ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਮਾਹਰਾਜ ਨੇ ਦਸਵੇਂ ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇ ਰੂਪ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਿੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਖੰਡੇ ਦੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦੀ ਦਾਤ ਬਖਸ਼ ਕੇ ਦੀਨ ਅਤੇ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਖੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ੇ ਖੋਲ੍ਹ ਦਿੱਤੇ, ਮੁਰਦਾ ਕੌਮ ਨੂੰ ਅਮਰ ਜ਼ਿਦਗੀ ਬਖਸ਼ੀ ਅਤੇ ਹਿੰਦਸਤਾਨ ਜੋ ਕਿ ਸੈਂਕੜੇ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਗੁਲਾਮੀ ਦੇ ਭਾਰੀ ਅਤੇ ਫੌਲਾਦੀ ਸੰਗਲਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਕੜਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ, ਸੁਤੰਤਰਤਾ ਦਿਲਵਾਈ । ਏਸ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦੇ ਸਦਕੇ ਜ਼ਾਲਮ ਰਾਜ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਬਾਕੀ ਨਾਂ ਰਿਹਾ । ਲੱਖਾਂ ਜੋਧਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਸਿਰ ਤੱਲੀ ਤੇ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਉਹ ਅਦੁਤੀ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੀਆਂ ਕੀਤੀਆਂ ਜਿਸ ਦੀ ਮਿਸਾਲ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਤਵਾਰੀੜ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਹੀਂ ਮਿਲਦੀ । ਸਚ, ਧਰਮ, ਮਨੁੱਖਤਾ, ਅਣਖ ਆਦ ਏਸ ਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁੜ ਉਜਾਗਰ ਹੋਏ । ਧਰਮ ਦੇ ਝੰਡੇ ਖਾਲਸਈ ਸ਼ਾਨ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਕਾਬਲ ਕੰਧਾਰ ਦੀਆਂ ਕੰਧਾਂ ਤਕ ਝੂਲਣ ਲਗ ਪਏ । ਗੁਰੂ ਕਲਗੀਧਰ ਦੇ ਸੱਚੇ ਸਪੂਤਾਂ ਦਾ ਪਰਸਪਰ ਪਿਆਰ ਠਾਠਾਂ ਮਾਰਨ ਲਗਾ । ਸੱਚਾ ਨਾਮ ਅਤੇ ਰਤਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਖਾਣੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਬਹੁਤ ਵੱਡਾ ਅੰਗ ਬਣ ਗਏ । ਨਿਸ਼ਕਾਮ ਸੇਵਾ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਾਲ ਕਾਮ ਕਰੋਧ ਆਦਿ ਸ਼ਤਰੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਲਤਾੜ ਦਿੱਤਾ । ਇਕ ਇਕ ਸਿੱਖ ਸੱਚ ਮੁੱਚ ਸਵਾ ਲੱਖ ਨਾਲ ਲੜਣ ਦੀ ਗੈਬੀ ਤਾਕਤ ਦਾ ਮਾਲਕ ਬਣ ਗਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਸਤਗੁਰੂ ਕਲਗੀਧਰ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਰੱਬੀ ਬਚਨ ਪੂਰੇ ਹਏ । ਸਮੇਂ ਦੀ ਗਰਦਸ਼ ਨਾਲ ਕਲਜੁਗ ਅਤੇ ਮਾਇਆ ਨੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਜਾਲ ਵਿਛਾ ਕੇ ਕਈਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰ ਆਸ਼ੇ ਤੋਂ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਚਰਨਾਂ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਵਿਛੋੜ ਦਿੱਤਾ । ਕਈ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦੀ ਅਮੁੱਲੀ ਦਾਤ , ਤੋਂ ਵਾਂਝੇ ਰਹਿਣ ਲਗ ਪਏ । ਰੱਬੀ ਹਸਤੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਥੁੜ ਹੋ ਗਈ । ਸੱਚੇ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਦੇ ਕੇਂਦਰ ਬੰਦ ਹੋ ਗਏ ।

Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj, in the form of the Tenth Guru Nanak, bestowed on the Sikhs the gift of the nectar of the dagger, opened the doors of religion and worldly happiness and gifted immortal life. Due to this nectar, the name and symbol of the tyrannical state remained. Millions of warriors laid down their heads and made unparalleled sacrifices that are unparalleled in the world.

This book is an abbreviation of “Remembering God, which is an English version of “Way of the Saffron Cloud” and is the practical help-book (Guide) for recitation (Recitation Meditation: fixing the mind on Recitation) of the Name of God, particularly in the Sikh-Way. Main purpose of this book is to train the aspirant to apply his-her mind independently, to focus it on the Lord.

