The Sikhs constitute nearly two percent of the Indian population. They are concentrated in the Northwest province of Punjab. Traditionally they are known as fearless heroes. Vast majorities of the Sikhs are farmers. Relatively speaking they have excellent and cozy homes with courtyards. They have the highest per capita income in India.

The Sikh males and females don’t talk much in public, and keep to a minimum. The normal practice is shaking hands with the same gender. The kissing of the opposite sex in public is not accustomed. The elders at the time of meeting are introduced first. Usually the males talk to each other and females do the same. In the traditional Sikh homes, the female spouse doesn’t sit down with the guests especially when male guests are not close relatives or family friends. She may serve them and will stay in the kitchen or some other part of the house. If there is a female with the male guest, she will gladly get acquainted with her. This behavior is strongly associated with educational and religious background of the family. The Sikh females are shy and reserve in the company of the males. The greeting is done with the folding hands within the culture. The more common address is Sat Sri Akal, unless family is initiated with Amrit and address Waheguru ji ka Khalsa! Waheguru ji ki fateh!

The religious and spiritual Sikhs are strictly lacto-vegetarians. The milk and milk products, vegetables, and beans are extensively used. Wheat is a staple food. Rice is also a part of the diet. The hands are washed before and after the meals. A lot of spices such as, red and green chilies, garlic, and turmeric are used for frying and cooking. Who eat meat, many of them do not feast on beef due to Hindu influence. The non-initiated Sikhs like to consume alcoholic drinks. Butter milk—lassi made from homemade yogurt is a favorite cold drink. Milky tea with sugar is a very common hot drink. Coffee and other cold drinks are used less. A special home made lemonade with sugar and salt is liked in the summer. The Indian sweets and fats are used in abundance.

There are village settlements in Punjab. Every village of reasonable population has a Sikh Gurdwara—a place of worship. Even some of the bigger village settlements or towns have more than one. A Sikh Gurdwara is easily visible from a distance with a tall flagpole and saffron triangular flag with a Sikh symbol—a dagger in the center and two swords’ intersecting underneath on it. Every Sikh Gurdwara has a community kitchen attached to it. At some occasions, in the historic Gurdwaras, there is arrangement of hundreds of thousands to serve community kitchen. No meats of any kind, fish and egg are cooked in the community kitchens. In a Sikh Gurdwara, the main place of worship is where the holy Guru Granth Sahib is placed, ceremonially opened every morning, and finished up and put to discontinuance every evening. Before entering the temple one has to take off shoes, cover the head, go down on the knees in front of Guru Granth and sit in the assembly. The males and females sit on separate sides—males on the right, and females at the left, facing Guru Granth Sahib. There are more than 200 historic Sikh Gurdwaras. The Sikhs have five seats of power—royal seats of the immortal Creator—Akal Takhat (Amritsar), Harimandir Sahib (Patna), Keshgarh Sahib (Anandpur), Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabon), and Hazoor Sahib (Nanded).

The birth and the childhood: In the ears of the newborn baby some devotee Sikhs recite the first five verses of the morning recitation of Jap. To select the first letter of the name of the child, the Guru Granth is opened at random. On the left side on the top of the page, the first letter of the first word is considered for the name of the child. The children are also initiated lightly as minor, at the time their parents are initiated. When they grow into adult,s they are initiated in a regular way.

A Sikh male and a female are named as Singh and Kaur, which means a lion and a lioness respectively. Typically speaking the initiated Sikhs should alone use these suffixes or middle names, which become the members of the Khalsa Panth—a commonwealth of the purified. However due to modernization and western influence, and partial and selective assimilation, the most of the Sikhs are no more conscious of the meanings of the names they give to their children. In some traditional oriented families the first child is born at the mother’s parent’s house.

The Sikhs have a positive attitude toward education of their children. The boys and girls have equal educational opportunities.

Dating is not socially approved. Pre-marital sex is forbidden. The parents with the help of the relatives and friends arrange the marriage. Mostly the boys and girls are married in their early twenties and mid twenties respectively. To remain bachelor, after marriageable age, is not a recommended Sikh way of life. The wedding ceremony— Anand Karaj is performed in the presence of Guru Granth. The bridegroom’s marriage party is called Barat or Junj. The divorce is very rare among the Sikhs. The bride wears red or pink color at the time of the wedding. The bridegroom carries a three-foot sword.

The Sikh females wear a special type of tailored Punjabi suit. The Sikh males for the most part wear pants and a shirt. The Sikhs don’t consider Kurta and Pajama—tailored in a slightly different fashion, hardly as their nightdress. The young Sikh males and females like more bright colors. In the old age, after youth, the respect is more associated with liking sober colors.

All the Sikh males, who nourish head hair, sport a turban. A couple of Sikh divisions do endorse for the female also to wear a small turban called Keski. Otherwise, with a few exceptions, the females cover their head with a muslin cloth of reasonable length, without covering their faces. A Sikh turban is a very distinct from a Muslim and a Hindu turban in pattern and style. In the West, people fail to identify the difference between a Sikh, and an Arab from the Middle East. Because they lack critical look at the turban, the beard and mustaches, which reflect a great deal of difference. The Arabs support long beard and trimmed or shaved off mustaches. Their mustaches are trimmed especially. In case of a Sikh, beard and mustaches both, are either trimmed or untrimmed (shaved off). This is a fair test to identify a Sikh.

