The Path to a Sikh Renaissance

[TejS]

The Path to a Sikh Renaissance 

I feel that we are in a dire need of a Sikh Renaissance, where Sikhs will be able to contribute to the world at their zenith. I believe we were heading to that point during Maharaja Ranjit's time but it dwindled from there on. 

I think that we as a community need a re-emergence, and realizing it and bringing it into reality should be our main and only priority for now. Hearing and seeing the Sikh youth in Punjab being gripped by drugs, and in certain parts of the Western world becoming unmotivated, and failing in life is disheartening to see. 

I think through the following steps, we can emerge as a powerful force, however it will take extreme strife. 

Here is what I think is needed:

• Sikhs need to spiritually reconnect with Sikhi
• Become entrepreneurial by creating new industries or by taking control of existing ones, as a means of gaining great economic resource which can then be channeled to the Sikh cause, think Bill Gates & Mark Zuckerberg type of entrepreneurial success and economic gain
• Put the Khalistan movement on the back burner for now, as it is only damaging and polarizing the community, and instead build ourselves up to a formidable level where we have a respected global image and can command power; and then bring back the movement through calculated ways and not martyrdom
• Refocus on being a Sikh, and not a Sikh-Hindu, and pledge allegiance to the Sikh cause by being a united community - agreeing on our future goals, this can only be done by having more parchariks like Jugraj Singh, and supporting them through economic resources which in itself can only be provided by entrepreneurial Sikhs mentioned in my second bullet point
• Having to set milestones and future goals such as Sikhs winning Nobel Prizes, Oscars, Pulitzer Prizes and etc.
• Encouragement for meaningful learning and education ( this is the need of the moment, why is it that most of the Sikh youth hates pursuing education, especially Sikhs from Punjab?); we need more Sikhs aiming for the Rhodes Scholarship
• Branch out into more reputable fields/industries - i.e. Science, Engineering, Medicine, Politics, Academia, Arts/Media, Technology, Business (this honestly is the crux of the Renaissance and I can see some of it already taking place in the Western world); I say this because most Sikhs join the Indian Army and most go for soldier as an occupation, but we need to step back and stop putting our lives on the line and instead need to focus on educating and securing our community through personal development
• Evolve and be more open - accept Sehajdari, Mona Sikhs, 3HO Sikhs, Sikh sects as a part of the community, the more the merrier, however gradually, with love, help them correct their ways
• Immigrate from Punjab to the Western world (however through legal means and with the intent of gaining meaningful education, i.e. studying at esteemed institutions in America/England/Canada and not some merit-less community colleges, and gaining reputable jobs), as this will allow Sikhs more global exposure and opportunity
• Increase our numbers through procreating more children or adopting children and raising them into the Sikh faith, and marrying out (i.e. bring spouses from other faiths/ethnicities into the Sikh fold through reason and willingness, not force like love jihad)
• Be clear in our focus, respect other communities, but do not advocate their causes (such as the Sikh Coalition standing up for Muslims and Hindus, this is not benefiting us)
• Reap the benefits of the system, and do not fight it or challenge it for the meantime, however retain allegiance to the Sikh cause (make use of the IITs in India, and Medical Colleges, and the student scholarships that send worthy students to Ivy Leagues); I think the Parsis have been most successful in this
• Become role models,and in turn inspire Sikh youth, and establish an encouraging network (often times the Sikhs that do attain success, are extremely averse against helping other Sikhs - this is wrong, as we need to create a community that encourages and supports individual success such as the Jewish people)
• Stop riding the coattails of our ancestors, and instead create new sagas of success in the present-day
• Uphold the warrior spirit, but put on a thinking cap so that communal decisions can turn out to be effective ones, and not ones that are conducted in the heat of the moment, which ultimately lead to little gain and more damage
• Revise Judeo-Christian influenced English translations of the GGS and translate the GGS into other major languages (Arabic, Russian, Chinese, French, Spanish) and Indo-Aryan languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Marwari/Rajasthani, Bihari, Nepali) to make Sikhism more accessible and understandable for those interested
• Removal of caste altogether (it has no place in Sikhism, and any pride on ones caste should be absolutely condemned and derided - more Singh/Kaur surnames, zero gotras, let's get out of this tribal thinking)

Although I may have repeated myself a few times, this is what I came up with at the moment.

Feel free to criticize, discuss and contribute your thoughts about improving the Sikh community.

Apologies in advance, if I've offended anyone.

[Dsinghd]

Waheguru! Great post.

