More and more of America’s truck drivers are wearing turbans, as a growing community of Punjabi-born drivers, the majority of whom are Sikhs, play an increasingly outsize role in one of America’s fastest-growing industries.
The trucking industry has attracted generations of Americans by offering good salaries for work that allows drivers to essentially be their own bosses. That workplace freedom has drawn many Sikhs in the Sikh American community to pursue trucking. Beginning in the early 1990s and picking up steam after 2009, Sikhs have become an important part of the U.S. trucking scene.
“For many Sikhs, trucking offers independence,” said Satnam Singh, a finance specialist at Global Truck Loans in Westborough, Massachusetts, and a Sikh. “You can pray whenever you want and you can observe the articles of faith. And like any other recent immigrant community, they want to work hard and earn good money.”
According to Singh, there are more than 800,000 Sikhs in the United States, a little more than 2% of the population. But of those, as many as 270,000 are either directly involved in trucking or, like Singh, involved in the many supporting service industries that help keep those behind the wheel moving. Prior to the pandemic, nearly 6% of all full-time jobs in America were in the trucking industry, according to the app Trucker Path. More than 40% of those jobs are held by minorities.
Sikhs have long been involved in trucking in India and translated their experience to the American road when, in the 1980s, many Sikhs fled persecution in India for safety in the United States and Canada.
For the most part, Sikhs have become not only accepted but valued in the trucking community. In the ‘Age of Amazon,’ when more and more Americans expect globally produced goods to be available on their doorstep within days, if not hours, there is a growing demand for drivers. Some project the trucking industry will need to add 900,000 new drivers by 2027.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
PATH DA BHOG: 25 July 2021 (Sunday) at resident No 10, Jalan Pulai Heights 2, 31350 Ipoh, Perak. Programme: Sukhmani Sahib from 8:30 am to 10:30 am followed by Kirtan and Path da Bhog at 12:00 noon.
The family of Harbans Kaur is deeply saddened to inform that she passed away peacefully on 13th July 2021.
Husband: Makhan Singh
Children: Gurmeet Kaur & Gurdeep Singh
Contact:
Gurdeep Singh 017 445 7327
Makhan Singh 016 502 9581
Please observe the MCO guidelines. We understand if you’re unable to attend due to the restrictions and we thank everyone for their assistance and prayers.
| Entry: 21 July 2021 | Source: Family
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Sir William James, an American philosopher and psychologist, eloquently described in his writings that every human is born with an innate urge to know something higher. We often call that higher entity God. But we have never been able to comprehend or even describe that higher entity intelligently, even though we devised several beliefs in God, deities, religions, etc.
The Sikh theologian of the Gurus’ era Bhai Gurdas described the innante urge and its ill-conceived human solution in the following way:
ਲਖ ਚਉਰਾਸੀਹ ਜੋਨ ਵਿਚ ਮਾਨਸ ਜਨਮ ਦੁਲੰਭ ਉਪਾਯਾ॥
ਚਾਰ ਵਰਨ ਚਾਰ ਮਜ਼ਹਬਾ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ ਸਦਾਯਾ॥
ਕਿਤੜੇ ਪੁਰਖ ਵਖਾਣੀਅਨ ਨਾਰ ਸੁਮਾਰ ਅਗਨਤ ਗਣਾਯਾ॥
ਤ੍ਰੈ ਗੁਨ ਮਾਯਾ ਚਲਤੁ ਹੈ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਬਿਸਨ ਮਹੇਸ ਰਚਾਯਾ॥
ਬੇਦ ਕਤੇਬਾਂ ਵਾਚਦੇ ਇਕ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੁਇ ਰਾਹ ਚਲਾਯਾ॥
ਸ਼ਿਵ ਸ਼ਕਤੀ ਵਿਚ ਖੇਲ ਕਰ ਜੋਗ ਭੋਗ ਬਹੁ ਚਲਿਤ ਬਣਾਯਾ॥
ਸਾਧ ਅਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਤ ਫਲ ਪਾਯਾ ॥
– Bhai Gurdas, Vaar 8, Pauri 6
Out of numerous life-forms evolved the hard-to-obtain human being – who invented many divisions, stratifications of society, and religions; and labeled themselves Hindus or Muslims.
Countless of the human creation discriminated themselves into males and females. Further, this world became a fraudulent display of the illusion of Maya, which created Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Hindus read Vedas and Muslim read Islamic scriptures, resulting in two different ways to describe one Creator.
Out of the play of Siva-Sakti, (i.e., Maya – the intellect of illusions) were propagated benefits from yoga (meditations through body exercises) and bhoga (sensual enjoyment). Both genuine and pretentious clergy reaped the fruit.
Until Guru Nanak came to this world, both Abrahamic and Dharma religions described God as an anthropomorphic entity (the description of God in physical human terms, categories, or forms appropriate to His Majesty). People of the time viewed their anthropomorphic God through the texts of the Vedas, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Holy Qur’an.
