Article 79:

Sikhs of Nagaon in Assam (India)

:Dilemmas of language and religion
 Issue of language
Sikhs in Assam
and culture

Singaons: Barkola Issue of Sikh

& Chaparmukh religion/ community

TOPICS

Features of The dilemma

Axomiya Sikhs (of language and
religion)
SIKH
IN
ASSAM
There are three types of Sikhs who have put themselves in different identities. This can be
proven through the total population of Sikhs in Assam in the 2011 Census record which
has been done by Indian citizens of 20672 people. Therefore, these three communities can
be divided as follows:

1 2 3
The first group : The second group : The third group:

They are followed the journey
of Guru Tegh Bahadur to
Assam in 1669 and those who
wanted to advance the Sikh
religion.
believed that they would be They come for business.
the descendants of Sikh
soldiers sent there by
Emperor Ranjit Singh to
support King Ahom against
the Burmese invasion in
1820.
 SINGAONS:
BARKOLA AND
CHAPARMUKH
- We will look at a Sikh race called Axomiya who was born and raised in the villages in
Nagaon district, Assam.
- The Sikhs believe in themselves as descendants of the army who came to support
King Ahom to oppose the Burmese invasion in 1820.
- In a battle launched at Hadira Chauki in Goalpara district, Chandrakanta Singha's
army was defeated and Chaitanya Singh was also killed. To avoid the advance of their
opposing forces, the Sikh army navigated the Brahmaputra upstream and spread to
the surrounding forest area.

- In the Sikh village,
Chaparmukh is referred to as
Sing Gaon. There is a
Gurdwara built in 1820 by a
commander's wife who is
now called Gurdwara Mata Ji.
Apart from that, it is also a
historic Gurdwara after
Damdama Sahib in Dhubri.
CHAPARMUKH
- The woman is believed to
- There were 1052 people in
have ordered herself to
2011 and now the place has a
fight bravely after the
train station from Raha to
death of her husband.
Wandering through Kampur.
- Inside the Gurdwara also
- The place does not have a
kept two weapons, a
large Sikh population as they
sword and a pair of
have migrated to cities such
grinders belonging to the
as Nagaon and Lanka.
woman as historical relics.

In Barkola Singaon, is the
only village in Northeast India
that has a large capacity of
Sikh population. Recorded a
total of 1830 people in 2011.
BARKOLA
There are educational institutions that have been
established. : government secondary schools, primary and
secondary schools, polytechnic colleges, namghar,
community halls as well as Nanak Shankar Teachers College
and Nanak Teacher Library.

- There are also 3 Gurdwara that have

been established including the oldest
Gurdwara in 1825 named Sri Guru
Singh Sabha Central Gurdwara. It is
also known as Gurdwara Badi Sangat
and its original structure is made of
pieces of wood and tin.
- Nowadays, Gurdwara Badi is very
much used as a godown and langar
hall while waiting for the new
Gurdwara to be completed using
materials from concrete and marble in
the construction.
- The latest is called Gurdwara Nanaksar which was built in 1991 which is located on the main
road from Nagaon to Kampur.
- Meanwhile, the older Gurdwara located in the inner part of the city not far from the main road.
- It became a memorial monument along the main road as there were three young men from the
village who sacrificed their lives there during the Assam movement launched by AASU. They
consist of two Sikhs, Chandan Singh and Karam Singh.
FEATURES OF
AXOMIYA
SIKHS
First is the appearance of their showing racial
differences from Punjabi Sikhs.

Second, they were present as Sikhs with

unopened turbans and beards.

Third, they cannot speak Punjabi.

 First: The appearance of their showing racial
differences from Punjabi Sikhs.

- The first is the claim that their appearance

is the result of inter-racial mixing.
- This can be proven through the Sikh
army who had married a local woman. Those who survived the province They married women from
- Also included are those who are after the Burmese occupation of lower castes such as
considered part of the tribal lineage. Thus, Assam were known as Singh. Rajbhansis, Rabhas and others
the British colonialists had prepared a after settling in the province.
report to establish this history as racist. As
found in the two declarations.
 Second: They were present as Sikhs with
unopened turbans and beards.

it is often observed that the
question of Sikh identity is very
much liked by them and is also
committed in maintaining the
existence of Sikhs.
Look at the Sikh brother here very far
from Punjab. So, they need to
maintain a complete Sikh form. In fact
they did not find people like Sikhs at
their village.

This is very surprising to many in Sikh need to preserve the Sikh religion
seeing the Sikhs in a remote village that has been disturbed in Punjab
in Nagaon (Assam).
 Third: They can’t speak Punjabi.

