panthic sphere. Unfortunately, after he had spent 14 years in prison, the Khalistan movement which was once seemed a real possibility was all time low.

Idealism and ideology ruled his life. As he wrote in his prison dairy, dreams are important for revolutionaries as it leads to thought and thought leads to action. Whatever his faults, he is alert and sensitive to changing domestic and international situations.

Once when we suggested him to return back, he summed up his response with these words: “I don’t want to look like a deserter. I had played my role in a dignified manner and wished to have an honorableending of my (Panthic) inning”.