Very few remember this anymore but there was a tradition amongst Hindus and Sikhs in many parts of Punjab in Pre-Partition India that the eldest son of a Hindu Punjabi family would become a Sikh and walk the path of Guru Granth Sahib. I know this because our family lineage was part of this tradition. We still keep a Kada (bracelet) in our Puja Ghar next to Guru Nanak's picture as a symbolic offering of myself (the eldest son) to the Sikh Gurus. (See photograph below!)
That is why we outright refuse to give any credibility to any theory that there is any fundamental rift between Hindus and Sikhs.
We are from Punjab and know the nightmare of the early 1980s. But I can tell you that neither Hindus nor Sikhs at large want anything to do with the idea of Khalistan. The Sikh Regiment is still one of the most fearsome forces on the Indian borders and makes us feel safe and secure. We're just too tightly knit to be separated by anyone.
(And yes, that is Sai Baba right next to Guru Nanak 😊. We lived in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) in Pre-Partition India and have seen days when Hindu, Sikh and Muslim women used to make rotis on the same tandoor. Yes, Saanjha Chulha 😊!)
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