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SIKH IDENTITY Sikhs Are Passing Through

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SIKH IDENTITY Sikhs Are Passing Through January – December 2015, Vol. 17, No. 1 SIKH IDENTITY AR TIC LE Sikhs are Passing Through A Sikh is a learner. For a Sikh, God - a unique trans- Baldev Singh Sandha Dean, Head & Professor (Retired), cendent invisible entity present in all existence - is a Department of Economics, part and parcel of life that originates from a clean Punjabi University, Patiala source and, as such, a search for spiritual ideals is Residence: Calgary, Canada free from the bondage of personal possessions and [email protected] wealth. The ‘worship’ of Aad Guru Granth Sahib by a INTRODUCTION Sikh implies action as per the ‘philosophy, ethics, cul- ture and way of life’ as prescribed in the teachings Who is a Sikh? Is a person who claims that he treasured in Aad Guru Granth Sahib and communicat- follows the teachings of Aad Guru Granth Sahib, ed to the learner through the Sabds (hymns) - the piv- otal force of Sikhism. No wonder, Guru Arjan refers a Sikh? Is a person who follows the “ Bachitar Aad Guru Granth Sahib “The Holy Book as the home Natak ”, also referred by some as Dasam Granth of the Transcendent God.” And, Guru Gobind Singh or as Dasam Sri Guru Granth Sahib , a Sikh? Is a declared it to be eternal Guru of Sikhs. person who follows the Sikh code of conduct, a Sikh? Is a person who believes in one God, a Sikh? Is a person who maintains beard and long A glance through Aad Granth yields the seven inter- hairs and wears a turban, a Sikh? Is a frequent twined layers that lay bare the necessary condition of visitor to a Gurdwara, a Sikh? Is a person born the value-cum-belief system of the identity of a Sikh. in a Sikh family, a Sikh? Is a person whose The three sufficiency condition related elements of the middle/end name is Singh or Kaur , a Sikh? Is a identity of a Sikh, namely the dress code, the nomen- clature, and the formal initiation procedure to Sikh person as defined by SGPC or DGPC, a Sikh 2? Brotherhood, bear the signature stamp of Guru Go- Such and a similar set of other queries come to bind Singh. Consequently, there exists a landscape of mind when one wants to idenfy a member of people who profess Sikhism faith in the Census statis- the community. But before idenfying a Sikh, tics, namely Amrit-dhari, Keshdhari and clean-shaved how does one idenfy a Sikh faith community Sikhs, the numbers that are boasted by the faith as (Sikhism) from the faith communies of the well as political leadership of Sikhs. world? This paper aempts to provide answers to the The rising preponderance of clean-shaved Sikhs, par- above set of queries with special reference to ticularly amongst the Sikh youth, in rural Punjab, more so, among the members of Sikh diaspora, is, indeed, a Sikh community in general and, a Sikh, in sign of worry. As a response, a number of research is- parcular. Such an aempt raises, in turn, such sues are listed for diagnostic analysis in the context of vital issues as relate to the idenficaon of the Indian Punjab and diaspora. These research issues main holy scripture of the faith and, if available, call for empirical investigation to objectively delineate a supplementary work thereof. Apart from this, the causes and only, thereafter, changes required in it calls for the idenficaon of necessary the present pattern of institutional leadership of Sikh condions that lays bare the essenals of the faith can be deciphered and deliberated upon. belief system of the followers of the faith and IUSCANADA.COM page 23 UNDERSTANDING SIKHISM – The Research Journal the sufficient condions that portrays fruit ( reetha s) – where Gurdwara the visible presence of the faith To communicate the revealed Reetha Sahib 5 is located, and (ii) followers. Finally, how far is the message to masses, the prophets, holding of a huge rock with his palm observed reality in tandem with the the learned men, have deployed that le his hand print on the rock - expectaons ? different modes of communicaon. Gurdwara Panja Sahib 6. Though Sikh Whereas the instruments of faith recognizes miracles, their These issues are discussed in four miracles and words have been exposion (or display) is considered Secons. Secon I deals with issues deployed by Moses and Jesus to arrogance and discouraged; such acts relang to the idenficaon of Sikh communicate the revealed message in Sikh faith are believed to compete community via the Holy Sikh to masses, the instrument of verse with the powers of the God. Scripture that details the unique (Ayats or Ayahs and Sabds) were the belief system of Sikh Brotherhood main tool used to communicate the God, as per the visualisaon of Sikh (community). Secon II probes the revelaons by Prophet Mohammed Gurus, is a