Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'moneh'.
-
A basic analysis : If you look at most religions worldwide , it is only the core priestly class which follows the tenets of religion to fullest. The laymen are either not required or not bothered. Sikh gurus were of the vision that the priest and common man should have the same spiritual opportunity. For this reason, Guru Gobind Singh ji gave 5 kakkars to all of us, not just the granthi. He gave turbans to all of us , not just the political ruler. This is in stark contrast to both hinduism and islam. Most hindu men don't keep uncut hair or keep tilak , even though all rishis (who wrote vedas) did have uncut hair much like sikhs, the pandits do wear bodi and tilak. Some hindu communities require boys to pierce ears (one time childhood event). Most muslim men don't wear turban or keep beard like the prophet, even though the imams of mosques do. Islam requires boys to be circumcised (one time childhood event). Most hindu women are still expected to wear saree, sindoor, mangalsutar and other external signs of hinduism (life long) Most muslim women are expected to wear hijab (life long). So , as it is in both hinduism and islam, it is men who're let off lightly when it comes to religious discipline while women do have to carry the weight with them. Women are seen as flagbearers of culture. Also islam and hinduism both believe in mutilation of some sort as noted above. Sikhi on the other hand is so opposed to altering god's gifts that we don't even permitted to cut our hair . Carrying religious articles in sikhi is opposite . Men wear turbans and keep beards (life long) , while women can do eyebrows and no one cares. If a boy however cut his hair , it raises eyes. In sikh communities, men are the flagbearers of culture. It seems many (some?) of our boys nowadays don't bother much about it. Somewhere in the 70s, we started going down the slippery slope where our boys started shedding hairs faster than we could cope. And once a guy cut his hair , his son also wouldn't keep it , and then sikhi goes off in that lineage. Today, we face a horde of young sikh men who don't look sikh . They keep really short hair like models and don't wear turbans. Kada is convenient , so its always there in hand. But the larger question is "Is such a man sikh ?" If not, then what is he ? Are we ultimately going to become like other communities , where only the priests keep religious articles while laymen don't ?