Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab.

The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit word shishya which means disciple or student (although this is disputed by some). In the Punjabi language the word Sikh also means to learn. So a Sikh is a disciple of the Ten Gurus and a follower of the teachings in the Sikhism's holy book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS).

Contents

1 The Khalsa

2 General Disposition

3 Sikhs and Punjabis

4 Sikh Names

4.1 Male names
4.2 Female names

5 Prescribed daily practices of a Sikh

6 Duties of a Sikh

7 See also

The Khalsa

Main article: Khalsa

The baptised Sikh is called a Khalsa or the "Pure One". When a Sikh becomes a Khalsa, he/she is supposed to have pledged his/her life to the Guru, and is expected not to desist from sacrificing anything and everything in a struggle for a just cause. Historically, the first male child of all families of Hindus in the Punjab was ordained as a Sikh.

General Disposition

Historically, Sikhs have been known to be great warriors. The tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh is considered a great military leader and strategist of his time. He inspired and eventually led a relatively small number of Sikh forces to remarkable triumphs over expansive state armies of the Mughal king Aurangzeb. It is perhaps owing to such inspired passion or the singular religious devotion of the Khalsa that one may encounter many instances of remarkable gallantry displayed by Sikh fighters throughout history. The Battle of Saragarhi (1897) is remembered as one of many battles where the Sikhs have fought with unflinching strength. In the Battle of Saragarhi, the Sikh Havildar Ishar Singh with 21 other soldiers fought with great bravery against 10,000 Afridi tribesmen. This battle has been taught in history lessons in French schools for many years as a model and an example of extreme human bravery, sacrifice and of comradeship. In the two World Wars, over 80,000 Sikhs died for the allied forces in battles. Many Sikhs have received the Victoria Cross and the Param Vir Chakras for their gallantry and courage.

As a consequence of the above, even today gallantry and machismo are much appreciate values in Sikh cultures. It is not uncommon to see tall, well-built Sikh youths driving open (roofless) Jeeps, SUV's or bigger, macho motorbikes such as Royal Enfield's Bullet. Despite their small percentange in Indian population, Sikhs have regularly figured in national Indian sports squads (especially field hockey and athletics). The traditional dances and sports of Punjab almost always manifest flowing energy or physical strength.

Though Sikhism advocates equality of gender, owing to this prevalence of machismo, Sikh culture is male dominated and women play, as in myriad other cultures, only a secondary role in society.

Sikhs and Punjabis

Since Sikhism originated in the region of Punjab, most Sikhs trace their roots to that region (though in recent times, with the spread both of Sikhism and Sikhs, one might encounter Sikhs belonging to other geographical locations across the world). So more often than not, a Sikh might also be identified as a Punjabi, although one should not be confused with the other. Consequently, and also because the Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi, the script of the Punjabi language, most Sikhs are able to speak, read or write the language, or are at least familiar with it.

Sikh Names

A Sikh man almost always bears the second name of Singh, which means 'lion', and a Sikh woman can be identified with a second name of Kaur (Though the name Kaur is an exclusively Sikh name, Singh is quite often encountered in Hindu names as well). Additionally, except only a very few cases, the same first names as used for men are used for women. In other words, though one may not be able to tell the gender of Sikh person from his/her first name, the second name of Singh or Kaur makes the distinction completely clear. Moreover, the said first names usually end with common suffixes such as: inder, jeet, preet, pal, meet, deep, mail, bir, want etc. Even the prefixes of the first names aren't too much varied. The commonest of prefixes are: Gur, Har, Man, Bal,Dal, Kul, Jas etc. The various combinations of these prefixes and suffix make up Sikh first names.

Keeping above in mind, a few examples of Sikh names might be:

Male names

Gurbinder Singh
Baljeet Singh
Gurpreet Singh
Manpreet Singh
Harpal Singh
Harbhajan Singh

Female names

Gurpreet Kaur
Daljeet Kaur
Hardeep Kaur
Baljeet Kaur
Jaswant Kaur

Despite the above unwritten conventions that are usually followed while naming Sikh children, till a generation earlier, shorter, one syllable names such as: Banta Singh, Bhag Singh, Jant Singh, Jeet Kaur, Har Kaur etc. could be easily encountered especially in rural areas of Punjab. Other than that, modern Sikh families living in bigger, cosmopolitan cities, have adopted names from other communities as well. For instance, in New Delhi you might find a Sikh girl named simply Amita. In this case, the second name Kaur has been done away with and more significantly, the name Amita is unlike any conventional Sikh first name and is, in fact, a name more commonly associated with a Hindu girl. This practice of naming without using the word Singh or Kaur is considered as manmat (Against the will of the Guru) and is prohibited in the Reht Maryada (The way of living of Sikhs).

Prescribed daily practices of a Sikh

The following is the daily routine to be followed by a practising Sikh:

To rise early in the morning.
To have a shower or bath or as a minimum to wash face, hands & feet.
To meditate on God by reciting his name. In Sikhism God is called Waheguru and meditation through kirtan(holy music) or simple meditation on God's name(on the word Waheguru through repetition and faith, otherwise known as Naam Japna) and recite the Banis of the Guru - Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib Tav Prasad savaye, Chaupai Sahib and Anand Sahib. If possible to attend Gurdwara (Sikh Temple); to listen to Kirtan whenever possible.
To perform Aardas, have breakfast and attend to the family needs.
To attend work, training, or study, etc and perform Kirit Karni.
Finish your daily work, school or college and return home to see to your family duties.
In the evening recite or listen to the Rehras Sahib.
After Aardas, to have the evening meal and engage in recreational, charitable, social tasks.
Before bed to recite or listen to the Kirtan Sohila.

Duties of a Sikh

This section deals with the general duty of a Sikh to society and God rather than his/her daily practices dealt with in the previous section.

1. Accept the SGGS as their Spiritual Teacher. Regularly study, meditate on and read the SGGS. Naam Japo; have faith in Guru and God.
2. Live a householder's life: honest, simple and family oriented Kirat Karni; Know your responsibilities and honour these.
3. Contribute to the well being of society by offering selfless service without receiving payment and give ten percent of their net income to a charity, poor person, worthy cause, etc. Wand kay Shako
4. Treat every person as an equal irrespective of caste, creed, gender, profession, social status, age, race, ability, etc.
5. Speak politely; forgive easily and be humble at all times page 1384 Humility is the word, forgiveness is the virtue, and sweet speech is the magic mantra. Wear these three robes, O sister, and you will captivate your Husband.
6. Avoid the five evils: Pride (Egotism), Anger (Stubbornness), Greed, Attachment to Worldly things (Maya) and Lust.
7. If you are a Baptised Sikh, Wear the 5Ks.
8. Do not be cruel; nor have a negative outlook on life; Always have a Positive Attitude (Chardi Kala).
9. Do not practise rituals or superstitions; no fasting; no penances; Always be logical and scientific in your approach to any problem.
10.No cigarettes or alcohol is premitted in any Sikh Temple or to be used by Sikhs. No ritually prepared meat may be consumed by a Sikh.
11. See ONLY Guru Granth Sahib Ji for Guidance