Sikh Hindu Division

Guru Nanak wearing Tilak on his forehead 

I come across rare painting of Guru Nanak Dev Ji which is approximately 250+ year old 

Dont know why in modern pictures Tilak is Missing from forehead of our Gurus 

My illustriuos first cousin Harish Khanna’s equally illustrious son Amitabh Khanna asked my views on the above painting. I try to explain to my best as below:

Prior to modern times, in West Punjab and Sindh, the majority of Hindus were Sikhs or Sehajdharis (Sikhs with no turban and hair) In 1920s,  the Sri Guru Singh Sabha movement marked the beginning of the present Sikh style. My father, Vasdev, and his brother, Inderjit, embraced Sikhism, adopting Singh as their surname and donning the turban. However, your grandfather and my Mama ji, being older, remained Dharam Chand, while his younger brother, Jai Chand, changed his name to Jai Singh. Even though Hindus and Sikhs would visit Dharamshalas (Gurdwaras known earlier), there was little distinction between them, except for the turban. 

Later, the Arya Samaj movement introduced differences among the communities, when their head Swamy Dayanand used abusive words against the founder of religion in his book. The Partition further scattered Punjabis, both Sikh and non-Sikh, across the country. The Akalis became more entrenched in their stance, while the Samajists advocated strongly for their beliefs. The demand for a Punjab language state led to further divisions, with Samajists aligning more closely with Hinduism and declaring Hindi as their mother tongue in the census.

In early Sikhism, the tilak symbolized the ascendancy to guruship, with Bhai Buddha applying it to Bhai Lahina upon his installment as Guru Angad, the second Sikh Guru. The tilak, traditionally worn by priests and ascetics, represented a spiritual perspective beyond materialism, associated with the third eye. However, with the creation of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, this practice was abandoned. Guru Gobind Singh emphasized the equality of women, the importance of physical prowess alongside spiritual sensitivity, and serving humanity without distinction. He baptized Sikhs into the Khalsa, granting them five freedoms: freedom from previous religious tenets, deeds, caste, taboos, and vocational distinctions. This liberation, achievable through serving humanity and meditating on God's name, allowed Sikhs to embody the roles of saint and soldier within the Khalsa brotherhood.

During this period, Khusrau is believed to have encountered Guru Arjan, who, according to Jahangir's own account, placed a tikka on his forehead. However, after Jahangir captured Khusrau, his followers faced execution, while he himself was blinded and imprisoned. Many historians speculate that Guru Arjan fell victim to the conflicts within the Mughal empire, possibly due to his association with Khusrau.

The partition of Punjab into new smaller Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh exacerbated these differences. Over time, the void between communities widened, with events like the rise of the Bhindranwale Cult, the army's assault on the Golden Temple, and the assassination of Indira Gandhi deepening tensions. Terrorism ensued, further polarizing communities. Today, the political landscape has led to a state where even biological brothers may find themselves in different religions. This schism extends to millions of families, including ours, where members question their true belonging.