Sikh Totally Explained

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Sikh (English: [siːk] or [sɪk];,, IPA: ['sɪk.kʰ]) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit "shishya", which means disciple or learner. Many male Sikhs can easily be recognized by their turbans, beards, or steel bracelets on their right wrists. Steel bracelets are also worn by Sikh women.
   The evolution of Sikhs began with the emergence of Guru Nanak as a religious leader and a social reformer during the fifteenth century in Punjab. Their identity was formalised and weilded into uniform practise by Guru Gobind Singh on march 30, 1699. The Latter baptised five persons from different social backgrounds to form the social brotherhood of the Khalsa. The first five, Pure Ones, then baptised Gobind Singh into the Khalsa fold.
   The Sikhs established a nation, under Ranjit Singh, in the nineteenth century in which they were preeminent. They were known for their military prowess, administrative capabilties, economic productivity and their adaptability to modern western technology and administration.
   The Sikhs comprise about two percent of India's billion population. The greater Punjab region is the historic homeland of Sikhism. Most Sikhs are from the Punjabi people and now come from the Punjab region of India, although significant communities exist around the world.

Philosophy

The core philosophy of the Sikh religion can be understood in the beginning hymn of the holy Guru Granth Sahib,
Guru Nanak, the founder of the faith, summed up the basis of Sikh lifestyle in three requirements: Naam Japo, Kirat Karni and Wand kay Shako, which means meditate on the holy name (Waheguru), work diligently and honestly and share one's fruits.
   The Sikhs revere Guru Granth Sahib as their supreme teacher, as it's a literal transcript of the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. The tenth Guru appointed Guru Granth Sahib as his successor. Compiled by the Sikh Gurus, and maintained in its original form, Sikhs revere Guru Granth Sahib as their supreme guide. Non-Sikhs can partake fully in Sikh prayer meetings and social functions. Their daily prayers include the well being of whole mankind.
   The concept of saint-soldier is a unique feature of Sikhism. Every Sikh is required to aspire to sainthood by his devotion to God and service to mankind, but also, according to the situation, to adopt the role of the soldier. A Sikh is also commanded, if necessary and circumstances allow, to lay his or her life down to protect the poor and weak, regardless of race, religion, sex or creed. The Sikhs look at the martyrdom of the 9th Guru for trying to protect Hindus from religious persecution, in Delhi, on 11 November 1675 AD, as an example to be followed.
   Sikhs are required not to renounce the world, and aspire to live a modest life. Seva (service) is an integral part of Sikh worship, very easily observed in the Gurdwara. Visitors of any religious or socio-economic background are welcomed, where Langar (food for all) is always served.
   The Sikhs also revere Bhaktas or Saints belonging to different social backgrounds. The work of these Bhagats is collected in Guru Granth Sahib, and is known as Bhagat-Bani (sacred word of bhagat) as against work of Sikh Gurus being known as Gur-Bani (sacred word of guru).
   People revered by Sikhs also include:

Bhai Mardana: (One of the first followers and lifelong companion of Guru Nanak)
Bhai Bala:(One of the first followers and lifelong companion of Guru Nanak)
Baba Buddha: (Sikh saint, held the position of high Granthi in the Sikh religion)
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur: (Fought and Defeated Mughal Governor of Punjab Wazir Khan and established Sikh force in Punjab)
Baba Deep Singh: (Sikh saint, defended Golden Temple with his head in his hand)
Bhai Mani Singh(Sikh Scholar, compiled the Dasam Granth)
Bhai Taru Singh (Was a great patron of the poor)
Bhai Gurdas (Known for his interpretation of bani)

Early Sikh Scholars included Bhai Vir Singh and Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha

Five Ks

The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five articles of faith that all baptized Sikhs (Khalsa) are required to wear at all times, as commanded by the tenth Sikh Guru, who so ordered on the day of Baisakhi Amrit Sanskar in 1699. The symbols are worn for identification and representation of the ideals of Sikhism, such as honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny. The five symbols are:-

Kesh (uncut hair)

Kanga (wooden comb)

Kaccha (specially-designed underwear)

Kara (Iron bracelet)

Kirpan (strapped sword).

