All India Sikh Students Federation - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Sikh Students Federation, formerly the All India Sikh Students Federation, is a Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

students' union

Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

and political organisation in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Although largely political in its activities, the organisation also seeks to promote the values and heritage of Sikhism

Sikhism

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...

.

After Operation Bluestar in June 1984, the organization temporarily removed the words "All India" from its name, and was known as Sikh Students Federation (SSF) for some time.

History

Before the federation came into being, Sikh youths were organized into local Bhujangi Sabhas in schools and colleges across the Punjab region

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

that promoted Sikh values, heritage and social service. The actual origin of the Sikh Student Federation can be traced back to "Khalsa clubs" established in 1888. The club came to be known as the Sikh Youngmens' Association, whose first president was Bhai Harnam Singh. Although small in size and activity, the association published the Khalsa Youngmens' Magazine and sponsored work on religious and social subjects. Sikh youths were an integral part of organizations such as the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, Shiromani Akali Dal

Shiromani Akali Dal

The Shiromani Akali Dal , translation: Supreme Akali Party) is a Sikh nationalist political parties based in Punjab. The current party to be recognized by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Parkash Singh Badal...

and the All India Students Federation

All India Students Federation

The All India Students Federation was the first student union in India level.It was founded by students] on 12 August 1936 with the banner Freedom Peace Progress, with the guidance of Nehru. At that time, it worked for the independence of India. The organisation now works for the betterment of...

Foundation

The All India Sikh Students Federation was formed as a students' organisation independent and committed to the political representation of Sikhs. The motivation for a distinct organisation for Sikhs came from the heightening communal and political tensions between the Hindu

Hinduism in India

Hinduism is a religious tradition of India, with 80.5% of the population identifying themselves as Hindus. The vast majority of Hindus in India belong to Vaishnavite and Shaivite denominations.The Vedic culture originated in India between 2000 and 1500 BC...

and Muslim

Islam in India

Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....

communities. In 1937, a large group of Muslim students split from the Hindu-majority All India Students Federation

All India Students Federation

to form the All India Muslim Students Federation

All India Muslim Students Federation

The Muslim Students Federation was an Indian Muslim students union affiliated with the All India Muslim League. Splitting off from the All India Students Federation in 1937, the body was organised under patronage of Quaid-e-millath Ismail Sahib.- About MSF:...

, which became the youth arm of the Muslim League and the Pakistan movement

Pakistan Movement

The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...

. Seeking to protect Sikh political rights and representation, organisations such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee sponsored the creation of the All India Sikh Students Federation in 1944. It was headquartered in Lyallpur/Faislabad (now in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

) and its organisation spread across colleges and universities in Punjab

Punjab (British India)

Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...

and northern India. Following the partition of India

Partition of India

The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

in 1947, the organisation moved its headquarters to Amritsar

Amritsar

Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...

in Indian Punjab

Punjab (India)

Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...

After Partition

During the communal riots and mass migrations at the time of India's partition, the AISSF helped organise relief and rehabilitation camps for Hindu and Sikh refugees arriving in India from Pakistan. In independent India, the AISSF became closely linked as the youth arm of the Akali Dal. The federation would expand its organisation across India and become one of the nation's leading student political organisations. It would also help build support and lead the Sikh political demand for the establishment of a Sikh-majority state within the Indian union. As the agitation reached its peak in the mid-1960s, the federation helped organise student marches and rallies to increase pressure on the Indian government.

Bhai Daljeet Singh Bittu was elected at president of SSF.

Present Setup

Sikh Students Federation was reorganized in 2001 and Sewak Singh, a Student from Punjabi University was elected as President. After Sewak Singh, Mandhir Singh headed the organization till 2007 January. Presently Parmjeet Singh alias Gazi is President of the organization

History

Foundation

After Partition

Present Setup

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