Between protest and pragmatism: the dual strategy of Shiromani Akali Dal during the Gurdwara reform movement 1920-1925

Abstract

This article examines the role of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920-1925), analysing how it mobilized the Sikh community in Punjab to reclaim gurdwaras from mahants. The SAD implemented a calculated strategy through a structured network of Akali Jathas (volunteer bands) and grassroots activism, maintained with institutional discipline. This study argues that the SAD achieved its objectives via a dual approach: leveraging Sikh religious principles while strategically navigating the colonial legal framework to establish the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) as a centralized authority. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the SAD's unique religio-political model not only reinforced Sikh identity but also offered effective resistance against British colonial rule. Drawing on colonial records preserved in the Punjab Archives and institutional libraries; the research reveals that the SAD's disciplined nonviolent resistance established new paradigms for faith-based collective action in colonial India.