History

Essentially Sikh history, with respect to Sikhs as a distinct political body, can be said to have began with the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev in 1606. Sikh distinction was further enhanced by the establishment of the Sikh 'Pure' brotherhood or Khalsa (ਖਾਲਸਾ), by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. This gives the Sikhs, as an organized political grouping, a history of around 400 years. Generally Sikhs have had amicable relations with other religious communities. However, during the Islamic conquest of India (1556–1707), prominent Sikh Gurus were martyred by the ruling Mughals for opposing the Mughul's persecution of non-Islamic religious communities. Subsequently, the Sikhs militarized to oppose Islamic hegemony. The emergence of the Sikh Empire under reign of the Sikh Maharajah Ranjit Singh was characterized by religious tolerance and pluralism with Christians, Muslims and Hindus in positions of power. The establishment of the Sikh Empire is commonly considered the zenith of Sikh political sovereignty, during this time the Sikh Empire came to include Kashmir, Ladakh, and Peshawar. The Empire's secular administration integrated innovative military, economic and governmental reforms also influenced by the Nepoleonic model. Culturally amongst the achievements of the Empire was the establishment of the Imam Bakhsh Lahori school of painting, the discovery of Gandhara art, and the exploration of the Himalayas. as the Sikhs agitated for the creation of a Sikh majority state, an undertaking which was promised to the Sikh leader Master Tara Singh by Nehru in return for Sikh political support during the negotiations for Indian Independence. Sikhs obtained the Sikh majority state of Punjab on November 1, 1966.
Communal tensions between Sikhs and Hindus arose again in the late 1970s, fueled by Sikh claims of discrimination and marginalization by the Hindu dominated Indian National Congress ruling party and the "dictatorial" tactics adopted the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Frank Gandhi's 1984 action to defeat Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale led to desecration of the Golden Temple in Operation Bluestar and ultimately led to Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. Since 1984, relations between Sikhs and Hindus have reached a rapprochement helped by growing economic prosperity; however in 2002 the claims of the popular right-wing Hindu organization the RSS, that "Sikhs are Hindus" angered Sikh sensibilities. Many Sikhs still are campaigning for justice for victims of the violence and the political and economic needs of the Punjab espoused in the Khalistan movement.
In 1996 the Special Rapporteur for the Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia, 1993–2004), visited India in order to compose a report on religious discrimination. In 1997, Amor concluded, "it appears that the situation of the Sikhs in the religious field is satisfactory, but that difficulties are arising in the political (foreign interference, terrorism, etc.), economic (in particular with regard to sharing of water supplies) and even occupational fields. Information received from nongovernment (sic)sources indicates that discrimination does exist in certain sectors of the public administration; examples include the decline in the number of Sikhs in the police force and the absence of Sikhs in personal bodyguard units since the murder of Indira Gandhi".