[dallysingh101]

7 hours ago, TejS said:

Shed the warrior mentality for now, and put on the thinking cap

I think that varies from region to region. Might be some places where it is very handy to have. 

[TejS]

3 hours ago, dallysingh101 said:

I think that varies from region to region. Might be some places where it is very handy to have. 

Agreed. I've made that change to the list. Could you elaborate on what regions though?

[Guest Jacfsing2]

I like a lot of what you said, except the Khalistan point, I feel that as a community we can't do these things unless Punjab is Sikh-centered, (or even Punjabi-centered), to the point where Punjab can build their own institutions. Also, Sikhs need to be brave and independent, so I disagree with removing the warrior mentality.

[TejS]

6 hours ago, Jacfsing2 said:

I like a lot of what you said, except the Khalistan point, I feel that as a community we can't do these things unless Punjab is Sikh-centered, (or even Punjabi-centered), to the point where Punjab can build their own institutions. Also, Sikhs need to be brave and independent, so I disagree with removing the warrior mentality.

Well, I think its impossible for us to secure a Khalistan in the current predicament that our community is in.We are too scattered, not only in terms of Sikhi, but also in terms of education, and thats why I think it would be wiser to focus our energy from Khalistan to education. Education is the one thing that can propel the Sikh community forward, and its the only thing we aren't focusing on. And by education I mean something that is going to make an uplift on our global identity as well as the basics such as every Sikh knowing Gurmukhi. I'm talking about striving to get to the upper echelons of professional degrees as well as having a learned person in every Sikh household. With education, Brahmanic influences can be removed from Sikhi, this is very evident in the Western world, where educated Sikh Americans do not confrom to pointless Punjabi superstitions, and instead ONLY follow what is written in the GGS. Take for example my extended family living in India. They are "Sikhs" but go and offer donations to some Hanuman temple, which is quite ironic. The reason they do this is because that's what the elders have passed down, who too were uneducated. Had any of my extended family members ever read the GGS cover to cover, they would know this practice is pointless, and would ultimately educate the remaining family members. Education is a NEED for our community, if we hope to survive.

Punjab already has some great institutions like IIM Amritsar, Punjab University, Chandigarh, IIT Ropar and etc., however if you check the current students page, its usually a majority of Hindus, and not only Punjabi Hindus, but Hindus from all over India - this is very depressing to see. You can say there is bias and favoritism, however with good merit and marks, you're bound to get in somewhere worthwhile, however most Sikhs don't excel in studies. And why limit ourselves to Punjab, apply to universities in Delhi, Mumbai or heck even the Western world (nothing better than this), why not strive for the Ivy Leagues, Oxbridge, Canadian/AU/NZ unis. Don't limit ourselves to just Punjab Sikh-centered institutions, spread out and become Deans and members of Faculty at reputable unis like in America and help fellow Sikhs get in by creating networks (that's how the Jewish people do it, and clearly its working for them, so why not us).

In terms of removing the warrior mentality, what I am trying to say is that we are too often thinking like warriors. If there is any issue, we're all immediately ready to raise our swords and get physical. When in fact we need to instead remain calm, and think strategically, before acting like warriors. I think we should preserve the warrior spirit within us instead, which is exactly what you described: being brave, independent and to add on, standing up for what's right. However, too many times we act like warriors without thinking clearly, and end up getting damaged more than we can sustain- post 1984 is a prime example of this. I'm not saying be cowards, all I'm saying is we need to be calm, collected and should make wise decisions that will be more effective than getting hyper at the drop of every issue.

Just my personal thoughts, let me know what you think.

[akalpurakh098]

15 hours ago, TejS said:

 

• Increase our numbers through procreating more children or adopting children and raising them into the Sikh faith, and marrying out (i.e. bring spouses from other faiths/ethnicity into the Sikh fold through reason and willingness, not force like love jihad)

Yes! The only prospect I see in Punjab is a non-sikh majority Punjab. That will not be very different from the Muslim-majority Punjab we observe, it's obvious like Pakistani Punjabi Muslims, most Punjabi Hindus, Jains tends to prefer urdu/hindi (respectively) over Punjabi.

 

 

[proactive]

7 hours ago, akalpurakh098 said:

Yes! The only prospect I see in Punjab is a non-sikh majority Punjab. That will not be very different from the Muslim-majority Punjab we observe, it's obvious like Pakistani Punjabi Muslims, most Punjabi Hindus, Jains tends to prefer urdu/hindi (respectively) over Punjabi.

 

 

There are three ways to ensure that Punjab remains a Sikh majority.