The navy blue color is the most favorite color of the Guru Gobind Singh’s Khalsa. It also indicates that the Sikh is initiated, and is a member of the Khalsa Panth. The saffron color has the significance of sacrifice. The pure white color refers to simplicity, and is mostly worn in the old age. The holy people like to wear the white color, irrespective of their age. The black color does not carry any significance in religion, but came into use during the Akali (a religio-political party) agitation against the British rule.

The Patiala style:

The two sides of the turban meet at a sharp angle on the forehead. As the name indicates, this style originated from a Maharaja of Patiala—a small but powerful Sikh kingdom, which was abolished after the independence of India. The Sikh farmers customize turban in a slightly different style.

The Namdhari Style:

This style is finished plane across the forehead, and is spotless white in color.

The Sikhs do morning recital and prayer before breakfast, and preferably before the sunrise. The evening recital and prayer is done after sunset but before dinner. This daily recital is called Nitnem in the Sikh faith. If the time permits and the Sikh Gurdwara is close to a Sikh home, these duties are also fulfilled in the Sikh congregation in the Gurdwara.

The Baishakhi is a New Year and the establishment day of the Khalsa. The Diwali is a festival of the lamps. The sixth Guru Hargobind was released this day from Gwalior jail along with 52 other rulers. Other celebrations are the birthdays of gurus’, especially of Guru Naanak and Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikhs also celebrate the birthdays of the saints who contributed hymns to the Guru Granth. Martyrdom days of Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Teg Bahadur, and two sons of Guru Gobind Singh— Jorawar Singh and Fateh Singh are memorialized with great enthusiasm. Hola Mohalla is mainly celebrated at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. The compilation day of Guru Granth is also celebrated with great pump and show.

Lori, Ghori, Bolis, Tappas, and Hir and Ranjha are some of the famous folk songs of Punjabis'. They are disappearing rapidly in the new generation. Contemporary poetry and filmy songs are more common these days. The initiated Sikhs listen and sing mostly the hymns from the Guru Granth.

Bhangra for the males and Giddha for the females are the very famous dances of Punjab.

Sardar means a male Sikh chief. This title came into use when Sikhs used to be the rulers of small confederations. If anyone does not know the name of an adult male Sikh, one can address him as Sardar Ji or Sardar Sahib. The words Ji and Sahib are used as respect. The spouse of Sardar Ji is called Sardarni Sahib. The saintly Sikhs are addressed as Bhai Sahib (elder brother). The Sikh males mostly address females as Bibi Ji or Bhain Ji (sister). Gyani ji is a professional title and in some cases prefixes for a knowledgeable in Sikhism. The male and female minors are approached as Kaaka and Guddi respectively.

Selected hymns from the Guru Granth are recited at the time of the death in a family. The Sikhs are not supposed to scream shed tears or mourn the death. The sweet will of the Wonderful lord has to be honored. The dead body is cremated and the nearest male relative lights the funeral fire. The ashes are thrown into the river or in flowing water. The recitation of the Guru Granth is started either in the house or at the Gurdwara—per the convenience of the family. Erecting memorials for the deceased and celebrating their death anniversaries—are forbidden.

The Sikhs believe in economic equality. The rich and the poor are treated equally. There is no caste system prevalent among the Sikhs; but due to the Hindu influence, it is not totally eradicated.

The Sikhs are liberal to other religions. Sikhism respects the individuality of any faith. There is no emphasis at all on conversions. Instead the Sikhs believe in universal brotherhood and expect every citizen of the world to be faithful to their respective faiths.

The Sikhs are respectful to their elders. They always give due regards to them, and make best use of their rich experience. They care for their elders, parents, and grand parents, by virtue of a very strong bond of love, affection, and friendship matured over the years. Their homes serve also as the retirement and the nursing homes, where they spend last part of their life in the warmth of their joint family system. The parents as well as their children, both are well prepared for such type of situation.

There are all types of people in Sikhism. A few are very saintly personalities, highly spiritual, don’t like to posses any material wealth, and spend their whole life as true Sikhs as well as missionaries. A vast majority is highly materialistic in nature. They plead to the Lord to demand more and more to multiply their material wealth—just the opposite the Guru wants his follower to be.

The Sikhs are assumed to yield one tenth or at least any part of their genuine earnings in charity or to the needy. They contribute liberally in the new Gurdwara construction projects, and to the community kitchen of the Guru. Overall, they are liberal in giving charities restricting mostly to their faith in particular.

A Sikh male is a democratic head of the family. The decisions are taken collectively by all the members of the family including wife, children, and parents, if any. In many cases, they also consult their relatives and friends, before reaching a decision. The typical role of a Sikh male is to work outside their home, to make a living; and a Sikh female to be the homemaker, and to raise children. Due to the socioeconomic changes in the recent past, the Sikh women are out to work to help their families and strive for higher standards of living.

Craig, Joann M., Culture Shock, Singapore, Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co., Portland, 1993, pp. 199-231.

Singh, Kharak, Sikh Religion - The Double Edged Sword, S.G.P.C., Amritsar, 1994.

Singh, Kharak, Sikhism -- A Miri Piri System, Dharam Prachar Committee, S.G.P.C., Amritsar, 1994.

Singh, Khushwant, The Sikhs Today, Orient and Longman, 1985.

Singh, Teja, Sikhism—Its Ideas and Institutions, Khalsa Brothers, Amritsar, 1978.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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¹ Lecture (revised) delivered by the author on Indian Sikhism in the series of ‘World religions as seen through national cultures,’ on Sept. 23, 1996, at the University Unitarian Church, Adult Religious Exploration, 6556 35^th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98115. And on Feb. 22, 1998 at the West Seattle Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4736 40th Ave. SW, Alki Masonic Lodge, Seattle WA 98126.