Khalsa bole (Gurmukhi: ਖ਼ਾਲਸਈ ਬੋਲੇ or ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਬੋਲੀ; Ḵẖālasa'ī bōlē, Ḵẖālasā bōlī; meaning "words of Khalsa"; alternatively transcribed as Khalsa boli) is a bravado-based language variety developed and spoken by members of the Akali-Nihang sect of Sikhism.[8] It has also been described as a coded language.[9]Sant Singh Sekhon describes the lect as a "grandiloquent patois" that "comprises euphemisms and jargon symbolic of high-spirited confidence and courage".[10]
Names
Other common names for the lect are Gar Gaj Bole (ਗੜਗੱਜ ਬੋਲੇ; meaning "words that thunder"), Nihang Singh de Bole ("words of the Nihang Sikhs"), Nihang Bola ("Nihang speak"), and Khalsa de bole ("words of the Khalsa").[11][12][10]
Purpose
The dialect encompasses the Sikh philosophical concept of remaining ever optimistic, known as Chardi kala.[13] The unique dialect serves martial and mental objectives, such as helping the speaker and listeners remain in high-spirits in the face of adversity.[14][15] It serves as a verbal act of dissent in the face of troubling circumstances.[12]
"There is a great degree of general Sikh ambivalence towards the Nihangs and their deras. There is no real knowledge but through the construction of the Sikh past by ragis and dhadis and others involved in the invention of Sikh tradition, they seem to have made sacrifices for the faith and qaum. One possible consequence of their relative isolation could be the development of coded language. Sekhon (1997: 229) attributes these different meanings of the words as metaphors of optimism and belief in the inevitable achievement of the goal: 'Taking a meal of parched gram of necessity a Nihang would describe himself as eating almonds. Even now onions for Nihangs are silver pieces, rupees on the other hand mere pebbles, and a club the repository of wisdom.’ "
— Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech, The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (2014), page 380
History
Origin
Some claim it was invented by Banda Singh Bahadur, the early 18th century Sikh general and martyr.[11]: 120 Sikh scholar, Piara Singh Padam, claims it originated earlier in the 17th century, during the time of the Sikh gurus.[16] The dialect developed during the period of intense persecution of the Sikhs by the Mughal and Durrani empires in the 18th century.[17] During that period, Sikhs vacated for the mountains, jungles, and deserts to escape the genocidal policies enacted against them.[17]
"Guru Gobind Singh would rename some of the smaller or weaker Singhs in the ranks of the Khalsa Army. He would bestow them with lofty titles such as ‘Dharti-Hallaa Singh' (literally, the Earth-shaker). This would not only send fear and doubt deep within the ranks of the enemy soldiers, but encouraged the Singhs in the Khalsa Army to fight heroically with courage and confidence and honour the names given to them by the Guru."
— Nihang Darshan Singh, audio recording, July 2006[18]
Jasbir Singh Sarna claims the language variety evolved during the time-period of Nawab Kapur Singh.[19]
Accord to Sant Singh Sekhon, the Nihangs developed the special vocabulary full of euphemisms and parallels to common words and phrases to complement their martial role and character.[10] The terms were used by Nihangs to "make light of hardships", to describe enemies in a bold and provocative manner, and to belittle/ridicule things of worldly comfort.[10]
Present-day
Group of Nihang Sikhs
The dialect is still used by some modern Sikhs, especially the Akali-Nihangs.[20] Nihangs still employ Khalsa Bole in their encampments and also when they talk to members of the general public.[10] The Khalsa Bole used by Nihangs today with the public are for the purpose of comedy but also secrecy.[10] The euphemisms used by the Nihangs can be interpreted as derogatory.[10]
Many modern Nihangs are ridiculed for using their dialect.[12] They are often the target for jokes by outsiders.[12] Many of the terms of Khalsa Bole have been forgotten and lost.[10]
^This is due to the Qazis being associated with the Islamic call to prayer (azhan), a likeness is made to the call of a cockerel, and them demanding the non-Muslims of an area pay the Jizya tax, which was despised by the non-Muslim commoners, was a call of nature.
^Please see Afghan-Sikh Wars for background information on historical Afghan-Sikh relations.
^Haldar, Gopal (2000). Languages of India. New Delhi: National Book Trust, India. p. 149. ISBN9788123729367. The age of Old Punjabi: up to 1600 A.D. […] It is said that evidence of Old Punjabi can be found in the Granth Sahib.
^Bhatia, Tej K. (2013). Punjabi: A Cognitive-Descriptive Grammar (Reprint ed.). London: Routledge. p. XXV. ISBN9781136894602. As an independent language Punjabi has gone through the following three stages of development: Old Punjabi (10th to 16th century). Medieval Punjabi (16th to 19th century), and Modern Punjabi (19th century to Present).
^Christopher Shackle; Arvind Mandair (2013). "0.2.1 – Form". Teachings of the Sikh Gurus : selections from the Scriptures (First ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN9781136451089. Surpassing them all in the frequent subtlety of his linguistic choices, including the use of dialect forms as well as of frequent loanwords from Sanskrit and Persian, Guru Nanak combined this poetic language of the Sants with his native Old Punjabi. It is this mixture of Old Punjabi and old Hindi which constitutes the core idiom of all the earlier Gurus.
^Frawley, William (2003). International encyclopedia of linguistics (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 423. ISBN9780195139778.
^Austin, Peter (2008). One thousand languages : living, endangered, and lost. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 115. ISBN9780520255609.
^Braj B. Kachru; Yamuna Kachru; S. N. Sridhar (2008). Language in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 411. ISBN9781139465502.
^ ab"India Today". India Today. 9. Living Media India Pvt. Limited: 61. 1984.
^ abcdThe Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford Handbooks. Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech. OUP Oxford. 2014. p. 380. ISBN9780191004117.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Publication Bureau of Patiala Punjabi University. p. 16. This Nihang Singhi language helped the Singhs of those days to maintain themselves in high spirits and face the tempest of ordeals bravely.
^ abcdeGupta, Shekhar (15 August 1984). "We are the real heirs of the Sikh shrines and traditions: Baba Santa Singh". India Today. Retrieved 2023-03-08. Over the years as they fought suicidal battles and lived off the jungle in marginal conditions the Nihangs developed their own distinctive lifestyle, mannerisms and even language. To a Nihang even today to answer the call of nature is to "conquer Chittor or Multan", smoking is "kissing a female donkey" and red chilli is "a quarrelsome woman". Also, perhaps because of the harsh lives they were forced to lead the Nihangs were allowed the use of a concoction made of cannabis and dry fruit which they call garamjal (hot water).
^ abcdPathak, Vikas (22 October 2021). "The Nihangs: Sikh Warrior Creed That Evokes Respect And Fear In Equal Measure". Outlook India. 'He will dream of armies and he thinks in lakhs. If he is alone he will say, 'a-lakh-and-a-quarter Khalsa are present'. You ask him how he is, he will reply, 'the army is well'. For him, hunger is intoxication, a miserable pony an Arab or Iraqi steed…and dying would be proceeding on an expedition.' – 'Nihangs', a section in the Encyclopedia of Sikhism, edited by Prof. Harbans Singh and published by Punjabi University, Patiala
^Macintyre, Donald (1889). Hindu-Koh: Wanderings and Wild Sport on and Beyond the Himalayas. William Blackwood and Sons. p. 279.
^Syal, Meera (1996). Anita and Me. London: Fourth Estate. p. 111. ISBN1565845293.