With perhaps 22 to 25 million adherents, Sikhism is one of the five largest religions in the world. Also nearly 10 percent of the Sikhs live outside India, the land where the religion took root and flourished 500 years ago. Sizable communities of Sikhs have existed in Singapore and adjoining lands for over 150 years and in the United Kingdom and North America for over a century. Yet the oft-heard lament is how little our neighbors know of our religion and its very rich tradition. This reality becomes even more poignant when we see how uninformed of their own roots are the second and third generation of Sikhs that are going up in this worldwide diaspora.

In the meantime, the world has shrunk to a global village. We coexist with a variety of non-Sikh neighbors. We, and our neighbors, need to learn from and about each other. Non-Sikhs are curious about us and Sikhs too need to discover the history and meaning that underlie the magic and mystery of their religious beliefs and practices. These are two very fundamental and interrelated issues.

By this small book Nottingham-based Gurbachan Singh Sidhu has very ably stepped up to the plate to fill this void. He has taken up questions that we are asked every day by young Sikhs of the diaspora as well as by our non-Sikh neighbors – questions that one would normally expect to be dealt with in a sentence or two in a catechism. They span the gamut from “Are there any food restrictions and what is the place of women in Sikhism to esoteric and challenging questions like what is the reality of the universe or of the human soul, and do Sikhs believe in transmigration?”

Mr. G.S. Sidhu has done ample justice to his inquiries by the copious citations from the Guru Granth. His book, though not encyclopedic, is therefore, much, much more than a simple catechism, and considerably more user friendly than an encyclopedia. Written in a very easy to read style, this small book is indeed a labor of love and an extremely useful resource on the very modern and relatively young tradition of the Sikhs. It should find much appreciation in interfaith communication.

A sudden rise in fundamentalism among the world religions has become a dilemma for future generations. It is often exercised by the people whose existence and subsistence are dependent upon the orthodoxy of their respective religions. The root cause of conflicts is more often economical than religious in nature. Whatever the causes may be, the fact remains that fundamentalism has endangered the lives of common and innocent people of all walks of life. Therefore, it becomes imperative and important to enlighten people, particularly the younger generation, about the basic tenants of various world religions in this postmodern era of confusion and chaos. Mr. Gurbachan Singh Sidhu took up this huge task some years ago. His current book, “Concepts of Sikh Religion”, is a timely step in the right direction. 

Divali is a time of celebration for Hindus, but what is the relevance of the festival of lights for Sikhs? This article discusses the importance of Divali in relation to Bandhi-Chor and what this time of year has meant for Sikhs around the world since 1984.

Ever since the humans started keeping historical records, hair has been evoking considerable interest in its symbolic and evocative properties. It has been an object of beliefs indicating established tradition, which may or may not have appealed to certain individuals. In many cases, it has also been the means of projecting self-image in the society. In certain societies of the world it has been the subject of art, language, poetry and folklore for ages.

The book titled “Panjab and Panjabi” authored by Mr. G.S.Sidhu, is a highly delightful, informative and interesting addition to literature. It is a genuine attempt to put forth in a lucid style the facts about the origin, growth, and development of Panjabi language and script starting from the earliest times.

The history of the Panjab has influenced the whole history of India for centuries. If we try to reconstruct this history, our efforts meet with enormous difficulties. Panjab has been the threshold of foreign invaders, who not only destroyed most of its history but also adulterated the culture and social values from time to time. As a result of the vicissitudes of Panjab, very meager sources are available from which a historian can build up a true and authentic history. This book tries to brush off the dust of antiquity from the available sources and get a bird’s eye view of the main events that influenced the Panjabis, their culture, language and social institutions

This publication, by Damdami Taksaal, offers insight into Raag Maalaa, the last stanza in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee that a few believe to be not part of Gurbani. 

