- Sikhi -

Guru Gobind Singh ji said ‘Khalsa meray roop ha khas’ the Khalsa is my special form. Wear a cap and look in the mirror, if you feel like the special form of Guru Gobind Singh ji then go ahead wear it, but to everyone else it will look like you are hiding your hair, ashamed of your Sikhi. Trying to be what you’re not.

You have to keep the outer physical discipline so that Naam can stay inside. A broken bottle will let the water leak out. If the outer discipline goes then bit by bit you merge back into the worldly way (manmat) where you came from and the same old thoughts will permeate your mind.

- Nihangs -

In India, and occasionally in Britain, blue-garbed and yellow-sashed men and women, and sometimes children, may be seen, heavily armed with bows and arrows, spears, and daggers (kirpans). In Punjab they may carry automatic rifles. These are Nihangs. They fought almost as suicide squads in the army of Guru Gobind Singh ji, and, in the eighteenth century, operated as cavalry units against the Mughals and Afghans. Later, they were involved in the struggle to recover Sikh temples (gurdwaras) from Hindu control. They are often regarded as a relic of bygone days and their encampments in India, where they shun the comfort of houses, might best be avoided by non-Sikhs. Their continued existence, however, is a reminder of struggles in the past that Sikhs cannot forget and which no one who wishes to understand Sikhs today can afford to ignore.

W. Owen Cole - Teach Yourself World Faiths - Sikhism

- A True Story -

When Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, obviously in retaliation for the storming of the Golden Temple by government troops, mayhem broke out against the Sikhs everywhere.

In Delhi, there was rioting in the streets and Sikh households and businesses were randomly attacked and ransacked. For two weeks gunshots rang out, hatred rang even louder. Innocent Sikhs were being manhandled, tortured and killed. Men tied and dragged behind cars, Kerosene dumped on individuals and watched as they burned alive and other unimaginable cruelities.

Some Sikhs, fearing for their lives, chose to cut their hair and shave, remove their Karas and any visible signs of being a Sikh. Some went underground, hid in friend's houses. Others attempted to defend themselves with all they had. Some were less fortunate than others.

My story begins here about one Sikh gentleman, a friend of a friend, who was captured at night by a gang of angry ruffians determined to do some serious damage. They abused him sufficiently, beat him up, made him nice and soft and then took him to a deserted lumber mill. There, they tied him up and lifted him onto a chopping block where an immense electric saw would, if used correctly, cut logs into long even planks of wood, or in this case, cleave this poor Sikh in two.

The inflamed men started up the machinery and the saw began to whirl away. The Sikh realised his time had almost come. He gave up his struggling and began to sing the 'MOOL MANTR', "EK OANKAR, SAT NAM, KARTA PURAKH, NIR BHO..." His courage welled up within him and he began to shout the sacred chant at the top of his lungs. Suddenly, which is not uncommon in India, the power failed. All the electricity shut down and the men were surrounded in immediate darkness.

Being sensitive to superstition, these men were spooked. This Sikh had started chanting and obviously something answered his call. They were freaked out. They grabbed for one another and with frightened voices.

It took them a moment to gather their senses whereupon they turned and high tailed it out of there. They left like lightening and dared not even look behind them as they ran away.

The Sikh claims he need never doubt again. So, Have A Little Faith!!

From: "Mandeep Singh" - mdeep_singh@hotmail.com