A reformatory current known as the Singh Sabha
movement, which arose towards the end of the last century attempted to recover
the essence and purity of Sikh teaching submerged in the splendour of power. The
main motivation of Singh Sabha was the search for Sikh identity. Under this
Singh Sabha impulse new powers of regeneration came into effect and Sikhism was
reclaimed from a state of utter ossification and inertia. The principal concepts
and concerns of Sikhism today are those given or restored to it by the Singh
Sabha.
Freshly affranchised by the Singh Sabha enlightenment,
the Sikhs entered the mainstream of Indian life of their identification
with revolutionary national movements. The partition of Punjab in 1947,
which divided the Sikh population into two equal halves, was a severe blow to
them. But, they were able to rehabilitate soon and secure their due place in the
national life. It is their native qualities of tenacity and enterprise that
enabled them to regain their due place.
Modern Sikhism is the result of the Singh Sabha
restoration. It retains its creedal unity and its adherence to its metaphysics
and symbolism.