1. Birthrate increase

Increase the Sikh birth rate. If every Sikh couple that marries from today makes sure that they have 4 kids in their lives than the Sikh majority in Punjab will be guarantee even if the emigration of Sikhs and immigration of Non-Sikhs continues as it has done in the last decade. This is the easiest and most cost effective means to maintain the Sikh majority. Why this fails and may continue to fail is that when the Akal Takht jathedar asked Sikhs to do this a few years you have the usual moorakhs out on social media criticising the Akal Takht and asking questions like 'will you raise our kids' etc and what I am particularly surprised at even those so-called Panthic minded people like Karnail Singh Peermohammed and Dal Khalsa came up with the usual quality not quantity bukwas which has held back the Sikhs from increasing in numbers. 

2. Parchar among non-Sikh Dalits and Bhayyas in Punjab.

About 40% of Punjab's dalits population is non-Sikh. In recent years these Dalits have been moving towards deras along with the Sikh dalits. Deras like Radhaswami, Sachkhand Ballan, Jhoota sadh etc. If parchar is started some dent came be made into the deras and the Sikh population increased. Many Bhayyas have become Sikhs mainly due to having lived in the Sikh rural environment and taking part in sewa as Gurdwaras. Although this is a small minority parchar specifically aimed at them could yield results. 

3. Resettlement of Sikh tribes like Sikligars, Banjaras and others in Punjab.

Punjab's agriculture is labour intensive and it needs labour in huge number during the sowing and harvesting season. No great progress has been made in mechanisation so non-Sikh labour from outside of Punjab comes in and gradually settles and this decreases the Sikh percentage. If this labour is to stop then it has to replaced with Sikh labour and these can be the Sikh tribes like Sikligars, Banjaras and others. This would be a huge project but the only real cost is in transporting these Sikhs into the Punjab and ensuring that they have employment as farm labour and in the factories. 

 

[TejS]

2 hours ago, proactive said:

There are three ways to ensure that Punjab remains a Sikh majority.

1. Birthrate increase

Increase the Sikh birth rate. If every Sikh couple that marries from today makes sure that they have 4 kids in their lives than the Sikh majority in Punjab will be guarantee even if the emigration of Sikhs and immigration of Non-Sikhs continues as it has done in the last decade. This is the easiest and most cost effective means to maintain the Sikh majority. Why this fails and may continue to fail is that when the Akal Takht jathedar asked Sikhs to do this a few years you have the usual moorakhs out on social media criticising the Akal Takht and asking questions like 'will you raise our kids' etc and what I am particularly surprised at even those so-called Panthic minded people like Karnail Singh Peermohammed and Dal Khalsa came up with the usual quality not quantity bukwas which has held back the Sikhs from increasing in numbers. 

2. Parchar among non-Sikh Dalits and Bhayyas in Punjab.

About 40% of Punjab's dalits population is non-Sikh. In recent years these Dalits have been moving towards deras along with the Sikh dalits. Deras like Radhaswami, Sachkhand Ballan, Jhoota sadh etc. If parchar is started some dent came be made into the deras and the Sikh population increased. Many Bhayyas have become Sikhs mainly due to having lived in the Sikh rural environment and taking part in sewa as Gurdwaras. Although this is a small minority parchar specifically aimed at them could yield results. 

3. Resettlement of Sikh tribes like Sikligars, Banjaras and others in Punjab.

Punjab's agriculture is labour intensive and it needs labour in huge number during the sowing and harvesting season. No great progress has been made in mechanisation so non-Sikh labour from outside of Punjab comes in and gradually settles and this decreases the Sikh percentage. If this labour is to stop then it has to replaced with Sikh labour and these can be the Sikh tribes like Sikligars, Banjaras and others. This would be a huge project but the only real cost is in transporting these Sikhs into the Punjab and ensuring that they have employment as farm labour and in the factories. 

 

Points 2 and 3 did not occur to me at all, so thank you for these great additions. 

[Sukhvirk1976]

On 24/08/2017 at 9:07 AM, TejS said:

The Path to a Sikh Renaissance 

I feel that we are in a dire need of a Sikh Renaissance, where Sikhs will be able to contribute to the world at their zenith. I believe we were heading to that point during Maharaja Ranjit's time but it dwindled from there on. 

I think that we as a community need a re-emergence, and realizing it and bringing it into reality should be our main and only priority for now. Hearing and seeing the Sikh youth in Punjab being gripped by drugs, and in certain parts of the Western world becoming unmotivated, and failing in life is disheartening to see. 

I think through the following steps, we can emerge as a powerful force, however it will take extreme strife. 