Distribution

Numbering approximately 23 million worldwide, Sikhs make up 0.39% of the world population of which approximately 83% live in India. Of the Indian Sikh community 14.6 million, for example 76% of all Indian Sikhs, live in the northern Indian State of Punjab (India), where they form a majority 59.9% of the population. Substantial communities of Sikhs, for example greater than 200,000, live in the Indian States/Union territories of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir.
   Sikh migration from the then British India began in earnest from the 2nd half of the 19th century when the British had completed their annexation of the Punjab. The British Raj preferentially recruited Sikhs in the Indian Civil Service and, in particular, the British Indian Army, which led to migration of Sikhs to different parts of British India and the British Empire. Subsequently the main 'push' factor for Sikh migration has been economic with significant Sikh communities now being found in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Malaysia, East Africa, Australasia and Thailand.
   Whilst the rate of Sikh migration from the Punjab has remained high, traditional patterns of Sikh migration, that favored English speaking countries, particularly the United Kingdom has changed in the past decade due to factors such as stricter immigration procedures. Moliner(2006) states that as a consequence of the 'fact' that Sikh migration to the UK had "become virtually impossible since the late 1970s", Sikh migration patterns altered to continental Europe. Italy has now emerged as a fast growing area for Sikh migration, with Reggio Emilia and the Vicenza province being areas of significant Sikh population clusters. The Italian Sikhs are generally involved in areas of agriculture, agro-processing, machine tools and horticulture.
   Due primarily to socio-economic reasons, Indian Sikhs have the lowest adjusted decadal growth rate of any major religious group in India, at 16.9% per decade (est. 1991–2001). Johnson and Barrett(2004) estimate that the global Sikh population increases annually by 392,633 Sikhs, for example by 1.7% p.a. on 2004 figures, the former mayoress of Dunedin Sukhi Turner, the current UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Parmjit Dhanda MP and the Canadian Shadow Social Development Minister Ruby Dhalla MP. Vic Dhillon, is a famous Sikh Canadian politician and current member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
   Sikhs make up 10–15% of all ranks in the Indian Army and 20% of its officers, whilst Sikhs only forming 1.87% of the Indian population, which makes them over 10 times more likely to be a soldier and officer in the Indian Army than the average Indian. Sikh men in India are commonly referred to with the title of Sardar, which means commander in Persian and is a sign of military authority.The Sikh Regiment is the highest decorated regiment of the Indian Army, with 73 Battle Honours, 14 Victoria Crosses, 21 first class Indian Order of Merit (equivalent to the Victoria Cross), 15 Theatre Honours and 5 COAS Unit Citations besides 2 Param Vir Chakras, 14 Maha Vir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, 67 Vir Chakras and 1596 other gallantry awards.The highest-ranking General in the history of the Indian Air Force is a Sikh Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh. Advanced plans by the MOD to raise an Infantry UK Sikh Regiment were scrapped in June 2007 to the disappointment of the UK Sikh community and Prince Charles of Britain.
   Historically, most Indians have been farmers and even today (two-thirds) 66% of Indians are farmers. Indian Sikhs are no different and have been predominately employed in the agro-business, India's 2001 census found that 39% of the working population of Punjab were employed in this sector (less than the Indian average). The success, in the 1960s, of the Green Revolution, in which India went from "famine to plenty, from humiliation to dignity", was based in the Sikh majority state of Punjab which became known as "the breadbasket of India". The Sikh majority state of Punjab is also statistically the wealthiest (per capita) with the average Punjabi through, his hard work, enjoying the highest income in India, 3 times the national Indian average. The Green Revolution centered upon Indian Punjabi Sikh farmers adapting their farming methods to more intensive and mechanized techniques; note this was aided by the electrification of Punjab, cooperative credit, consolidation of small holdings and the existing British Raj developed canal system. Swedish political scientist, Ishtiaq Ahmad, states that a factor in the success of the Indian green revolution transformation was the "Sikh peasant cultivator, often the Jat, whose courage, perseverance, spirit of enterprise and muscle prowess proved crucial". However not all aspects of the green revolution were beneficial, Shiva argues that the green revolution essentially rendered the "negative and destructive impacts of science [for examplethe green revolution] on nature and society" invisible; thus having being separated from their material and political roots in the science system, when new forms of scarcity and social conflict arose they were linked not to traditional causes but to other social systems for example religion. Hence Vandana Shiva argues that the green revolution was a catalyst for communal Sikh and Hindu tensions; despite the growth in material affluence. Sikhs feature in varied professions such as scientists, engineers and doctors; notable Sikhs include nuclear scientist Professor Piara Singh Gill who worked on the Manhattan project; optics scientist ("the father of fibre optics") Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany; physicist and science writer/broadcaster Simon Singh and agricultural scientist Professor Baldev Singh Dhillon.
   In the sphere of business, the clothing retailers/brands of UK based New Look and Thai based JASPAL were started by Sikhs. India's largest pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy Laboratories is headed by Sikhs. UK Sikhs have the highest percentage of home ownership, at 82%, out of all UK religious/ethnic communities. In Singapore, Kartar Singh Thakral has built up his family's trading business, Thakral Holdings/Corp, into a commercial concern with total assets of close to $1.4 billion. Thakral is Singapore's 25th richest person. Bob Singh Dhillon is the first Indo-Canadian billionaire and a Sikh. Perhaps no Sikh diaspora group has had as much success as those who have migrated to North America; especially the Sikhs who have migrated to California’s fertile Central Valley. The farming skills of the Sikhs and their willingness to work hard, ensured that they rose from humble migrant labourers to become landowners who control much of agriculture in California. Today American Sikh agriculturists such as Harbhajan Singh Samra and Didar Singh Bains dominate Californian agriculture and are known colloquially as the "Okra" and "Peach" kings respectively.
   Prominent Sikh intellectuals, sportsmen and artists include the veteran writer Khushwant Singh, England cricketer Monty Panesar, former 400 m world record holder Milkha Singh, and Harbhajan Singh, India's most successful off spin Cricket bowler, actors Parminder Nagra, Namrata Singh Gujral, Archie Panjabi and director Gurinder Chadha.
   The Sikhs have migrated to most parts of the world and their vocations are as varied as their appearances. The Sikh community of the Indian subcontinent comprises many diverse sets of peoples as the Sikh Gurus preached for ethnic and social harmony. These include different ethnic peoples, tribal and socio-economic groups. Main groupings (for example over 1,000 members) include: Arain, Arora, Bairagi, Bania, Basith, Bawaria, Bazigar, Bhabra, Brahman, Chamar, Chhimba, Darzi, Dhobi, Gujar, Jatt, Jhinwar, Kahar, Kamboj, Khatri, Kumhar, Labana, Lohar, Mahtam, Mazhabi, Megh, Mirasi, Mochi, Nai, Rajput, Ramgharia, Saini, Sarera, Sikligar, Sonar, Sudh, Tarkhan and Zargar. In India, the Jatt ethnic grouping is by far the largest at a population of 11,855,000 followed by the Mazhabi at 2,701,000 with the Tarkhans totaling 1,091,000.
   There has also emerged a specialized group of Sikhs calling themselves Akalis, which have existed since Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time. Under their leader General Akali Phula Singh, in the early 1800s, they won many battles for the Sikh Empire.

