The Khalsa Advocate

The Khalsa Advocate
The Monthly English Organ of the Sikhs (original)
Front page of the first issue, 20 September 1903
TypeWeekly newspaper
Founder(s)Jodh Singh
PublisherChief Khalsa Diwan
Founded20 September 1903 (first issue)
LanguageEnglish
Ceased publication1923
RelaunchedRelaunched as The Khalsa Te Khalsa Advocate (in Punjabi) in 1923 onwards
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Sikh scriptures • Punjabi literature

The Khalsa Advocate was a Sikh newspaper in English founded in 1903 by the Chief Khalsa Diwan.[1][2][3] It was one of the most prominent and influential Sikh periodicals prior to 1920.[4][5]

History

Background

By the turn of the 20th century, English-language journals had become popular amongst the literate Sikhs of the Punjab.[3] In 1899, an English newspaper titled simply as The Khalsa was founded by Bhagat Lakshman Singh.[3] The Khalsa had a lifespan of two years, after which its production ceased.[3] However, the paper had an impact on showing the resoluteness of the Sikhs to reach a Western audience, such as the British and Punjabis who did not know how to read their ethnic language.[3]

Establishment and work

The newspaper was launched in 1903 as a monthly newspaper that acted as the official mouthpiece of the Chief Khalsa Diwan.[2] It was founded by a group of Sikhs lead by Jodh Singh.[3] Its purpose was to provide a medium of expression for Sikh feelings and aspirations.[2] It led the deliberations on Sikh issues of the time.[3] It was published out of Amritsar.[6] The newspaper was the foremost of the Sikh newspapers published in English of the era and had a circulation of around 1,000.[3]

The newspaper supported the Gurdwara Reform movement.[7] In the summertime of 1906, the newspaper advocated that it was a necessity that the administration of the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras be changed so social evils could be extinguished from their premises.[7] It supported an idea of the appointment of a manager (sarbrah) of the Golden Temple that was elected by the wider Sikh community (panth), not personally appointed by the government.[7] In the 9 June 1917 issue of the newspaper, it complained about the corruption and mismanagement widespread in the Golden Temple.[7]

The newspaper was a supporter of Punjabi being used as the language of instruction and that the decision over the script used should be left for the parents to decide.[7]

The newspaper was a supporter of the empowerment of women.[8][9] It spoke out against the practice of dowry, child marriage, domestic violence, polygamy, marriage mismatch, lavish weddings, and observing purdah.[8] It promoted the acceptance of widow remarriage.[8] The periodical stigmatized prostitution.[8]

After 1923, the newspaper was continued in Punjabi rather than English under the title The Khalsa Te Khalsa Advocate.[6][5]

The newspaper often published writings by Vir Singh and also covers the activities of all the institutions, schools, and colleges run by the Chief Khalsa Diwan.[2]

Taglines

The newspaper used multiple taglines throughout its existence, they are as follows:[6]

  • "The Monthly English Organ of the Sikhs."[6]
  • "The Only English Weekly of the Sikhs."[6]
  • "An English Weekly of the Sikhs"[6]

References

  1. ^ "The Khalsa Advocate". JSTOR. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Chief Khalsa Diwan - History". Chief Khalsa Diwan. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barrier, Norman Gerald (2004). "Sikh Journalism". In Singh, Harbans (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4: S–Z (2nd ed.). Patiala Punjabi University. pp. 161–166. ISBN 817380530X.
  4. ^ Grewal, J. S. (March 2018). "2 - Colonial Rule and the Sikhs: (1849–1919)". Master Tara Singh in Indian History: Colonialism, Nationalism, and the Politics of Sikh Identity (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199089840. The most important Sikh periodicals were the Khālsā Akhbār in Punjabi and the Khalsa in English, both of which were brought out from Lahore. The Nirguṇiārā and the Khālsā Samāchār in Punjabi and the Khalsa Advocate in English were published from Amritsar.
  5. ^ a b Barrier, Norman Gerald (3 January 1992). Jones, Kenneth W. (ed.). Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages. SUNY Series in Religious Studies (Illustrated ed.). SUNY Press. p. 226. ISBN 9780791408285. Also important in focusing the issues and personalities involved in Sikh pamphleteering are articles and correspondence in the three primary Sikh newspapers prior to 1920, The Khalsa Akhbar (Punjabi, c. 1889–1905), the Khalsa Samachar (Punjabi, 1899 to the present), and the Khalsa Advocate (1903–23, then becoming the Punjabi Khalsa Te Khalsa Advocate).
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The Khalsa Advocate (July 27, 1923)". JSTOR. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Grewal, J. S. (March 2018). Master Tara Singh in Indian History: Colonialism, Nationalism, and the Politics of Sikh Identity (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199089840.
  8. ^ a b c d Kaur, Ramandeep (May 2019). "Position of women in Punjab as Reflected in Khalsa Advocate Newspaper (1903-1947)" (PDF). Remarking An Analisation. 4 (2 (Part 1)): 326–29. eISSN 2455-0817.
  9. ^ Singh, Joginder. “Women’s Education and Sikh Reformers: A Study of Sikh Newspapers and Periodicals in the Early 20th Century.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 61, 2000, pp. 939–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44148169. Accessed 18 June 2024.