We were once free. Our sovereign institutions were answerable only to the Guru and the Divine. Today the Akal Takht, built by Guru Harigobind Sahib, is under the laws of the Indian state. We are the world's only major faith without our own sovereign institution, the only faith whose central authority is legislated by an outside government. Imagine having our own sovereign institution, open and responsible. Imagine being proud of how the Panth is run? Imagine having a say in how your faith is governed? Imagine a Free Akal Takht.

Santbir Singh is a avid student of Sikh history and philosophy. He has taught and spoken at retreats, conferences and youth camps for well over a decade and a half. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.