May happiness and blessings of the Guru be with all as we enter the New Year.
On 5 January, the global Sikh community celebrates the Parkaash(birth) of the Tenth Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh ji.
"The ethos of the Sikh faith was enunciated by Guru Nanak, strengthened and augmented by his eight successors and finally brought to a self surviving maturity by Guru Gobind Singh." (quote from a paper by late scholar/poet, S Jaswinder Singh Chadha.)
Guru Gobind Singh ji completed Guru Nanak Sahib's mission of establishing Sikhi as the global Khalsa Panth, the egalitarian Order of the Khalsa.
Today, Sikh identity, ideology and institutions continue to face challenges in India and in the Sikh diaspora. For British Sikhs, as for other UK communities, year 2018 will be remembered as the year of the Brexit negotiations, and the countdown for the UK to leave the European Union (the Brexit) was approaching its end. In the US, minority communities including the Sikhs, have been apprehensive following Donald Trump's victory to become the President due to his extreme right wing views. Other countries can follow this trend to the extreme right to cause problems for the minorities by challenging the very ethos of multi-culturalism.
Terrorism in the name of misguided "Islam" which has been spreading since 9/11, has posed challenges for Sikh identity in the West. Yet, as a recent Sikh Network survey has shown, Sikhs continue to remain invisible to the government of the UK and other Western countries because they are not counted and monitored reliably as "Sikhs" under the current system. For example, many crimes against Sikhs are recorded as crimes under "Islamophobia".
There is a new awakening to push Sikh identity at global level. There is a global Sikh reaction to being lost in figures as "Indians" or "Asians" or misidentified as "Muslim" or even mis-profiled as "terrorists".
The challenges to main stream Sikh ideology and the independence of central Sikh institutions have been only too obvious for more than a century when Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha was compelled to write "Hum Hindu Nahi". There are Snatan dharmi Sikhs who are now openly preaching Brahmanic thought.
Internal controversy about the Dasam Granth must be avoided by fully accepting the Guruship of Jugo Jug Attal Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib in accordance with the Command of Guru Gobind Singh ji. Dasam Granth should be researched and celebrated as an invaluable source of literary heritage but not placed at par with Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Otherwise, today, Sikhs are better engaged with governments in the diaspora countries. We look to Year 2020 as the year of Chardhi Kalaa of the global Khalsa Panth.
Let us "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."(Albert Einstein)
May the Khalsa be imbued with humility and high wisdom. (Sikh Ardaas)
Have a promising and fulfilling New Year.
Further reading -
under Publications
Parkaash = illumination. Birth of a saintly person who becomes a source of spiritual enlightenment.
Gurpurb (or Gurpurab) is a religious festival commemorating a Guru.
For Sikh word concepts refer to the glossary
Guru Nanak's Nirmal Panth to Khalsa Panth
State of the Panth and next steps:
Where are we? Where are we going? Where do we want to be?
Guru Nanak Sahib's 550th Parkash anniversary is being celebrated across the globe.
Guru Ji's Message is evergreen and relevant to all times and places. As we celebrate so we also reflect on the state of the Khalsa Panth today. We ask ourselves if we are the true followers of the Sikhi preached by Guru ji. If not, then we need to rediscover Sikhi in its pristine form.
The True Source for doing that is Gurbani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh ji. The Singh Sabha Movement started by Gursikh scholars in the second half of the 19th century was a milestone initiative in Sikh tradition to guide ourselves back to the Sikhi as taught by Guru Nanak Jot and Jugat over a period of 239 years from 1469 to 1708.
Today, we have hundreds of gurdwaras and Panthic jathebandis. There is no shortage of paper and electronic information and publications about Sikhi. We need to lay the foundation for Sikhi milestone achievements for the next 50 years as we celebrate the arrival of Guru Nanak Sahib 550 years ago.
We need to spread Gurbani-based guidance about the most pressing issues facing humanity today.
Below are links to some selected articles by Sikh diaspora scholars for special publications by Gurdwaras and organisations commemorating Guru Nanak Sahib 550th Parkash Divas:
Current Affairs advisories from Sardar Gurmukh Singh OBE, Chair of the Sikh Missionary Society Advisory Board -
Further Reading
Sikh Council UK (Board of Jathedars) meeting at the Sikh Missionary Society UK on 4 July 2015
The Sikh Missionary Society (U.K.) is now affiliated to the Sikh Council UK supporting the principle of Sikh unity to pursue Sikhi miri-piri objectives in the UK & Europe (following the Paris Sikh Summit of 26 November 2011.
Sikhs worldwide remember the 1984 pogrom in which, according to official figures, at least 3,000 Sikhs were killed by organized mobs in Delhi in the first 3 days of November 1984. Thousands of Sikhs were also killed in other cities of India. While the terror of the human slaughter within such a short time was horrifying, the contrived completeness of the failure of the Indian administrative system was inexcusable.
Pogroms, genocides and human tragedies, should unite all right thinking, fair-minded people above communal and religio-ethnic divides so that lessons are learnt, and history does not repeat itself. The politics of forgetfulness must not be allowed to suppress the traditional Sikhi spirit of remembrance expressed in the daily Ardaas (supplication).
In an ever shrinking world, no one can remain immune from large scale selective massacre of one community and prolonged delay in the delivery of justice. We remember those who lost their lives in the Sikh genocide of November 1984 and their families who continue to be denied justice to this day.
Further Reading
Achieving this Guidance on the wearing of Sikh Articles of Faith in the workplace and public spaces by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is an important step forward in recognition of the Sikh religious identity in the UK. The Sikh Missionary Society UK was represented by Gurmukh Singh (UK) in the drafting of the Equality and Human Rights Commission guidelines.
You should read this guidance if you require:
Further Reading
Sections 11 and 12 of the Employment Act 1989 as amended by Section 6 of the Deregulation Act 2015 exempts turban-wearing Sikhs from any legal requirement to wear head protection at a workplace.
and
Panjabi
To Produce and distribute books on the Sikh Faith in English and Panjabi, and other languages to enlighten the younger generation of Sikhs as well as non-Sikhs.
To Advise and support young students in schools, colleges and universities on Sikh issues and Sikh traditions. If you belong to an educational institution and would like more information on Sikhism please contact the Resource Centre.
To Arrange Classes, Lectures, Seminars, Conferences, Gurmat camps and the celebration of Holy Sikh Events.
To award prizes to children on the basis of their achievement and interest in the field of Sikh Faith and Panjabi Language.
To make available all Sikh Artefacts, Posters, Literature, Music, Educational Video's, DVD's and Multimedia CD-ROMs
The Sikh Missionary Society U.K seeks financial and other help from Sikh Sangats and Gurdwaras to meet the objectives of the Society. The Society also acts as a Sikh Resource Centre and has over 1000 life and ordinary members from all over the U.K and abroad.
Catalogue of books and artefacts available at the Sikh Missionary Society UK
Today in Sikh History:
| (1987) | : | The Sikh Nation observed today as protest day for the ongoing persecution of their citizens in India. |
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| (1846) | : | The Anglo-Sikh battle of Aliwal was fought. The Sikhs suffered severe losses due to internal dissensions. |
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