JSinghnz

@genie, what is this supposed to mean? "It's true the turban and Khalsa identity is under threat but its always been under threat ever since it was founded. So do not worry if it dies a natural death it was in the hakum of Waheguru and it does seem that way I think its a good thing as Khalsa was falsely imposed on all Sikhs by edicts from SGPC at the determent of the Sikh kaum. Every Sikh is worried about our identity and here we have you "So do not worry if it dies a natural death".

Thanks for that. It really is very inspiring and has a very clear and concise message.

Sikhs of the past chose death before cutting their hair, here Bhai Taru Singh is tortured and than has his scalp removed in refusal to give up his Sikh identity (hair) . Thursday, March 08, 2012: Recently one of my cousins cut his hair, after almost 40 years of his life for the first time. When I heard the news I was not shocked as from my previous discussions with him I knew he did not really believe in Sikhism, but kept the external identity due to social community pressures. I wonder how many Sikhs do this; keep the external identity because of family or other pressures, and how many Sikhs give up the identity due to society pressures and to fit in. No real assessment can be done but one thing is certain the external appearance of a Sikh is a real matter of concern/discussion. To me both instances (of keeping or losing the hair for pressures) the value of the Sikh identity is totally lost. Seriously what’s the big deal about hair? Almost every Sikh, at least every Sikh living outside of Punjab, India has asked this question to themselves at one time or another in their life. Here are some more questions: Why in this day in age is it important? What benefit is gained from standing out in a society especially after 9/11 where a turban and beard has such negative connotations associated with them? What’s the use of getting discriminated, judged, heckled, at times even hated just from your appearance? What is there to be had to have this aged look, unpopular with young women, unpopular with fashion, style, and perceived cleanliness? Why does it matter how you look as long as you are a good person? How does this facilitate any spiritual growth? Isn’t more important what you are on the inside, rather than out? The list goes on and on, asked by non Sikhs, but also Sikhs themselves in their inner dialogue. I am sure one day my son’s will ask me many of these questions in various forms be it out of curiosity, or rebellion. There are many answers based on historical significance, spiritual technology and tenants of the faith. But most everyone of the internet age wants the main question answered, the question which has become the staple for the new-aged, smarter than thou, google everything know it all’s , behind all the questions above and many not listed is the one we seldom want to address : Whats in it for me? Plain and simple this is where it comes to when broken down and what every introspection and observation is about, the one thing, how it relates to me, how do I benefit, and what do I have to gain? And that’s exactly where it gets complicated, because the ego asking the questions already has the answers. Many who ask about hair, who question their identity or this basic tenant of Sikhism have done so with the wrong mentality to begin with, lets look at it with a fresh idea lets question it in a way which will shed more light on the reasoning’s and reveal why it is a priceless identity: Whats not in it for me? Its historical fact that kesh (hair) was/is the most valuable part of a Sikh. There are countless accounts of Sikh history that even when faced with hardship, torture and even death, a Sikh would not have their hair cut. As I read some of these historical accounts I tried to figure out the reasoning, why didn’t these Sikhs give up something so basic, something that Sikhs today give up without second thoughts. When I was younger and tormented by bullies I drew strength from those historical figures, on how they stood steadfast in their belief, in what was right even when faced with obstacles they did not waver. I was too young to really understand, I did not have the personal experience’s to give true justices to their greatness. If I was to be given a Rolls Royce for free, I wouldn’t value it as much as if I had saved every penny to earn it. The problem is now, we have been given Sikhism virtually for free, without paying any price, without earning any part of it, it is handed to us on a platter, put in our laps and then we don’t know what to do. We do not realize its worth, its value, instead we take it for granted. As I grow older my appreciation for my hair grows even more, it’s the single most thing that makes me who I am. Every hair ties me to a heritage beyond description, beyond words, beyond comprehension. What a Sikh stands for is righteousness, for justice, and for service of humanity meaning they do not stand for themselves. The Sikh identity is so special so unique that it forces you to ask questions of yourself that you would not normally ask, it forces you into situations that you would not normally encounter, and it gives you experience’s beyond what you would have normally experienced. When you put all that together, when you add up all the pros and cons you begin to see the picture more in focus. Sure spirituality is from within, but in your life experiences are internal and external. The saroop/identity provides you both, it gives you clarity about who you are, and constant reminder of what your goal in life should be. The hair, the beard they automatically create the acceptance of natural form of a human. You give up your ego, your basic desire to want to be accepted, to fit in, right from the onset you are thrust into a mentality to stand out, to develop inner strength and confidence. As you live you get even more, judgments, taunts, discrimination force you to preserver, your put into situations which change you to the core. You begin to see those moments in your life where you had hardships not as moments that were unfair but times which developed you, that assisted in shaping you. Then something miraculous happens you start to fall in love with appreciation of your hair, you start to see how they themselves symbolized what you believe have provided you the opportunities to become a better human being and enriched you beyond what you could imagine. When that feeling begins you start to see the reasoning, the blessings, the gift and the wonderful formula that Sikhism was founded on. When you lose yourself, you gain the universe. Those great souls of the past realized this in the face of death this feeling was not worth giving up, that the hair tied them to their strength so death was preferable rather than losing something so special. Welcome are the stares, welcome are the looks, welcome are the taunts, welcome are the judgments, welcome are the negative and positive experience’s which I have gained so far and am going to gain in the future, I look forward to them they are what help me change and grow, to dig deeper in myself to find compassion and patience in the face of ignorance. They challenge me to try to behave and live with certain ideals and principals and keep me on duty at all times to what I believe. So when I see Sikhs giving up their identities, or failing to adopt them even if they are stern believers of everything else of Sikhism, I am not sure what to think. I honestly have become opinion less about the topic, to each their own, all I know is what value and richness it has provided me. When I see my hair, my beard my now unpopular turbaned look… I see what ties me to my heritage, I see what has given me experience in life what has taught me and shaped me into who I am today, I see what ties me to such a great technology that is so simple yet so deep, so rich so wonderful that in my mind I fall to my knees and bow my head in honor and respect to those who once said and lived in action: Sir Javey tan Javey, Mera Sikhi Sidak na Javey If I lose my head so be it, May I never lose my Sikh discipline/faith/identity. Source: princeofpunjab.blogspot.in

