An iconic figure in Sikh history, ideology and tradition, Bhai Nand Lal, was a contemporary of Guru Gobind Singh and personally witnessed the life altering events of Vaisakhi 1699 that gave us the institution of the Khalsa.
If I insist that engagement with Gurbani requires more than bowing ones head to the Guru Granth; that it requires reading and cogitation on the Guru's words. If I say that Guru Granth is not to be worshiped but reverently read and integrated into one's life, then why should I be distressed that some people react unkindly to my words?
Today, better than 90 percent of Sikhs exist in the country where the religion arose - India. The value system and the governmental structure differ from that of, say Great Britain, Canada and the United States, in major ways.
True that we would like NOT to see a Sikh reading the Guru Granth sahib with a glass of wine in his hand but that still leaves a distinct issue here that deserves to be addressed. These are individual infractions that should be managed at the local level by the local sangat at the local neighborhood gurduara.
Jews have been phenomenally successful in the world. Starting as a nation without borders over 2000 years ago, they have transformed themselves and the world around them, while creating a homeland. They have paid a heavy price along the way.
Over ten official 1984 Inquiry Commissions have done their work under pressure but were unable to identify more than a handful of low level guilty people, even though the government admits to the killing of over 2,700 Sikh men, women and children in Delhi alone. Many credible witnesses, of course, put the numbers much higher.
The Orwellian events of 1984 are now history, almost a generation old. If the connection to the Guru surprises you now, imagine how astonishing it will seem a few years on – like, say another 50 years or so.
In this work we have a miracle. Reviewer Harish Dhillon dubbed this work a “Rare record of a glorious heritage.” This is no ordinary book; a degree of visible veneration has gone into its making.
The Rehat Maryada - Why do we have one? Do we even need it? Couldn’t we live without it? The questions are challenging. And provoking; the idea, however, is to start -- not a fight but a conversation, so put on your thinking caps and turbans...
The significance of Vaisakhi did not start with 1699 nor did it end on that day. The revolution of Vaisakhi continues apace and is, in fact, undiminished today. We need to move our heads, hearts and beings into the 21st century to see it.