The Sikhs History, Heritage, Principles and Practices

About the Book I am immensely pleased at presenting this book THE SIKHS as a humble offer of a food to keep its sense of thinking in balance and in good order.

tiny morsel of some factad Knowledge from my smat plate. I firmly believe that only true knowledge can dispel ignorance and fear, and the resultant understanding would contribute towards peace and harmony among people living on this Mother Earth As a student of Geography, I can see a parallel between our knowledge hungry world and our spherical planet earth, both behaving the same way. Just as the planet earth keeps itself stable while spinning on its Avis at a precarious angle, while Orbiting ahead at a blinding speed to grapple as much energy as possible from its true source-the Sun, similarly our living world is in hot pursuit to reach new sources of unpolluted factual Like a child I love Mother Earth, as a Sikh I seek Truth; being a member of the World Family I must contribute.

Foreword Sikhism is a religion of divinity within a human framework, protest against injustice and confirmation of human brotherhood. Implicit within its precept is a conscious and continuous process of struggle against oppression, and affirmation of traditional values deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Panjab- the land of five rivers Sikhism was not only a revolt against the Brahminical caste structure, but also the beginning of a political uprising against Islamic domination and persecution, Guru Nanak laid the foundation of a long ideological war of liberation fought consistently over the lives of the Gurus on: "the doctrine that the lowest is equal to the highest. in race, as in creed, in political rights, as in religious hopes."

It was a Grand Design, and it was left to Guru Gobind Singh to grasp the full spiritual, political, social and cultural implications and to activate the ideology, and give it form, substance, structure and force to complete the process. The sacramental ceremony for the baptism of the 'panj piayara (five beloved ones), which is a symbolic rite. was introduced by Guru Gobind Singh on the auspicious Vaisakhi in 1699, and acted as the catalyst that dramatically invigorated Sikhism. Out of this historical event emerged a bold 'community', a distinct 'congregation', called the 'Khalsa", which became the armed representation of Sikhism. This created a lasting tradition of militancy and protest against social injustice, oppression and inequality. The Khalsa acquired the symbolic collective and individual identity with the five K's as a marker of the 'panth reflecting and representing the ideology of Sikhism.

This book goes a long way to explain the core of a world religion, and in my view the only way to interpret the contents of this book is that Sikhism stands for divinity. brotherhood, service and protest. Any other interpretation would invalidate the core of a world faith.

**Contents and Sample Pages**