Nothing wrong with what you are doing. This is making you both spiritually as well as physically stronger.

Hola Mohalla or Hola Mahalla or simply Hola is a Sikh festival that takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet which usually falls in March. This, by a tradition estabished by Guru Gobind Singh, follows the Hindu festival of Holi by one day; Hola is the masculine form of the feminine sounding Holi. The word "Mohalla" is derived from the Arabic root hal (alighting, descending) and is a Punjabi word that implies an organized procession in the form of an army column. But unlike Holi, when people playfully sprinkle colored powder, dry or mixed in water, on each other, the Guru made Hola Mohalla an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles. Together the words "Hola Mohalla" stands for "mock fight". During this festival, processions are organised in the form of army type columns accompanied by war-drums and standard-bearers and proceeding to a given spot or moving in state from one gurdwara to another. The custom originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh who held the first such mock fight event atAnandpur in February 1701. Source: SikhiWiki

Awesome

Time to get your self admitted in an mental institution and sign papers to stay there for life. You are not fit to live in a civilised society any more. We will arrange transport in a caged vehicle for you.

First things first. The main thing to be clarified here is that it is wrong to relate Sikhism to violence. Violence is defined the exercise or an instance of physical force, usually effecting or intended to effect injuries, destruction. Sikhism never endorses violence towards anyone. On the other hand, Sikhism has always stood against tyrants. Our Gurus infused the spirit of bravery in a population which was burdened under the weight of slavery for centuries. No one before the Sikhs had the courage to challenge the authority of the cruel muslim masters. Our Gurus led by example and took on the evil rulers and their teachings inspired the enslaved populace to have a new life of freedom. Sikhs stood steady in their faith in the face of untold difficulties and the sacrifices of the Sikhs and their courage in the battlefield is unparalleled in the history of mankind

War with whom? LOL.

Waheguru.

Stay in your limits and keep your silly sense of humour to yourself.

What is so funny about it and please don't boggle your mind too much.

Great job. These thieving rats should be caught and given a lesson of their lives before handing them to the police.

Our prayers are with him. But who is Rajinder Singh Leicester. What has he done wrong for the sangat to correct.

The Sikh Coalition is urging consumers worldwide to sign a petition to CafePress, demanding that the company stop selling racist t-shirts that promote bigotry against Sikhs. CafePress is based in California and is one of the largest online retailers in the United States. Sadly, the company website offers for sale a pair of t-shirts that say “No More Ragheads!” and “No More Towelheads!” These racial slurs are often used to disparage the Sikh turban and have been used against Sikhs in the context of hate crimes. If you believe that CafePress should remove these offensive and dangerous products from its inventory, please follow this link and sign the petition today:http://tinyurl.com/6qw44aa

In view of the just passed Mother Language Day, I want to pay my respect to my mother language, Punjabi. I love my mother language and am very proud of it. Even though I live abroad , our family made sure that our children speak Punjabi. With the Grace of Waheguru, they are so fluent in Punjabi that when they go back to Punjab, they can speak much better Punjabi than the children there. But it saddens me to see the state of Punjabi in Punjab. Children mostly speak Hindi and their shameless parents allow them to do so. I request Sikh Sangat members to make sure that they speak, read and write Punjabi and pass on their rich language to their children. THE QUESTION IS, HOW MANY OF US DO THAT?

The Sikhs have to collectively find funds urgently to stop this from happening. A world wide appeal to all Sikhs should be sent out to donate for this cause.

Thanks for sharing the great news. Tirbhavan Singh has made us all proud.

Carry on with your fairy tales and start practising to shake as it will help you when Earth would shake continousily for 5 years.

Future telling is strictly forbidden in Sikhism. akaur08, what kind of mahapurakhs are you being mislead by? Just live in the present and do keerat and mediate on Waheguru's naam.

Very well said.

Please stop ranting about castes for goodness sake. When will be we ever get rid of this curse of caste system? We should start from this forum that any reference to castes will be not allowed here and all such posts will be deleted.

This is adding insult to injury. Justice has still not been done to the victims of the 1984 massacre and hundreds of cold blooded killers are still roaming free. A killer of innocent Sikhs who "had been sentenced to death seven times has been rewarded with freedom.

What do you mean by WSL being harsh? And why as Sikhs should we," have to see it like a non-Sikh and detach emotionally." It is better to give the right advice to our brother than allow him to follow the false propaganda of the indian government. Have some self respect of being a Sikh.

Very well said and advised. If some Sikhs are going to call that massacre as riots for which justice has still not been done over so many decades, it is indeed quite shameful and foolish.