Malerkotla in Punjab has now become the heart of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Women, students, farmers and Sikh activists have come together to express their displeasure over the contentious Act.

A small town in Punjab’s Sangrur district, Malerkotla has come alive in the anti-CAA-NPR-NRC, with the women expressing solidarity with their sisters at Shaheen Bagh.

The women of Malerkotla, dressed in yellow to symbolize oneness, had led a march last week too, under the aegis of several Left organizations, reported The Tribune. At the march, Sukhdev Kokri, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) said that the Centre was diverting the attention of the people from real issues like excesses on women, rampant unemployment, soaring inflation, farmer suicides and the disastrous state of the economy by engaging in communal diatribes.

Massive protest against #CAA_NRC_NPR by women farmers at Malerkotla, Punjab, a large number of Muslim women too participated. Call for even bigger protest on Feb 16 @_YogendraYadav @RanaAyyub @ReallySwara @anuragkashyap72 @Shehla_Rashid @UmarKhalidJNU @devikasmittal @ProfChaman pic.twitter.com/wYf1uhI1fY

— Neel Kamal (@NeelkamalTOI) February 1, 2020

Malerkotla has been blessed – it has witnessed no communal riots, no border crossing, even at the time when Punjab had become a killing field during the `1980s, Malerkotla remained as calm as ever. Malerkotla is the land where Guru Nanak’s enlightenment came in the form of “Na koi Hindu, Na koi Musalman” (no one is Hindu, no one is Muslim) and where “Kudrat ke sab bande” reverberates upto this day, writes journalist Vijaya Pushkarna who has covered the hotspots of Punjab. She says then it is natural that the slogan of the protesting women is, “Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai… saare kirti bhai bhai”.

Pushkarna goes to explain why the scrapping of the CAA is crucial for the families of Malerkotla. She says, “Time and again, I have heard the women of Malerkotla tell me that they are never able to attend weddings and funerals in their family across the border, because they cannot get a visa. They miss their relatives at their own events in Punjab this side.”

“When these families look for a bride or a groom it is the traditional, conservative way. A Punjabi-speaking Muslim. They are either in Malerkotla or in Punjab across the border. And the visa-obstruction notwithstanding, they agree to an alliance in or around Lahore, to remove the homesickness of a sister or a brother already married across the border,” she adds.

She says that for the Punjabi Muslims of Malerkotla, a Muslim match from Aligarh or Nagapatnam or Hyderbad won’t do. For many, it is a distance marriage, absentee parenthood. The CAA 2019 takes away the little hope of reunion that they had. 

Under the banner of the Punjab Students’ Union (PSU), students of the Government College and ITI Malerkotla have also joined the women in their protest, reported the Hindustan Times. Sukhdeep Hathan, district of the PSU said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to make India a Hindu nation under its fascist policies and is targeting educational institutes and minorities across country. However, we will not tolerate such policies in a democratic nation.”

Farmer unions and other organizations from across the state have decided to hold a massive gathering in Malerkotla against the CAA-NPR-NRC in Malerkotla on February 16. Amolak Singh, Convenor of the Punjab Lok Sabhyacharak Manch says that they have planned to perform street plays and musical performances in the villages to raise awareness about the issue and invite people to join the mega protest on February 16.

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But while there were mass killings of Sikhs and Muslims in villages and cities across the Punjab in 1947, Malerkotla in Punjab saw no instances of communal violence and till date, the city stands in continued communal harmony. Malerkotla is the only Muslim majority city in Punjab with 68.5% residents being Muslim and the rest being Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists.
 
History of peace:
To understand what made Malerkotla an oasis of peace even as Partition violence progressed all around it, we need to delve into a centuries old story of compassion. When the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji was waging a “dharma yudh” to protect non-muslims from forced conversions by ruler Aurangzeb, his two youngest sons Sahebzada Zorawar Singh (age 9) and Sahebzada Fateh Singh (age 7), along with his mother Mata Gujri, were captured by the Nawab of Sirhind Wazir Khan while escaping from the siege of Anandpur in 1704. After keeping them captive for a few days, Wazir Khan ordered for the two children to be bricked behind a wall and hence, suffocated alive. Sher Mohammad Khan, the Nawab of Malerkotla, who was present at court, raised his objection to this order saying that the execution of children was a heinous act and was against the tenets of the Qur’an which did not allow the killing of innocent children. Despite his objection and appeals that reached even Aurangzeb, Wazir Khan’s orders were eventually followed and the children were executed. Mata Gujri is said to have collapsed because of the shock of her grand children’s deaths. When the news of the demise of his mother and youngest children reached Guru Gobind Singh ji, he was also informed about Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan’s protest. The Guru is said to have blessed the house of the Nawab, declaring that its “roots shall remain forever green.” Residents of Malerkotla believe this could be one of the reasons the town produces an abundance of vegetables throughout the year and is referred to as the “vegetable capital” of Punjab, supplying the produce to the entire state.