Sikhs in the Indian and British Armies

By the advent of World War I, Sikhs in the British Indian Army totaled over 100,000; for example 20% of the British Indian Army. In the years to 1945, 14 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Sikhs, a per capita record given the size of the Sikh Regiments. In 2002, the names of all Sikh VC and George Cross winners were commemorated by being inscribed on the pavilion monument of the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill next to Buckingham palace, London. Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Singh Dhillon (retd), Punjabi Indian World War II hero & Veteran, and president of the ex-services league (Punjab & Chandigarh) was instrumental in campaigning for the memorials building.

The First and Second World Wars

During the First World War, Sikh battalions fought in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and France. Six battalions of the Sikh Regiment were raised in the World War II, and served at El Alamein and in Burma, Italy and Iraq, winning 27 battle honours.
Across the world Sikhs are commemorated in Commonwealth cemeteries.

The Battle of Saragarhi

The Battle of Saragarhi is considered one of the greatest stories of collective bravery in human history. The contingent of twenty-one soldiers from the 36th Sikhs was led by Havildar Ishar Singh, and held off an Afghan attack of 10,000 men for several hours. All 21 Sikh soldiers chose to fight to the death instead of surrendering. In recognition of their supreme sacrifice, the British Parliament rose to pay them respect, and each one of them was awarded the Indian Order of Merit (equivalent to the Victoria Cross). The battle has been compared to the Battle of Thermopylae, where a small Greek force faced a large Persian army of Xerxes (480 BC).
Saragarhi Day, is a Sikh military commemoration day celebrated on 12 September every year annually to commemorate The Battle of Saragarhi. Sikh military personnel and Sikh non-military people commemorate the battle around the World every year on September 12th.

Sikhs during the Indian Independence Movement

During the Indian Independence Struggle; Out of 2,175 Martyrs 1,557, (75 percent), were Sikhs, out of 2,646 Indians sent to Andamans for life imprisonment 2,147,(80 percent), were Sikhs,
Sikhism as a faith has never actively sought converts, thus the Sikhs have remained a relatively homogeneous racial group. However, mainly due to the activities of Harbhajan Singh Yogi via his Kundalini Yoga focused 3HO (Happy, Healthy, Holy) Organization, Sikhism has witnessed a moderate growth in non-Indian adherents. In 1998 it was estimated that these 3HO Sikhs, known colloquially as ‘gora’ (ਗੋਰਾ) or ‘white’ Sikhs, totaled 7,800 and were mainly centered around Española, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.

