Jun 19, 2011, PATIALA: At a time when Punjabi students are losing interest in studying Sikhism, the spiritual potential of the religion is attracting the attention of foreign students. A US couple is in Punjab these days to study Sikhism.
"Though I had many options to study other religions, I opted for Sikhism for my PhD as Sikhs are great. I want to study the religion which has made them great," Charles Townsente told TOI.
Charles is a student of PhD in University of California and has come to Punjab to study Sikh music as it's an integral part of his study of Sikhism — his subject for PhD. Since the Gurmat Sangeet department here is the only such department in the country, which could provide maximum help in studying Sikh music, Charles and his wife Suzi will stay in the department for around two days.
About his Sikh friends studying with him in university, he said they are always ready to help other students and never lost heart even in toughest of times. "The Sikh students never create any problem for others. Despite facing many attacks in recent times, majority of Sikhs are not ready to change their identities. These qualities of the community have attracted me towards this religion," said Charles. His wife is a law student of first-year in the same university, but since she also has interest in Sikhism, and is accompanying her husband.
The couple will visit Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib and Sultanpur Lodhi and will stay at these places for around 7-8 days. They want to interact with visitors. "I have completed five years study, out of seven. This year, I plan to visit all prominent places related to Sikhism. We will go to other places in Punjab in coming weeks," said Charles.
"We will talk to visitors, listen to Gurbani and see the procession in Golden Temple. ," said Suzi, sitting with her husband in the university.