ਜਿਨ ਭੈ ਅਦਬ ਨ ਬਾਣੀ ਧਾਰਾ ! ਜਾਨਹੁ ਸੋ ਸਿਖ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਮਾਰਾ। 

ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਤ ਜੀ, ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਦਸਾਂ ਹੀ ਪਾਤਸ਼ਾਹੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਤੱਖ ਸਰੂਪ ਜਾਣਕੇ, “ੴ” ਤੋਂ ਲੈ ਕਰਕੇ "ਅਠਾਰਹ ਦਸ ਬੀਸ” ਤੱਕ ਅੱਖਰ-ਅੱਖਰ `ਤੇ ਗੁਰੂ ਭਾਵਨਾ ਰੱਖਣ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਖੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਹਰ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਦਾ ਸੁੱਖ ਅਤੇ ਹਰ ਤਰਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਰਥਕ ਅਤੇ ਸੰਸਾਰਕ ਦਾਤਾਂ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੋਣਗੀਆਂ। 

This meritorious holy book, “Say Kinehiya” has been studied and reflected over, in which Sant Baba Seva Singh Ji has recounted the life of highly respected, benevolent and great Saint, Sant Baba Harnam Singh Ji, who possessed supreme spiritual knowledge. The conception of this book is for the benefit of all those who have a desire to learn about Sikhi. This book will become a lighthouse to those who are drifting away from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and have no faith in Gurmat. It will put forth guidelines for other seekers of spiritual knowledge. Reading this book will instil deep faith and devotion upon the very word of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The qualities of amrit, sadh sangat, gurmat, Naam recitation and selfless service will be inculcated. Reading this book will convert and transmute many lives into gems and diamonds. It relates different methods of attaining oneness with the true Guru, firmness in gurmat, the technique of Naam simran and its benefits. Such a praiseworthy holy book is needed in these modern times.

According to Sikhism the goal of human life is the union of the individual with God. This is described in the Sikh scriptures as spiritual “marriage”. Another equally significant feature of Sikhism is that God-realisation is said to be easier achieved by living a family life. Emphasis on the family life is so strong that a woman has been described as “The Conscience of Man”. No wonder therefore, the Sikhs believe that marriage is not only an advancement of the human race but also a spiritual experience deserving careful understanding. It was Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of the Sikhs, who explained the aforesaid spiritual union allegorically by saying that, “The husband and wife are always close to each other, separated only by their ego”. He made this analogy the basis of the Sikh marriage and declared that the fulfilment of a marriage consists in spiritual unity to weed out the ego with the joint effort.

It was he who formally broke away from the Hindu tradition of marriage in 1552 and institutionalised the Sikh marriage which came to be performed amidst the singing of hymns to God rather that to the goddess of fire. He called it 'Anand Karaj' (The Ceremony of Bliss).

Later Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, elaborated the idea by composing four hymns which he named 'Lava' and called upon his followers to sing them on the occasion of marriage. The word 'Lava' literally means 'to unite'. Symbolically a Sikh marriage is an attempt at uniting the individual soul to the Universal Soul. It is this reason that is Sikh parlance a wife came to be known as 'Ardhangi' (one half) who is as incomplete as a man unless both are united to the other half. Guru Ram Das wrote,

”The woman develops the love of God in her heart during her upbringings at her parents but fulfilment comes when she is united in marriage”

Anand Karaj, as the Sikh marriage came to be known, was formally legalised by the British Government in 1909 by passing the Anand Karaj Act.

Today different religions, which at one time could have looked at other faiths with aloof superiority, have been thrown together in a way that demands dialogue and peaceful co-existence. Whatever our religion, we live in a world in which family breakdown, escalating crime, stress and depression go hand in hand with a naïve pursuit of happiness through material prosperity. Many feel that it is a society powered by greed that has lost its sense of direction.

It has always been the responsibility of our different religions to give moral direction and remind us of ethical imperatives for sane, balanced and responsible living. Never before has the need been greater; nor the opportunities. Wider educational opportunities and near instant communications can clearly help our individual faiths to provide sound guidance for the young. More importantly, they can enable different faiths that find themselves in close physical proximity, as in Britain today, to work together for the common good. Interfaith dialogue has never been more important. It is only through understanding our neighbor’s faith that we can learn about and rejoice in the values we hold in common, whilst at the same time respecting sensitive differences.

There is however a real difficulty in dialogue. Some religions, notably, Christianity and Islam, have missionary zeal, which some see as a missionary imperative to convert others to their religion; to the ‘one true faith’. This can make dialogue, at best difficult and at worst impossible. In contradistinction, the Sikh Gurus taught that God is not interested in religious labels and that no one religion has a monopoly of truth

The faith of modern man has been violently shaken by the quick and continuous advances of science and technology in all areas of life. As a consequence some members of the modern society have started questioning the need for religion in the modern scientific age. The influence of communism has further spurred such questioning and criticism. This has resulted in the rapid erosion or in many cases rejection of spiritual values and has triggered its transplantation with agnosticism and atheism. For some people the idea of God is futile, superstitious and redundant. For some others religion is an outdated commodity, which has outlived its utility and has no relevance in the 21st century. They think it is unsuited to afford guidance in human affairs and therefore, they reject everything religious as unreliable, unless proven correct through science.