Distinguished Sikhs in the Modern Era

Arjan Singh- Marshal of the Indian Air Force, former Chief of the Air Force Staff

Baldev Singh - Indian independence movement leader

Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sandhu-Indian independence movement leader and martyr

Fauja Singh - 90 year old Sikh marathon runner

Kartar Singh Sarabha Grewal - Indian independence movement leader and martyr

General Joginder Jaswant Singh - Indian army Chief of Army Staff

Hardeep Singh Kohli - Sikh writer, broadcaster and presenter from Scotland

Master Tara Singh - Sikh and Indian independence movement leader

Dr. Manmohan Singh- Prime Minister of India and economist

Milkha Singh (the flying Sikh) - winner of Padma Shri, former 400 m track record holder, Gold medal (440 yards) at '58 Commonwealth Games, Gold medal (200 & 400 m) at '58 Asian Games and Gold medal (200 m) in '62 Asian Games

Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany - optics scientist and philanthropist

Professor Piara Singh Gill - nuclear scientist

Pratap Singh Kairon - Sikh and Indian independence movement leader

Sardul Singh Caveeshar - Indian independence movement leader

Shaheed Udham Singh - Indian revolutionary and martyr

Decorated Sikhs in the Military

Bana Singh - awarded the Param Vir Chakra.

Captain Ishar Singh - The first Sikh to receive the Victoria Cross.

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria - awarded Param Vir Chakra.

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon - awarded Param Vir Chakra (the only officer of the Indian Air Force to be awarded Param Vir Chakra).

Gian Singh - awarded the Victoria Cross.

Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora - supervised the surrender of more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Joginder Singh (Subedar) - awarded Param Vir Chakra.

Lieutenant Karamjit Singh Judge - awarded the Victoria Cross.

Lance Karam Singh - awarded the Military Medal in World War II and awarded Param Vir Chakra (the second person to receive Param Vir Chakra).

Major Havildar Parkash Singh - awarded the Victoria Cross.

Nand Singh - awarded the Victoria Cross

Baba Harbhajan Singh

Baba Harbhajan Singh - is a spiritually revered Sikh soldier by the Indian Army, like a saint, Indian army officers and soldiers believe he gives them protection in war.

Art and Culture

Sikh art and culture is synonymous with that of the Punjab region. The Punjab itself has been called India’s melting pot, due to the confluence of invading cultures, such as Greek, Mughal and Persian, that mirrors the confluence of rivers from which the region gets its name. Thus Sikh culture is to a large extent informed by this synthesis of cultures. Sikhism has forged a unique form of architecture which Bhatti describes as being "inspired by Guru Nanak’s creative mysticism" such that Sikh architecture "is a mute harbinger of holistic humanism based on pragmatic spirituality". The ‘key-note’ of Sikh architecture is the Gurdwara which is the personification of the "melting pot" of Punjabi cultures, showing both Islamic, Sufi and Hindu influences. The reign of the Sikh Empire was the single biggest catylst in creating a uniquely Sikh form of expression, with Maharajah Ranjit Singh patronising the building of forts, palaces, bungas (residential places), colleges, etc that can be said to be of the Sikh Style. Characteristics of Sikh architecture are gilded fluted domes, cupolas, kiosks and stone lanterns with an ornate balustrade on square roofs. The "jewel in the crown" of the Sikh Style is the Harmindar Sahib.
Sikh culture is heavily influenced by militaristic motifs, with Khanda being the most obvious; thus it's no surprise that the majority of Sikh artifacts, independent of the relics of the Gurus, have a military theme. This motif is again evident in the Sikh festivals of Hola Mohalla and Vaisakhi which feature marching and practicing displays of valor respectively.
The art and culture of the Sikh diaspora has been merged with that of other Indo-immigrant groups into categories such as 'British Asian', 'Indo-Canadanian' and 'Desi-Culture'; however there has emerged a niche cultural phenomenon that can be described as 'Political Sikh'. The art of prominent diaspora Sikhs such as Amarjeet Kaur Nandhra & Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh, is informed by their Sikhism and the current affairs of the Punjab. Bhangra and the Gidha are two forms of indigenous Punjabi folk dancing that have been appropriated, adapted and pioneered by Punjabi Sikhs. The Punjabi Sikhs have championed these forms of expression all over the world, such that Sikh Culture has become inextricably linked to Bhangra, even though "Bhangra isn't a Sikh institution but a Punjabi one." Image:Dasam.Granth.Frontispiece.BL.Manuscript.1825-1850.jpg|A frontispiece to the Dasam Granth. Image:Hazuri Bagh bardari.JPG|The Bardari of Ranjit Singh, built in the Hazuri Bagh. Image:Ram bagh.jpg|Gateway of the Ram Bagh, North-East of Amritsar; built by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Image:Nineteen-Eighty-four (The storming of the Golden Temple).jpg|The Sikh diaspora art of Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh is informed by uniquely Sikh issues.

References and Notes

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