THEY have all the characteristics of Sikhs — a robust physique, full-grown beard, the unshorn hair tied in a turban, a penchant for colourful expletives... They visit the gurdwara regularly and even have names that end with ‘Singh’. But they do not know a word of Punjabi! These are the Barkola Sikhs of Assam.

Their women folk do not wear salwar-kameez like other Punjabis and can be seen in the traditional Assamese gear, known as mekhla-chaadar. At social functions and religious ceremonies, they wrap a third piece of cloth (known as riha), like all other Assamese women.

"Our ancestors in Punjab used to celebrate Baisakhi," says Swaran Bibi, a wizened old sardarni at this obscure settlement of Barkola Sikhs in central Assam. "Being Assamese, we celebrate the Bihu festival like everybody else here."

Barkola happens to be the village in Nagaon district of Assam where some Sikhs from Punjab set up an enclave for themselves around 1820. In time, they spread out all over Assam and have integrated themselves with the local populace. But they continue to retain their identity as Barkola Sikhs.

As Gurmeet Singh, the owner of a fast food restaurant in the state capital of Guwahati, points out: "Call us what you may, but please do not refer to us as Assamese Punjabis. We are Assamese first and Sikhs next."

The origin of this small, but enterprising , community goes back to the reign of Punjab ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh during the early 19th century. His ally in Assam, Swargadeo Chandrakanta Simha, was facing an armed rebellion, following the intrusion of Burmese militants in the kingdom.

Hearing about this, Ranjit Singh promptly dispatched a crack force of armed foot soldiers under the command of Chaitanya Singh to the rescue of his friend. No sooner had this small Punjab army reached Goalpara in the western frontiers of Assam, it was engaged in a fierce battle with the advancing Burmese troops.

Chaitanya Singh was killed but a handful of survivors, led by his widow, rowed up the Brahmaputra river for days until they reached the mouth of Kopili in central Assam. There they disembarked and settled down in a tiny hamlet, Chaparmukh Singhgaon.

The pious widow ordered the construction of a temple, which is today, known as Gurdwara Mataji. Two canons outside its gate bear testimony to the arrival of the soldiers in 1820 — the details of their adventure are etched prominently on marble slabs.

Narrates Ananda Singh, the present president of Gurdwara Mataji: "The soldiers who came here from Punjab began marrying local Assamese girls and within a couple of decades, merged with the rest of the population. We regard our ancestors to be Assamese."

Over the years, one group of settlers from Chaparmukh Singhgaon moved 15 km to the east where the land was much more fertile and set up a farming village, Barkola. Today, this is the largest single settlement of Sikhs outside Punjab.

"People often mistake us to be Punjabis," says Devi Singh, a farmer in chaste Ahomiya. "Some even refer to us as Assamese Punjabis. But we speak Ahomiya, read and write in Ahomiya, eat the Assamese way... only our religion is Sikhism."

Demographers point out that the single-most reason for their assimilation with the locals is the nature of the Assamese society. It is still very matriarchal like the rest of north-east India with property and other rights vesting in women. The men who married Assamese girls, lost their identity before long.

Yet professionally, these Assamese Sikhs have made their mark well. For instance, Dhyan Singh, who retired as Income Tax Commissioner, not only founded the Assamese Sikh Association, but also played a key role in the Assam movement against Bangladeshi infiltration in 1979-85.

Two Sikh youths, Chandan Singh and Karan Singh, led counter-insurgency operations in the state and lost their lives. The ruling All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) party has declared them ‘martyrs’ and erected memorials in their honour in Guwahati.

Dr Charan Singh is the present principal of Dispur College, while Ranjit Singh is Registrar of Guwahati University, and Jiban Singh is vice-principal of Dakhinapaat Higher Secondary School.

Many Barkola Sikhs have attained positions of eminence in institutions of higher learning. Jagjit Singh is a high court judge. Izzat Singh is a well known singer, lyricist and musician, Gurmail Singh is a best-selling author of several Assamese books, while several local Sikhs hold senior ranks in the Assam police services. (MF)