The Nawabs of Malerkotla before Sher Mohammad Khanhad also kept the spirit of harmony alive by practicing secularism and tolerance during their reign. In her book “Sharing the Sacred: Practicing Pluralism in Muslim North India”, Anna Bigelow cites the example of Nawab Bayzid Khan (1659) who invited a Chishti Sufi saint, Shah Fazl, and a Bairagi Hindu saint, Mahatma Sham Damodar, to bless the site of establishment of Kotla in a public enactment of pluralism.Today the tomb complex, or dargah, of Shah Fazl is a popular local mosque and shrine.
 
Blessings of a Guru honoured:
During Partition, when Punjab was ravaged by riots, looting, violence, sexual abuse, and mass killings, Malerkotla remained almost untouched. Sikhs from surrounding areas assured the resident Muslims that they were safe in Malerkotla and did not need to migrate to the newly formed Pakistan and risk their lives in the process of crossing the border.

In present day Malerkotla, inter-religious friendship is celebrated through shared festivals, partnering of communities in business and trade, mixed neighbourhoods, and mutual respect of the residents. Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus live side by side and come to each other’s aid whenever needed. Sikhs built Gurudwara Haa Da Nara in Malerkotla, named so, to honour the “rallying cry for justice” raised by Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan and it remains a revered place of worship for Sikhs.
 
Pippa Virdee, author of “From the ashes of 1947: Reimagining Punjab” included a chapter on “Sacred Malerkotla” in the book. When Sabrang india asked her to what factors she thought Malerkotla owed its enduring peace, she told us, “Based on the fieldwork I conducted in Malerkotla I found that many of the residents still cited Sher Mohammad Khan’s protest as one of the most important reasons for Malerkotla’s peaceful communal relations. However, having looked at the state records, my research concluded that the role of the state was very important in maintaining peace during the partition violence. It was also quite apparent and exceptional that communal harmony was emphasised rather than the usual propaganda of enmity and tension amongst different communities. If the state is determined to maintain peace and prevent violence, it can play a positive role. If on the other hand, it wants to promote tension between the communities for its benefits, it was possible to do that as well because there was tension, but this was quickly and effectively diffused by the Nawabs. Of course, for the residents, the protest by Khan and the long history of communal harmony in the princely state is an important reminder to observe restraint rather than escalate tension.”

She makes an important point about the role of the state and administration in promoting communal harmony. In present day Malerkotla, children learn Urdu and Punjabi in schools together and are living in an environment that shows them examples of communal harmony all around them, giving us hope that the teachings of their ancestors will be carried forward.

As Anna Bigelow says, “Whether the people attribute the communal unity to Allah’s grace, the Guru’s blessing, the protective power of a saint, or to the secular policies of the nawabs, they greatly value this legacy of peace and are justifiably proud of it.”

Conclusion: Little Acts build up a Grand(er) Narrative
In this age of technology and instant gratification, with 24 hour news cycles that highlight how our country is disintegrating from within its seams,we seem to have lost touch with stories from our past that highlight the plurality and tolerance as well as a sense of community thathad united India. It is these stories that make and build the present and even, the future. The story of Malerkotla shows us how a simple act of compassion can span generations of peace, and how we can bring harmony to our country if each of us were to emulate the spirit of Malerkotla in our own small way. It will be our little acts of compassion that will build a strong and peaceful India for the generation to come.
 
Related Articles:
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2. The colourful history of Holi and Islam
3.KagineleSangamesha: Where Hindus and Muslims Walked Together
4. Syncretic Spiritualism Comes Alive at Baba Boudhangiri: 15 Years of KKSV
 

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