There is a universality of the Sikh message that lies beyond the territory and self-limiting boundaries of Punjab, and this universality is entirely consistent with Sikh teaching and practice from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh.
The expressions of hurt and outrage in India that followed recent jokes by late-night comedian Jay Leno and the hosts of the BBC program Top Gear, along with treason charges against a cartoonist, have sparked a debate here: Is the nation too thin-skinned to take a joke?
It was 250 years ago that thousands of Sikhs were killed in two days (February 5 & 6, 1762) at Kup-Rohira near Malerkotla. Known as the Vadda Ghallughara (great holocaust), this massacre of Sikhs at the hands of Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali was a fallout of Sikhs looting money and other precious articles from Abdali's forces, especially after his fourth invasion in 1757.
The Rightful Owner is a saga of sacrifice, selfless love, greed and patriotism. It has in it the elements of mystery, suspense and drama.
A Chief Minister of Punjab for more than eight consecutive years, Partap Singh Kairon turned Punjab into an economic powerhouse. A no-nonsense administrator, he did not let procedures come in the way. The death anniversary of this builder of modern Punjab falls today (February 6.)
What I love most about being a Sikh, is that outside a few boundaries in the rehat marayada, I am free to define my own relationship with the Guru, so if that means I change rumaalay every day or my mutha tek routine takes 15 minutes...so be it. That said, Guru Sahib challenged us, not to be mere devotees...but to be students (Sikhs.)
What happens when I begin to see hypocrisy, jealousy, anger in those who I most respected and considered to be MY panthic leaders? What happens when I see my “brothers” dishonoring my sisters? What happens when I see my role models talk shit, or bully, or straight up ignore those who have fallen off the path instead of helping them back up?
Did you ever wonder how bhangra competitions turned a Punjabi folkdance into an international craze? Or how awesome it would be to record your grandma’s partition story? Waxing philosophic about the Green Revolution lately? Don’t fret, you’re not the only one!
Personally, I don’t understand what part of being made in God’s image is unfashionable. In a world where Jews and Muslims are circumcised due to their religious obligations, and others due to claims of hygiene, Sikh males may feel disadvantaged mentally and physically.
As a Sikh child who grew up in the west, my knowledge and experience with Sikh history came mostly through stories and books. Aside from occasional visits to India, what I knew and saw of Sikh history was predominantly left to my imagination that provided to me a visual to the words I read or the static pictures I saw.