Women constitute a very significant part of the human race. Unfortunately since times immemorial they have been considered as inferior to the male members of the society for no apparent reason. Great reformers and religious leaders have endeavoured hard to rectify the imbalance and place social relations in the right perspective. Their efforts have brought about some good results but complete success has remained largely elusive.

An article in the British newspaper “Times” acted as a catalytic agent to whet Mr.Sidhu’s interest in this field because he found that the article failed to do justice to the Sikh thought about women and their status in Sikh society. By selecting this subject the learned author has brought us face to face with enormous amount of information and undertaken to record the progress on this issue with detail and clarity.

The book in hand is an excellent piece of research highlighting the impact of different religions on the status of women. It is not always possible to explore every avenue, therefore he has chosen the major religions of the world to compare the Sikh view with Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Jainism, Budhism and Vaishnavism. The result is a compact history of the issue with elaboration of the Sikh thought Vis a Vis world theology. His observations are keen and candid leaving the reader spell-bound and inquisitive.

Mr. Sidhu ends the treatise by pointing out the caveats in Sikh elite’s approach to the subject in the field and concludes that a great amount of work still needs to be done to undo the injustice done to the female sex over the centuries. However he is not pessimistic and leaves us with exhortation towards optimism. On finishing the reading one is left thinking “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

More is known about the Sikhs and Sikhism worldwide today than ever before in the short but eventful history of the Sikh nation. Indeed, as a complete theo-political philosophy which anticipates the “confluence of the world-cultures into a universal culture of mankind” (Sardar Kapur Singh), Sikhism, unshackled from the strong Vedic influences in India, is emerging in its true form as the way of life which embraces the plurality of religions and social systems. Sikhism therefore has no difficulty in agreeing with other world religions like Christianity regarding what is “Good” and what is “Evil” in relation to the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind.

There are three Sikh salutations or greetings. Two of them ‘Sat Sri Akal’ and ‘Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh’ are the forms of greeting used when the Sikhs meet each other. Both parties say the same words. The third greeting is called a ‘Jaikara’ (Cheer of victory) which is used in congregation. All three have the same meaning but the ‘Jaikara’ is different in that the first part of it is spoken by one person and the other part is spoken by all the congregation. For example At the end of a congregational prayer a dominant voice shouts, “Jo bole so Nihal” and the congregation responds loudly “Sat Sri Akal”. The ‘Jaikara’, as we shall see later, is not simply a traditional greeting, it is a resolute self-imposed pious duty. 

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This small volume, apart from having a brief introduction on the methodology of comparative study of religion, comprises an essay on a comparison of Sikhism, Vaisnavism, Nathism and Sant Tradition (Radical Bhagats). Parts of this essay include contents of lectures delivered at the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, the Punjabi University, Patiala, and the Guru Nanak Foundation, New Delhi. 

Despite a large body of recent literature on the lives of the Gurus, Gurbani and other aspects of the Sikh Religion and history, there still persists, in some quarters, ignorance or misunderstanding about the essentials of Sikh Religion and the message of the Sikh Gurus. It is still not uncommon for persons, even from among scholars, to say that Sikhism is a part and parcel of the Indian Bhakti movement; or that its doctrines are very much akin to those of the Nath Yogis, or the Radical Bhagats. While it is true that hymns of some of the Bhagats expressing devotion to God have been included in the Guru Granth Sahib, it should not be taken to mean that the Sikh ideology is a part or the product of the Bhakti movement. 

Turbans have been worn by different people around the world for at least the past 3,000 years. For one community, the Sikhs, the turban carries deep religious significance. Members of the Sikh faith—the fifth largest religion in the world—are required to wear a turban pursuant to religious mandate. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Sikh turbans have taken on a new meaning. Because non-Sikhs tend to associate Sikhs’ turbans with Osama bin Laden, Sikhs with turbans have become a superficial and accessible proxy for the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. As a result, turbaned Sikhs in America have been victims of racial violence and have had their identity challenged by calls for immigrant groups to assimilate into Western societies.

This essay examines how the turban has transformed from a sacred piece of attire for Sikhs to a target for discriminatory conduct and an object of marginalization after 9/11. Part I provides an introduction to Sikhism, which originated in 17th century South Asia, and discusses the religious significance of the Sikh turban. Part II examines incidents of discrimination in several contexts involving turbaned Sikhs in America. Part III analyzes the debate surrounding assimilation that has been taking place in the West, which implicates conspicuous articles of faith, including the Sikh turban. The essay also explores the legal remedies available to turbaned Sikhs affected by discriminatory conduct or by broader policies on the wearing of turbans.