 Summary of this article
- “An Invisible Minority: The History, Society and Politics of Sikhs in Kashmir”, by Komal JB Singh was published by Routledge India in 2025.
- In the book, Singh questions the existence and future of Sikhs in Kashmir.
- Sikhs, a minority in Kashmir, make up less than one percent of the Valley's population.
Who am I in the long and contested history of Kashmir? Where does my community stand in a region that has so often spoken through the voices of its majorities? These deeply personal and unsettling questions shape the opening of Komal JB Singh’s Book, “An Invisible Minority: The History, Society and Politics of Sikhs in Kashmir”(2025). The Sikhs have lived in Kashmir for generations, sharing its land, labour, and history, yet their presence has remained persistently overlooked. Komal begins by placing herself within this silence, questioning her own existence and future as a Sikh in a region where recognition is uneven, and belonging is fragile.
The book powerfully highlights how academic and political attention in Kashmir has long centred on dominant communities such as the Muslims and Hindus, whose histories and identities have been repeatedly documented, analysed, and normalised. In contrast, the Sikhs have endured decades of social marginalisation, economic hardship, and cultural erasure, even as they continued to survive and resist. By confronting this imbalance, Komal’s work is not only an academic intervention but also an act of moral courage that aims to restore visibility, dignity, and voice to a community long pushed to the margins of Kashmir’s history. |
