Sikhs: Difference between revisions
| Line 50: | Line 50: | ||
== Names == |
== Names == |
||
[[Image:1onkar Blue.jpg|thumb|125px|left|[[Ek Onkar]]. ]] |
[[Image:1onkar Blue.jpg|thumb|125px|left|[[Ek Onkar]]. ]] |
||
The surname or middle name [[Singh]] (meaning ''knight / star'') is given to males when they become a Sikh. Similarily, [[Kaur]] (meaning ''Princess'') is given to women. |
The surname or middle name [[Singh]] (meaning ''knight / star'') is given to males when they become a Sikh. Similarily, [[Kaur]] (meaning ''Princess'') is given to women. The name Singh is closely linked to the martial antiquities of North India dating back to at least the Eighth Century CE. [[Sikh names|Sikh forenames]] are unisexual; the "Singh" and "Kaur" monikers are hence useful in clarifying the person's sex. God is one (Ek onkar) every Sikh acknowledges that all humans are equal; that no one shall be treated differently just because of the family name. However, most Sikhs retain their original surnames and use "Singh" and "Kaur" as a middle name instead. |
||
== Castes and tribes == |
== Castes and tribes == |
||
Revision as of 18:23, 28 August 2006
| File:Manmohan Singh, G8 summit.jpgFile:Navjotsidhu.jpg | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| • India • New Zealand | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • other Punjabi people |
A Sikh (IPA: ['siːk] or ['sɪk]; Template:Lang-pa, sikkh, IPA: ['sɪk.kʰ]) is an adherent of Sikhism. The term originates from the Punjabi language where it means student or disciple.
Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region although converts from across the globe are increasingly prevalent.
Definition
The SGPC defines a Sikh in the Rehat Maryada as a person who believes in:
- One God
- Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh
- The Guru Granth Sahib
- The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus
- The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru (however, a Sikh does not need to be baptised to be a Sikh)
Such a person is defined as a Sikh as long as said person does not owe allegiance to any other religion.
Some Sikh sects that do not subscribe to the SGPC's Rehat Maryada may have differing definitions of a Sikh. However, generally speaking, these prerequisites hold.
Distribution
Worldwide, Sikhs number approximately 23 million, but more than 60 percent of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they form close to 66% of the population. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and the cities of Delhi and Mumbai. However Sikhs compose approximately only 1.9% of the Indian population. Migration beginning from the nineteenth century have found significant communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, East Africa, Southeast Asia and more recently, the United States, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Despite their comparatively small population, Sikhs are highly represented in various sectors of Indian life. They compose a significant segment of India's military services and are significant participants in sports such as field hockey, cricket and politics. Sikh political leaders of the past and present include Master Tara Singh, Sardul Singh Caveeshar, Baldev Singh, former president of India Zail Singh and present prime minister of India Manmohan Singh; in addition the first Indian American, or Asian American for that matter, elected to the United States Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, who had campaigned for the Indian American right to U.S. citizenship in the 1950s. Sikh intellectuals, sportsmen and artists such as Khushwant Singh, Monty Panesar, Jaspal Bhatti, Milkha Singh (nicknamed The Flying Sikh), Bishen Singh Bedi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Singh are an integral part of popular culture. Sikh communities also enjoy comparatively greater economic prosperity - the state of Punjab is known as India's breadbasket, owing to its significant production of food crops, and one of the most industrialized economies in the nation. In India and across the world, Sikhs are an important mercantile class, as well as employed in skilled professions. This is primarily owed to a close-knit community structure, progressive farming techniques and a cultural emphasis on education.
Sikhs enjoy representation in India's civil services.[1] Relations with Hindu communities have generally been amicable and friendly, although recent years have seen antagonism between the two, particularly in the 1980s. In recent years, the number of younger Sikhs who are not well-versed with religious scriptures and long-held traditions, and do not observe many religious injunctions has increased in some communities in Western Europe and North America.[2]
Names
The surname or middle name Singh (meaning knight / star) is given to males when they become a Sikh. Similarily, Kaur (meaning Princess) is given to women. The name Singh is closely linked to the martial antiquities of North India dating back to at least the Eighth Century CE. Sikh forenames are unisexual; the "Singh" and "Kaur" monikers are hence useful in clarifying the person's sex. God is one (Ek onkar) every Sikh acknowledges that all humans are equal; that no one shall be treated differently just because of the family name. However, most Sikhs retain their original surnames and use "Singh" and "Kaur" as a middle name instead.
Castes and tribes
Despite its emphasis on equality and brotherhood (and the Sikh Guru's explicit condemnation of the caste system), socio-economic divisions have developed between Sikhs of urban mercantile "castes" such as Khatris and Aroras and Jatt Sikhs. Rajput,Shimba Mehra(originated from Rajputt caste), Gujjar, Tarkhan, Kamboj, Saini and Labana are other Sikh castes or communities. There are also Sikhs of Brahmin (mostly Mohyal) and Dalit extraction/ancestry. This re-emergence of the caste system is strictly forbidden in Sikhism, as all men and women are equal.
There has also emerged a specialized group of Sikhs calling themselves Akalis and there are Prasadis, which have existed for some time but have recently become more vocal.
See also
An index of the most important pages on Sikhism can be found at the list of Sikhism-related topics. Despite its emphasis on equality and brotherhood (and the Sikh Guru's explicit condemnation of the caste system), socio-economic divisions have developed between Sikhs of urban mercantile "castes" such as Khatris and Aroras and Jatt Sikhs. Rajput,Shimba Mehra(originated from Rajputt caste), Gujjar, Tarkhan, Kamboj, Saini and Labana are other Sikh castes or communities. There are also Sikhs of Brahmin (mostly Mohyal) and Dalit extraction/ancestry. This re-emergence of the caste system is strictly forbidden in Sikhism, as all men and women are equal, which was one of Guru Nanaks main reasons for creating Sikhism.
There has also emerged a specialized group of Sikhs calling themselves Akalis and there are Prasadis, which have existed for some time but have recently become more vocal.
Notes
- ^ Parrinder, Geoffrey (1971). World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present. United States: Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. p. 260. ISBN 0-87196-129-6.
- ^ Parrinder, Geoffrey (1971). World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present. United States: Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. p. 261. ISBN 0-87196-129-6.
External links
- Sikhism - Sikh Religion - General resource site with books, videos and articles about Sikhism.
- The Sikhism Home Page - General resource site introducing the main concepts of Sikhism.
- All About Sikhs - Sikhism resource site.
- Sri Granth - Guru Granth Sahib search engine with additional scriptural resources.
- Simple Gurbani - Simplified message and context of each shabad for Sikhs raised outside of Punjab
- SikhiWiki - Collaborative Sikh encyclopedia.
- SikhNet - Popular Sikh community website.
- Raj Karega Khalsa Network Broad coverage of Sikhi including Literature, Gurbani, Kirtan, Video, etc
