Browsing Tag: IJ Singh

What to do when a young couple wants to marry and only one of them is a Sikh but the other is not? Should they be allowed to marry in a gurduara and enjoy the blessings...

If history speaks of the evil that lurks in men’s hearts, truly there is, at times, nothing nobler than human character given the right choice and frame of mind. Quiet decency is a very human trait.

The lesson is not that this is an impossible task but that the engagement with the Guru never ends. We climb mountains not because they are climbable but because they are there.

Today, this is not an exercise on deconstructing God or is it? Surely God is in his heaven and all’s right with the world.

The emphasis shifts then from the reality of here and now to a wishful fantasy of what might be. But the only life we know is here. And the only influence we have on any life hereafter is through how we live today.

When Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur were martyred, did they feel the pain? Did Guru Gobind Singh suffer the loneliness of war and desertion, and the anguish of every parent when he lost his sons in battle?

What also bothers me is our confusion in how to refer to the person who conducts the religious service in a gurdwara. Is he akin to a priest, a minister, or a rabbi, or is he uniquely different? What should we expect of him? What moral or ecclesiastical authority does he have? What title shall we give him when we speak in English so that his position and functions are not misunderstood?

A Truth and Reconciliation Process is moving forward. To establish a Research & Documentation Center is moving forward. To move beyond such horrendous sins requires that we face them, acknowledge them and atone...

There is no question that we need both a standardized translation and a transliteration of Gurbani and these are not processes that a single scholar, no matter how good, can or should handle alone.

I.J. Singh’s fifth book is surely as sorely needed as were its quartet of predecessors, not only as required reading in the Sikh community, but also for a wider audience – the public-at-large – that remains considerably ignorant of our faith, despite Sikhi’s standing as the world’s fifth largest religion.

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?

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.

Sometimes we worry if the Web will even let the “paper culture” exist. But hope springs eternal and we remain optimistic. We just need to expand our idea of publications to include all the communication channels from paper to emerging media.

Sikhs and non-Sikhs that are curious about the antecedents of Sikhi are invited to attend this webinar, for a conversation on Sikhi– the faith and its way of life. Join us on Saturday – 17 August

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.

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 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.

The word Guru has now morphed into so many applications that it becomes confusing. Common usage equates the word with any expert. Gurus are now dime a dozen. One can be a Guru in the kitchen or in music, in surgery or in style and fashion, even a personal trainer at the spa.

These essays are not to be read with a view to getting final answers or prescriptions and possession of the Truth. This book - like Dr Singh’s previous ones - is a kind of spiritual or philosophical sing-along for those who are also engaged in their own spiritual quest and are ready to ask uncomfortable questions and explore uncharted territory.

Humans are social animals and, in time, their way of life evolves into a codified set of traditions and laws - a code of conduct.

I could argue that over 500 years ago the Sikh Founder-Gurus offered the model of an egalitarian society that promised self-governance, transparency and accountability with freedom from racial, caste and gender stereotypes. I have to concede, though, that the practice often remains short of the teaching.

Ever since 1984 when the Indian government and its minions brought to life with a vengeance the fictional classic of George Orwell, Sikhs the world over have cringed at the propaganda machine of the Indian government...

Last year Nishaan, the colorful Sikh quarterly from Delhi, asked me to trace the Sikh (and Punjabi) presence in Delhi. Pushpinder Singh Chopra, Bhayee Sikander Singh Bagriyan and Monica Arora provided much of the research material. The more I learned about Delhi, the more I became entranced with it.

We all want to be modern. There is nothing quite so distressing as to be told that one is behind the times or...