Transcendent Enty that is essenals of the Sikh belief system to masses in the Islamic scripture 7 indefinable ( ਅਲਖ ), and the visible presence portraying Quran 3 and through God inspired signs of the members of Sikh faith. Sabds , as enshrined in the Sikh incomprehensible ( ਅਲਖੁ8), Secon III delves into the landscape scripture, AGGS, by Sikh Gurus. impercepble/ unfathomable of persons who claim that they are 9 10 (ਅਗੋਚਰ ), formless ( ਿਨਰੰਕਾਰ ), members of Sikhs community. In the Sikh Gurus are known to have used infinite ( 11 inaccessible concluding secon, Secon IV, the power of their Sabds ਬੇਅੰਤ ), relevant research quesons are (revelaons) to transform the (ਅਗਮ 12 ), without any fault raised that require empirical direcon of life of a variety of ( 13 etc. These aributes of invesgaon based answers. strayed people such as a robber ਿਨਰੰਜਨ ), (Sajjan), a cannibal (Kauda), a God are deciphered in the opening 14 1. SIKHISM: magician (Nur Shah), those who lines of AGGS as well. As such, God IDENTIFICATION OF SIKH lived in forests a er deserng their has not been assigned any specific/ COMMUNITY families (many Sidhs and Yogis), descripve name ( ਿਕਰਤਮ ਨਾਮ) in Every religious community is those who had forgoen the AGGS 15 . idenfied with a holy religious text, teachings of Koran (many mullahs) called scripture. Its content is and those who had overlooked the 2. SIKH IDENTITY believed to be divinely inspired and message of Gita and Vedas (many Who is a Sikh? What are the traits revealed and, as such, sacred. It is pundits), etc. In contrast, the main that help to idenfy members of a considered central to the religious tool of communicaon used by faith community? The idenficaon tradion of the community. For, it Moses - the central figure of of a faith community among the lays down the under-currents of the Judaism - and Jesus - the central world faith communies and specific religious values and belief figure of Chrisanity - are such members thereof, like that of any system that manifests in the visible miraculous powers as healing specific category of a substance, calls behaviour paern of its disciples; blind, crippled and deaf people; for deciphering (i) the necessary that is, amongst the members of the reviving a couple of dead people; condion - the core scripture, based community and, vis-à-vis, members creang food for thousands of on the revelaons, that enunciates of other communies. For instance, people from the thin air; walking on the teachings that lays down the the holy scripture of Chrisan the water surface of a lake; basic traits of the behaviour of community is Chrisan Bible (a set of commanding a rising storm to yield disciples amongst the community of 4 books), that of Muslim community is a passage to some friends , etc. faith followers vis-à-vis followers of Quran, that of Hindu community is other faith communies, and (ii) the Vedas, that of Jews community is There are two miracles associated sufficiency condion – the Torah wrien in Hebrew, and that of with the founder of Sikhism, Guru instuonal set up where visible Sikh community is Aad Guru Granth Nanak, namely, (i) turning a branch interacon takes place amongst the Sahib (AGGS), popularly known as Sri of the reetha tree to bear sweet disciples of the faith community, Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS). fruit ( reethas ) instead of usual bier where members from other page 24 IUSCANADA.COM January – December 2015, Vol. 17, No. 1 communies are also welcome. In Such learning endeavours of a Sikh undesirable means as snatching, general, members of such a faith not only reinforce his self- usurping or robbing the right of community evolve a lot of cultural confidence level but also movate others, i.e. via fraud, dishonesty, and polical commonalies as him to bypass the new obstacle and cheang or robbing 25 . As all members followers become conscience of the move on and, when unavoidable, are loved alike by the Guru 26 , Sikhism traits of unity, coherence and consciously plan and confront the is a commune religion. A true Sikh will interests. In the context of Sikhism, obstacle and move on for a beer rarely live on charity. the mother source of value and belief tomorrow 20 . Such a behaviour is system is Sabds enshrined in Aad simply an adaptaon of the usual A Sikh staunchly believes in the Guru Granth Sahib, o en referred to survival techniques a person existence of one God who is unique, as, the principle of Will of God, Raza ; deploys to move forward in the omnipresent, omnipotent and and the instuon of Gurdwara, in desired desnaon direcon omniscient creator, sustainer and which AGGS is housed on a raised through a dense forestaon by destroyer that can never take any plaorm, acts as the nerve centre of bending, crawling, climbing, jumping human form 27 .
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