Here is what I think is needed:

• Sikhs need to spiritually reconnect with Sikhi
• Become entrepreneurial by creating new industries or by taking control of existing ones, as a means of gaining great economic resource which can then be channeled to the Sikh cause, think Bill Gates & Mark Zuckerberg type of entrepreneurial success and economic gain
• Put the Khalistan movement on the back burner for now, as it is only damaging and polarizing the community, and instead build ourselves up to a formidable level where we have a respected global image and can command power; and then bring back the movement through calculated ways and not martyrdom
• Refocus on being a Sikh, and not a Sikh-Hindu, and pledge allegiance to the Sikh cause by being a united community - agreeing on our future goals, this can only be done by having more parchariks like Jugraj Singh, and supporting them through economic resources which in itself can only be provided by entrepreneurial Sikhs mentioned in my second bullet point
• Having to set milestones and future goals such as Sikhs winning Nobel Prizes, Oscars, Pulitzer Prizes and etc.
• Encouragement for meaningful learning and education ( this is the need of the moment, why is it that most of the Sikh youth hates pursuing education, especially Sikhs from Punjab?); we need more Sikhs aiming for the Rhodes Scholarship
• Branch out into more reputable fields/industries - i.e. Science, Engineering, Medicine, Politics, Academia, Arts/Media, Technology, Business (this honestly is the crux of the Renaissance and I can see some of it already taking place in the Western world); I say this because most Sikhs join the Indian Army and most go for soldier as an occupation, but we need to step back and stop putting our lives on the line and instead need to focus on educating and securing our community through personal development
• Evolve and be more open - accept Sehajdari and Mona Sikhs as a part of the community, the more the merrier
• Immigrate from Punjab to the Western world (however through legal means and with the intent of gaining meaningful education, i.e. studying at esteemed institutions in America/England/Canada and not some merit-less community colleges, and gaining reputable jobs), as this will allow Sikhs more global exposure and opportunity
• Increase our numbers through procreating more children or adopting children and raising them into the Sikh faith, and marrying out (i.e. bring spouses from other faiths/ethnicities into the Sikh fold through reason and willingness, not force like love jihad)
• Be clear in our focus, respect other communities, but do not advocate their causes (such as the Sikh Coalition standing up for Muslims and Hindus, this is not benefiting us)
• Reap the benefits of the system, and do not fight it or challenge it for the meantime, however retain allegiance to the Sikh cause (make use of the IITs in India, and Medical Colleges, and the student scholarships that send worthy students to Ivy Leagues); I think the Parsis have been most successful in this
• Become role models,and in turn inspire Sikh youth, and establish an encouraging network (often times the Sikhs that do attain success, are extremely averse against helping other Sikhs - this is wrong, as we need to create a community that encourages and supports individual success such as the Jewish people)
• Stop riding the coattails of our ancestors, and instead create new sagas of success in the present-day
• Shed the warrior mentality, and instead uphold a warrior spirit, but put on a thinking cap so that communal decisions can turn out to be effective ones, and not ones that are conducted in the heat of the moment, which ultimately lead to little gain and more damage
• Revise Judeo-Christian influenced English translations of the GGS and translate the GGS into other major languages (Arabic, Russian, Chinese, French, Spanish) and Indo-Aryan languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Marwari/Rajasthani, Bihari, Nepali) to make Sikhism more accessible and understandable for those interested

Although I may have repeated myself a few times, this is what I came up with at the moment.

Feel free to criticize, discuss and contribute your thoughts about improving the Sikh community.

Apologies in advance, if I've offended anyone.

Interesting post my friend but I don't think  a so called 'Sikh renaissance' characterised by the attributes described are either desirable or even realistic.

A fundamental premise in the points you have made is that there is a homogeneous socio-religious group of people with  common goals. The Sikh community has never been such a community, in the past this didn't matter and the plurality of sikh identities was just accepted.. These days some misguided individuals want to create the type of organised religious  structures and definitions akin to those of dominant abrahamic religions..

A renaissance however is a good word to use for sikhi...

As guru sahib has told us the truth expressed in bani is a truth that has existed since the beginning of time... A renaissance is not a constructed goal you can't consciously make it happen.. You have to create the environment for it to thrive in..

 a actual 'renaissance'.  is  would have very little to do with the political dimensions you have mentioned.. I would have to disagree with that the last Sikh renaissance was during maharaja Ranjit Singh time. 

Renaissance is a cultural expression, the creativity involved in writing bani, the creation of new musical forms, the progression of metaphysical philosophy, Gurmukhi script, these days the most 'hard core believers' actually want to ape, Christian or Islamic organisational structures..