JALANDHAR: “It was the best of times, it was worst of times, it was age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness…” opening lines of Charles Dickens ’ magnum opus ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ seem to fit the present state of the Sikh community. Acts of ordinary Sikhs, of standing up with the oppressed in tough times or displaying a strong moral fabric, have earned praise for the entire community in India and abroad. Paradoxically, Sikh religious and political leaders are involved more in squabbles, embarrassing the community.While most recent are the stories of a few common Sikhs from Delhi — likes of Mohinder Singh, his son Inderjeet Singh and Jinder Singh Sidhu — who saved people from murderous mobs and then gurdwaras reacting instantly to shelter and provide food to the victims of riots irrespective of their religious identity, there have been earlier instances also with similar display of courage and compassion.The community has been winning a lot of accolades from members of other communities on Twitter and Facebook — ranging from praise to gratitude. In fact, most of the Hindus and Muslims appear to be agreeing on this.The Muslim community in Saharanpur decided to forego offer of a plot by Sikhs — as both sides settled their decade-long dispute which even led to riots — out of gratitude for the help given by Sikhs to the victims of communal violence in north-east Delhi. Similar sense of gratitude emanated from Kashmir when common Sikhs not only protected Kashmiris — when they were at the receiving end of post-Pulwama backlash in February last year — but also helped them reach homes safely.Common Sikhs of Jammu and gurdwaras there protected the Kashmiris when the city was hit by rioting. Several Kashmiri students rushed to Gurudwara Singh Shaheedan, Sohana, and Gurudwara Sacha Dhan, Mohali, where local Sikhs helped them with shelter and food till they were transported to safety. Post abrogation of Article 370, a group of Delhi-based Sikhs helped group of Kashmiri girls stranded in Pune to fly back to their homes safely.Paradoxically, at the same time their religious and religio-political leaders are busy involved in bitter internal battles and there appears dark vacuum of leadership. These are not only Sikh political leaders who are in the dock, even religious leaders are also engaged in bitter battles — latest being the bitter round between Damdami Taksal and Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale which is now turning nasty and leading to divisions in the community — like Shia-Sunni, in the words of noted Sikh author Jaspal Singh Sidhu . While SGPC leaders have been facing heat from Sikhs for their failures and flaws, DSGMC leaders are involved in their own bitter battles.“There is a big gap between how common Sikh is displaying Sikh ethos and religious and political leaders displaying lack of it. Apparently leaders are gripped more by selfish interests,” said former SGPC general secretary Kiranjot Kaur, grand-daughter of Akali stalwart Master Tara Singh.“Common Sikhs are drawing their inspiration from principles laid down by Sikh Gurus, while their leaders, including religious, are driven more by day-to-day politics and that is reason of this paradox,” said Sikh author Gurbachan Singh.“Core of Sikh ethos working at the sub-conscious mind of collective Sikh psyche drives behaviour of common Sikhs in difficult situations while leaders — both political and religious — appear to be away from these ethos,” said Sikh commentator and writer Karamjit Singh .Despite failings at the top level, DSGMC was the first body of any religious identity which rushed food at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for the injured and their relatives. The Akal Takht jathedar also asked Sikhs to help all the riot victims.