Sikhs: Difference between revisions
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The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that some Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. They are [[Kesh (Sikhism)|Keshri]], [[Kanga (Sikhism)|Kanga]], [[Kacha (Dhoti)|Kacha]], [[Kara (Sikhism)|Kara]] and [[Kirpan]]. |
The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that some Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. They are [[Kesh (Sikhism)|Keshri]], [[Kanga (Sikhism)|Kanga]], [[Kacha (Dhoti)|Kacha]], [[Kara (Sikhism)|Kara]] and [[Kirpan]]. |
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The origin of Sikhism can be attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. Before him none of the 9 Gurus starting with Guru Nanak had propogated Sikhism as a separate religion. Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj wanted his disciples to be warrior as well as religious at the same timw to fight the oppression by Moghul King Aurengzeb. |
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Revision as of 14:22, 15 November 2006
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| Regions with significant populations | |
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| • India • New Zealand | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • other Punjabi people |
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| Sikhism |
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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 and originally from the Sanskrit "shishya" where it means a disciple or follower.
Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region, although there are significant communities all over the world.
Definition
The SGPC defines a Sikh in the Rehat Maryada as a person who believes in:
- One God
- Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh
- The Guru Granth Sahib
- The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus
- Living an honest life, abolishing discrimination, and believing all as equal
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
Numbering approximately 23 million worldwide; over 60 percent of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they form about two-thirds of the population. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Delhi. Sikhs compose less than 2% of the Indian population, however more than 90% of Sikhs live in India. Migration beginning from the late 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 numbers, Sikhs are highly represented and respected in Indian polity and life. They are very brave people and form a significant segment of India's military services and are significant participants in sports such as field hockey and cricket, as well as in politics. Sikh Military heroes include the likes of Lt. General Jagjit Singh Arora and preent Indian COAS, Gen J.J. Singh. Sikh political leaders of the past and present include Master Tara Singh,Pratap Singh Kairon,Amarinder Singh (the descendent as Maharaja of Patiala and also the Chief Minister of Punjab), Sardul Singh Caveeshar, Baldev Singh, former president of India Zail Singh and present prime minister of India Manmohan Singh. The first Asian American 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 (The Flying Sikh), Bishen Singh Bedi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Singh are an integral part of popular culture. Sikh community also enjoys comparatively greater economic prosperity - the state of Punjab is known as India's breadbasket, owing to its significant production of staple 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]
Five Ks
The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that some Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. They are Keshri, Kanga, Kacha, Kara and Kirpan.
The origin of Sikhism can be attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. Before him none of the 9 Gurus starting with Guru Nanak had propogated Sikhism as a separate religion. Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj wanted his disciples to be warrior as well as religious at the same timw to fight the oppression by Moghul King Aurengzeb.
SIKH'S 4 life
The surname or middle name Singh (meaning Lion) is given to males when they become a Sikh. Similarly, the Sikh middle name Kaur (meaning Princess) is given to women. Of course, not all people named Singh or Kaur are necessarily Sikhs. The name Singh is closely linked to the martial antiquities of North India dating back to at least the Eighth Century CE. Some Sikh forenames are unisexual; the "Singh" and "Kaur" monikers are hence useful in clarifying the person's sex. Additionally, giving the middle name Kaur to a woman is meant give them equal respect. Majority of Sikhs retain their family names and have them as their third names and use "Singh" and "Kaur" as a middle name.
Tribes and Castes
Despite its emphasis on equality and brotherhood, socio-economic & tribal divisions have developed between Sikhs over a period of time. Tribes include Jat, Rajput, Tarkhan/Ramgharia, Ahir, Gujjar, Kamboj, Saini, Kalal and Labana are other Sikh castes or communities. Urban mercantile Sikh "castes" include Khatri, Arora, Bhatia and Sood. There are also Sikhs of Brahmin (mostly Mohyal) and Dalit extraction/ancestry. The bulk of Sikhs are of Jat origin.
There has also emerged a specialized group of Sikhs calling themselves Akalis, which have existed since Maharaja Ranits Singh's time solely for the protection and strengthening of the Sikh religion. Under their leader General Akali Pula Singh, in the early 1800s, they won many battles for the Sikh Empire. The Akali and Prasadis, have recently become more vocal.
Sikhism in the Western World
Due to the turbans Sikhs wear, people in Western countries have sometimes confused Sikhs with all Middle Eastern men or Muslims. This has affected Sikhs in times of conflict with elements of the Middle East. For example, during the Iranian hostage crisis when the government of Iran held Americans hostages in its own country, some people in Western countries misunderstood the Sikh turban as a turban worn by all Middle Eastern men. After the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, some people associated Sikhs with terrorists or members of the Taliban. A few days after the attack, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was gunned down by a person who thought that the victim had ties to Al-Qaeda, concluding that this misconception has lead to an increase in hate-crimes against Sikh men in the United States, [3] and the UK.[4] Sikhs are now starting to be recognized by the western world as friendly and helpful community.
Prominent Sikhs include Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh,Gurbax Malhi, Navdeep Bains in the Canadian Parliament, and General Joginder Jaswant Singh, the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian army.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ CNN, America, "Hate crime reports up in wake of terrorist attacks" 17 September 2001
- ^ Sikhs urging action on faith hate BBC News Online, 5 November 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2006.
External links
- EktaOne.com - Everyone Keeping Together As ONE.
- 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.
- SikhiWiki - Collaborative Sikh encyclopedia.
- SikhNet - Popular Sikh community website.
- Sikhs Vote Support for Gandhi - Movie clip shot at Lahore
A progressive religion well ahead of its time when it was founded over 500 years ago, The Sikh religion today has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is ranked as the worlds 5th largest religion. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.