NEW DELHI: The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee has urged the Supreme Court to ban 'Sardar Jokes' as the "12 o'clock" jibe is in reality linked to acts of bravery. The top Sikh religious body explained to the court how the joke came to be associated with the Sikhs.
It claimed that every time Muslim invaders looted India, capturing women to take back with them, Sikh warriors despite low on numerical strength, attacked them at midnight to free the captive Hindu women. The 12 o'clock jokes also come from another incident. The British used to fire a cannon at 12 noon, Calcutta time. But the Sikhs defiantly used to fire another cannon at 12, Punjab time. People began to refer to the firings as British time and Sardar time, the SGPC said.
The SGPC, in its affidavit filed through Advocate Kamaldeep Gulati, said, "Living in those violent years of Mughal and Afghan invasions, the Sikh community, aside from adorning the mantle of protectors being brave, courageous, and fearless, also ingrained in themselves a gregariousness and zest for life. They lived every day with the knowledge that at any time they may have to lay down their lives for the service of faith and others." It also added, "It is most unfortunate that over a period of time, the society has forgotten the role played by the Sikh community. The courage is now looked upon as foolhardiness, the fearlessness is translated into lacking in intelligence and the gregariousness and zest for life is shown to be buffoonery. What started off as a salute to the heroism of the Sikhs, has been turned into a rude vitriolic of 12 o'clock jokes."
