Symbols, Community and Contest: Jhatka and Tobacco in the Politics of Sikh Identity

Abstract Towards the end of nineteenth century, process community-centric awakening was producing politics religious identity, mobilisations, and mutual cultural contests between different communities. Punjab being a province that inhabited mostly by Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs witnessed an identity based triangular contest these communities where political leadership each community picked up symbols to mobilise, organise, consolidate their respective constituencies. While presenting account symbolic manoeuvrings around jhatka tobacco in Sikh during colonial post-colonial contexts respectively, this article examines role discourses wherein differences are transformed into discord or antagonism. Here, it is argued meanings communicated deciphered through such need be comprehended locating articulations field inter-community power relations.