This is because Sikh Axomiya,
descendants of soldiers and of
mixed descent (Punjabi and
Axomiya) were born and raised
in the villages. As a result, they
have little opportunity to learn
the language of their ancestors.
Apart from that, they also do not
have the opportunity to venture
into the agricultural industry and
remain in the village.
The isolation of the Sikhs has left
them an opportunity to meet other
languages.
This is because, this Sikh village is
about 130km from Guwahati
which is the only metropolis in the
Northeast.
 ISSUE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

In the field of literature,

music and theater was
contributed by Niranjan
Sigh, Gurmail Singh,
contribution to Axomiya He is a retired principal. Bijaya Sigh, Iqbal Kaur
Language and Literature Bhupen has translated and Avtar Singh.
by the Sahitya Academy, some of the sacred texts
New Delhi. of Master Granth into
Axomiya.
He has written poetry
and short stories and has
authored 15 books.
  The language can be divided into two categories, namely the language
spoken at home and outside.

2%
4%1%

the language spoken at Axomiya

home and outside Axomiya+Punjabi
Axomiya+Hindi
Punjabi

93%
 Writing Skills

Illiterate respondent
4.93%
Axomiya
Axomiya +
95.06% Hindi
2.46%

Axomiya + Axomiya + Hindi

English
+ English
25.48%
1.37%
 A person's mother tongue is Efficiency of their
efficiency of their
determined from the language daughters-in-law in
of her mother. wives in Axomiya. Axomiya

88.49% = Axomiya 87.69% = Axomiya+ 2.99% = Punjabi

(Maybe) Hindi, English, 86.51% = Axomiya
2.47% = Punjabi
Bangla & Punjabi
1.92% = Punjabi + Axomiya Balance = Combined one or
1.50% = Punjabi more language with
0.55% = Bahasa Hindi Axomiya

97.01% Use Axomiya language spoken at home

and outside
 Efficiency
of their son-in-law Axomiya+Other
in Axomiya Punjabi & Hindi
language
4.17% 95.83
%

Axomiya
81.94%
ISSUE OF SIKH RELIGION/
COMMUNITY

Sikh religion plays a very important role in

the construction of self-identity.

The difference between religion and society

is very important to consider the history of
the Sikh army that has married a women.
 COMMUNITY

Mother’s respondent Parental

10.14% Sikh placement
Axomiya
89.59% 88.21%
0.55%
Punjabi Belong to different places
but still in Nagaon district
Hindu
10.41% 11.78%
From Assam
The community and the religion of the respondent’s wives

COMMUNITY RELIGION

67.87% = Sikh
31.23% = Axomiya 68.17% = Sikhism
4.95% = Bengali 31.83% = Hindu
4.95% = Punjabi
 R
E Reading Gurbani
96.71% = Take amrit
L 53.42% = Read Gurbani
51.51% = Exhibited all five Ks 46.58% = Don’t read Gurbani
I
(kakar)
G Other initiatives
99.18% = not taken amrit and have Practice Katha and kirtan
I 72.14% = listened to the reading
kesh (hair)
O 70.14% = Did on television
56.99% = Display Kesh and kada 27.40% = Do not listen to Gurbani
N regularly.
(steel bracelets)
62.15% = Dislplay Kesh and Kanga

48.85% = adhere to Sikh rituals 53.15% = combine with local practices.

 THE DILEMMA OF
LANGUAGE AND RELIGION

PUNJABI SIKH
VS
AXOMIYA SIKH

related to Axomiya Sikh identity
as it continues to label them as
duplicates.
-Because from the history,
they come from army Sikh.
-Other than that, Axomiya
Sikh can’t speak Punjabi
very well.
-So Punjabi Sikh put
Axomiya Sikh as a
duplictaes
DILEMMA
Their understanding of
Punjabi and religious
flexibility was also criticized
- Gurdwara elections are a big issue and
those who use economic power have
ousted the locals from their management.
The economic elites have also used their
influence by hosting the Minister and the
political elites to be nominated to state
agencies and commissions.
- They also have an interest in labeling
the local Sikh community as duplicates
do not follow the Sikh
code or do not care
about the pollution of
purity.
- The economic power of the
Punjabi Sikhs can clearly be seen in
the gurpurab festival which includes
luxury food (langar) and expensive
decorations.
- Their enormous influence had an
effect by seizing the traditional role
in the Sikh religious life played by
the Axomiya Sikhs
 CONCLUSION
● Axomiya Sikhs are oppressed and humiliated by Punjabi Sikhs
because they do not know how to spek in Punjabi. It also clearly
shows that unity between races is a very important thing for a
country that has a diversity of races, cultures and religions. Through
unity as well, the problems of a race can be overcome with the nature
of tolerance and cooperation with each other.

● The Sikh religion also emphasizes the principle in maintaining the

image and form of the Sikh identity itself. Since the Sikhs are a
minority community, they need to work harder to maintain their
identity culture.