| The Sikh Community | | | | the people of India had been considering them as the |
| Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate. | | | | protector and the true Indians. The presence of a |
| At present Sikhs are present in every country and | | | | Sikh had been a safety point always here in India. |
| they have attained a countable community in that | | | | The Sikhs had bad days when a section of the Sikhs |
| area. But we must accept that they took their birth | | | | started a movement for the attainment of |
| in India and it must also be accepted that they came | | | | ‘Khalistan’ which had been rejected in 1947. |
| out of the Hindu community and as per law | | | | But it is on record that all the Sikhs did not participate |
| established in India they are governed under the | | | | in that movement and it is on record that they could |
| Hindu laws for the purpose of marriage, for the | | | | remain with the Hindus throughout and that is the |
| purpose of guardians and wards, for the purpose of | | | | reason that movement failed and it is on record that |
| succession and they are following those laws and are | | | | all the so-called Sikh leaders are not joining their |
| accepting those laws. | | | | names with that movement. Some people say that |
| The founder of Sikhism was Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji | | | | this khalistan movement in the eighties had been |
| who is known as the first Guru of the Sikhs and their | | | | sponsored by Pakistan because that country was in a |
| last living Guru had been Shri Guru Gobind singh ji | | | | mood to take revenge for the creation of |
| who actually gave to the Sikhs the present form. | | | | Bangladesh. Whatsoever been the reasons, this |
| The people who know about the philosophy of shri | | | | movement caused much losses to the Sikh |
| Guru Granth sahibji which has been accepted as the | | | | community. They lost the prestige, the faith, the |
| present Guru of the Sikhs and the works of shri guru | | | | sincerety which they had been enjoying lost, they |
| Gobind singh ji gave to the Sikhs the following five | | | | had been declared traitor at one stage when in a rally |
| principles which every Sikh is bound to obey and | | | | at Delhi it had been announced against Mainika Gandhi. |
| follow in life and only then he could say that he is a | | | | ‘ Beti hai sardar ki—Mulk ke ghadar ki’. It |
| Sikh of the Gurus. These five principles are | | | | is on record that thousands Sikhs had been killed, |
| enumerated below:- | | | | killed in encounters, sent to jails, and some were |
| (1) Work and earn your living with your own hands | | | | hanged and some are still in jails facing trials. The |
| and your earning should be pure and if one takes | | | | losses which the Sikhs suffered in India because of |
| bribes, one commits some misconducts in his | | | | that movement would never be compensated, but |
| profession, trade, calling and employment and collects | | | | they are trying to re-establish here in India and they |
| money through illegal means, then that person does | | | | could raise one of them as Prime Minister of India and |
| not remain a Sikh. | | | | even they could raise one to the post of Chief of |
| (2) The man keeps God present in his mind and | | | | Army staff. |
| around him is a Sikh and if he forgets presence of | | | | Sikhs are a mobile community and that is the reason |
| God, that person cannot be called a Sikh. It is on | | | | they are available in each part of the world and |
| record that most of the Sikhs are reciting gurbani i.e. | | | | where-ever they are they are well established and |
| the works of their Gurus daily and they offer prayer | | | | are prosperous. It is the belief in the Sikh community |
| and in the end of this prayer they pray that | | | | that they earn and they also know how to spend |
| everybody on this earth must be happy, prosperous | | | | that money. They live like rajas, maharajas and the |
| and should have all the needs and their provisions at | | | | monarchs and therefore, very few of them are poor |
| his command. | | | | and beggars. The are able to adjust in all the |
| (3) The Sikhs believe in charity and they give help to | | | | circumstances where they are placed and that is the |
| the needy. They know that they should not breed | | | | reason, they are establishing themselves in areas |
| beggars, but they should help a person so that he | | | | who are speaking a different language. |
| should not beg a fish but should be able to catch a | | | | Sikhs are secular in nature because in their Guru |
| fish himself. | | | | Granth Sahib all the communities are present. They |
| (4) The Sikhs have been guided that they should | | | | are reciting works of all the saints belonging to |
| stand and protect the weak and the poor and must | | | | different communities available at that time in in India |
| ensure that none is taking advantage of his | | | | and had there been the Christians here in India, their |
| weakness and of his poverty, and | | | | works could have got a place in Shri Guru granth |
| (5) They try to finish those who are carrying on | | | | sahibji. It must be accepted that none of the |
| tyranny against the poor and the weak. | | | | communities in the world are matching the |
| It must be accepted that the Sikhs are following | | | | maintenance of Gurdwaras when the Sikhs are |
| these five principles and there are thousands of | | | | providing boarding and lodging to all who are visiting |
| events when they could carry out these orders of | | | | these shrines. They are keeping these shrines well |
| their commandants. | | | | maintained, neat and clean and they are present here |
| The Sikhs had been protecting Hindus and they had | | | | for prayer and recitation daily and twice a day. |
| been fighting against the Mughals who were trying to | | | | The Sikhs had been given a special identity by shri |
| convert Hindus, were demolishing their places of | | | | guru Gobind Singh ji. They were asked to wear the |
| worship and it is also on record that they had | | | | following five signs to establish that the man is a Sikh. |
| contributed beyond their strength in the country in | | | | These five signs are enumerated here for the |
| war of Indian independence and their number had | | | | information of all in the world:- |
| been higher who had been killed while fighting against | | | | (1) Kesh. |
| the Mughals and against the British. If we count the | | | | (2) Karra. |
| number of people who were hanged, who were | | | | (3) Kirpan. |
| given life imprisonment, who were sent to jails, who | | | | (4) Kachha. And |
| were deported to ‘kalepaani’, the number of | | | | (5) Kangha. |
| the Sikhs had been on the higher side. We know and | | | | We are noticing that all the Sikhs are not following |
| every Indian knows that the Sikhs had been | | | | these five signs and most of the Sikhs have started |
| contributing much in the administration, in the | | | | avoiding these signs and even then they are declaring |
| industry, in the defence, in the agriculture and in | | | | that they are the Sikhs and they say that they are |
| other fields and they contributed more than what | | | | believing in the ten Gurus and in Guru granth sahib ji |
| had been expected from them. | | | | and therefore, they are Sikhs. Some Sikh individuals |
| When India was being divided in 1947 the British | | | | and some Sikh organizations are trying to bring the |
| were agreeing that the Sikhs should get their own | | | | Sikhs into these five bounds, but all their efforts are |
| homeland known in the name of ‘Khalistan’, | | | | not successful and more and more Sikhs are losing |
| but the Sikh leaders of that time did not agree for | | | | this identity. But it is on record that they have not |
| this ‘Khalistan’ because they knew that the | | | | left the Sikh religion and they still declare themselves |
| Sikhs could not be retained in a small part. They | | | | as the Sikhs of the Gurus. |
| knew that the Sikhs are a mobile community, a | | | | The future of this community is not bad because |
| progressive community, a community which is | | | | they are well educated, well trained, disciplined, hard |
| adjustable at any place in the world, they are hard | | | | worker, efficient, sincere, faithful and they are once |
| worker, efficient and all that and therefore, they | | | | again establishing themselves in India and they are |
| should have a big country and they opted for India | | | | also establishing themselves in all the countries where |
| because they did not accept the offer of creator of | | | | they are present. Their principles, the lives of their |
| Pakistan that they should have’Khalistan’ in | | | | Gurus, the teaching of their Gurus, their history, their |
| Pakistan. Therefore, we must accept that the Sikhs | | | | traditions and their mythology is helping them and |
| are the first who opted for India and therefore, they | | | | they shall retain the reputation they could attain |
| are the first citizens of India and it is on record that | | | | through their past. |