Everything seems to be in the knowledge of the government here as well. They simply tolerate it in their own economic interest. The fair name of my country is blemished.
The name of my religion is not, because they dare not keep their religion. They dare not declare who they are. They are not Sikhs. If they want to indulge in misdeeds they have to conceal it. In order to conceal, they forsake the religion which is so open, so conspicuous that always one has to have an insignia, something like a flag on the very face and the head.
At first I felt sorry that these brethren of mine, who were my own brothers born of one father - Guru Gobind Singh, have forsaken this religion. But why do I feel that way? I reasoned with myself; because the number of Sikhs has been reduced by some few hundreds or even thousands?
Ah! Our great Guru knew how an ordinary Sikh would feel about it. So he made the exterior form compulsory, which only a person with very deep conviction to the content of this great
religion could adopt and maintain. Any one with a superficial belief in the basic tenets of Sikhism would be the first to question the need, relevance and significance of his unique Sikh
face.
To the modern man whose philosophy of life is to lead a comfortable and luxurious life, this form would seem to be too difficult, almost an uneasy burden.
This we believe, is an inspiring story. Every time we read it, we get new emotions. I have read it once, twice, thrice, perhaps, even more times. This true story motivates the reader to be a true Sikh. It seems as fresh today as it was thirty years ago.
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Recommended Books
Visits
Index
- 01) Introduction (1)
- 02) He has never met a Sikh (1)
- 03) My exterior Sikh form turned out to be my greatest asset (1)
- 04) Thanks to our Gurus- a Sikh is spotted at once (1)
- 05) Do they face any problem if they keep unshorn hair? (1)
- 06) 'Shaven' people are not Sikhs (1)
- 07) This exterior form of Sikhism is the prime content of this great religion (1)
- 08) In order to be a true Sikh you have to be a good citizen (1)
- 09) Unshorn hair is much more than a dress or a symbol (1)
- 10) Nobody and no law has the power to question the necessity of the beliefs of a religion (1)
- 11) "I am rejecting the scholarship as well as the country" (1)
- 12) So many of us bend too easily for personal convenience (1)
- 13) My daily prayers... (1)
Type in Gurmukhi, all the cool kids are doing it!
3 comments:
I strongly disagree with the author's choice words when he said that "shaven people are not Sikhs", one cannot make this judgment without knowing what circumstances they faced to make such a decision. Many times its easier to make a comment without placing ourselves in someone else's shoes. Before any religion dictates a person on how to live their lives; every person has one important moral and ethical obligation fulfill and that is to take care of its family. Sometimes family comes before religion and in the case of these Sikh youth they cut their hair so they could make money and send it back home to their families.
Dear Anonymous Veerji/Bhenji, I'm very sure that you did not read the complete article before posting this comment. I would highly recommend you to please go through the complete article first. Its a small article and you will actually gain a lot from it.
And, you could have also tried to think and step into the shoes of Bhai Taru Singh Ji and image the circumstances that he had faced (who gave his life but did not give away his committment to the Guru). Did he not have his family behind him? He could have chosen to forsake the Sikh identity and could have received so much of wealth to take care of his family and some of future generations too. But he had a bigger thought in his mind. He instead saw the whole future generation of Sikhs in front of him.. and he chose to give his life so that coming generations do not see a bad example in history where a Sikh forgot the Guru's Word and got into the trap of worldly wealth..
Today, when a Sikh forsakes his Kesh and Turban to earn a livelihood for his family.. He might be able to serve his current family but he has probably lost his future generations from the fold of Sikhi..
What is the use of being a "Sikh from heart" (as they commonly say it), if you can't dare to proclaim your relationship with your Guru to the world?
And, if we are really committed to our Guru, nobody can harm our families. There is a BIGGER Power, who created our families and very well knows how to care of them..
ਵਿਚਿ ਉਪਾਏ ਸਾਇਰਾ ਤਿਨਾ ਭਿ ਸਾਰ ਕਰੇਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਤ ਕਰਹੁ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਤਿਸ ਹੀ ਹੇਇ ॥੧॥ (Ang 955)
Meaning in English:
He created creatures in the oceans too, and He provides for them as well. O Nanak, don't be anxious; the Lord will take care of you. ||1||
Meaning in Punjabi:
ਸੋ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਮੁੰਦਰਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਉਸ ਨੇ ਪੈਦਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਭੀ ਸੰਭਾਲ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! (ਰੋਜ਼ੀ ਲਈ) ਚਿੰਤਾ ਨਾਹ ਕਰੋ, ਉਸ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਫ਼ਿਕਰ ਹੈ।੧।
Dear Anonymous ji.
The problem with the new generation is that they have not read the Guru Granth Sahib ji. (This could be due to several issues and that is a separate matter for another forum.)
Thus they don't understand what sikhi is all about. Consequently they feel that family and their own needs come first. If they think so, they are not sikhs by any measure or yardstick.
They may continue to call themselves 'Singh'. That does not help. If you see the news about Australia. The "sikh" who died was a patit - gone there for manking money ! Destiny had Pain for him and his relatives instead of that money we was seeking. So did he win in becoming Patit?
You have to track these people for 20-25 years to figure out if they did succeed. Like everyone tells you how much profit has he made in stock, no one tell how much loss he has incurred.
So track them before you arrive at conclusions - Put yourself in their shoes etc. is simple rhetoric to bypass the core issue.
I would go one step further, I might like to say that either you are an AmritDhari Sikh or not a sikh at all. This may sound extreme, but beyond your teens if one is not amritdhari, then one is just fooling himself.
www.youngsikhleaders.org
Manpreet Singh
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