Further, the anthropomorphic doctrine came to believe that God, once created by humans, in turn, made humans in His moral image. It meant that God wished humanity to live a life marked by justice, equality, fair dealing, mutual respect, sympathy, love, compassion, charity, etc. Indeed, the children of Abraham (the Semitic consciousness) and Vedic civilization so personalized, rationalized, and anthropomorphized the transcendental Deity that in effect, it became just a larger, more powerful, and lethal version of themselves.
As such, humanity did not hesitate to impart onto God its varied individual, communal and national agendas, practices, ideas, likes and dislikes, etc., to create an absolute out of finite ideas of nationhood, ethnicity, race, polity, ideology, and even theology.
We call an anthropomorphic God a God concocted by clergy.
This clergy-created God sits faraway in the heavens as a majestic human figure micromanaging human affairs. Our houses of worship told us that humans must fear this God; otherwise, He will dish out punishments like pain, disease, and calamities; and after death we will live like suffering animals. Further, this God had to be searched and venerated. This God needed appeasement through clergy intermediaries.
As a consequence, a variety of religious dogma, beliefs, and practices were invented. For example: endlessly repeating names, regurgitating scriptures, and gifting part of our possessions to the clergy. The clergy also invented a variety of religious institutions to their advantage.
Five centuries ago Guru Nanak began his mission by alerting people against this clergy-made God. Instead, he preached God as a virtual reality in all creation. Thus, the God of Guru Nanak is associated with and realized through a genuine appreciation of the natural designs that flourish within and around us.
Guru Nanak depicted his God through an icon, ੴ, pronounced as Ek ongkar. Nanak prescribed a meditation on this icon along with the meaning behind it.
We may describe Guru Nanak’s Icon ੴ literary to mean the One Virtual Reality manifested in numerous ways throughout all creations. Guru Nanak described this icon in his own words as:
ਅਨਿਕ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਹੋਇ ਪਸਰਿਆ ਨਾਨਕ ਏਕੰਕਾਰੁ ॥
SGGS, p. 296.
Ek Onkar manifests in creation in so many ways, says Nanak.
Guru Nanak advised that we perceive and connect with that higher entity through its manifestation in creation and consume its virtues within us to become human beings.
Then Guru Nanak selected some of those virtues to inculcate upon with a purpose to lift ourselves to a god-like way of life. Through the practice of these virtues, Guru Nanak brought in a metamorphosis that transformed humans into gods.
The dictionary describes metamorphosis as a change in the form or the nature of a living entity, transforming that entity into an entirely distinct entity by natural or supernatural processes. When it’s done right, it is like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. The transformation of a human into a god-like entity is the kind of metamorphosis promised by the teaching of Guru Nanak.
To describe and appreciate such a metamorphosis, Guru Nanak wrote,
I am a sacrifice to my Guru (enlightener) a hundred times a day as my Guru makes angels out of humans and bypassing all delaying ploys.
To further illustrate the heightened image of a metamorphosis, the Guru Granth gives the example of a goldsmith who makes a jewel out of an ordinary metal.
ਲੋਹਉ ਹੋਯਉ ਲਾਲੁ ਨਦਰਿ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਜਦਿ ਧਾਰੈ ॥
SGGS, p. 1399.
Iron is transformed into a gemstone when the True Guru bestows His Vision of Spirituality on the seeker.
Guru Nanak further said that only the Ek Onkar remains to realize when one wishes to resolve doubts. When all doubts are extinguished, one attains a metamorphosis.
ਭ੍ਰਮ ਛੂਟੇ ਤੇ ਏਕੰਕਾਰ ॥੩॥ SGGS, p. 736.
When we get rid of all impeding doubts, what remains is the spirituality of Ek Onkaar.
Relevant to human life, its inter-relationships, and its practices, Guru Nanak further highlighted that Ek Onkar dwells within each heart for a twofold purpose. The first is to learn the Divine Virtus, and the second is to lead the wisdom-oriented person towards inculcating the divine virtues within the human mind as human consciousness.
ਕਾਇਆ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਵਸੈ ਅਲਖੁ ਨ ਲਖਿਆ ਜਾਈ ॥ SGGS,p.754
The Divine dwells within the body; It is invisible and may not be realized.
The Life of the World, the Great Giver Divine, dwells within the body; It is the custodian of all.
Guru Nanak’s purpose of stressing the Divine was to lead his followers towards life’s real goal. The aim was to realize and instill the Divine within. He elected to include in Guru Granth:
O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light – recognize your bases.
Then, the purpose was to emulate God by living a life that actively expressed divine attributes in everyday expressions, resulting in the desired human actions. Towards this end, Guru wrote.
The seeker enshrines God within her heart and thereby gathers divine virtues imbued with devotion and achieves contentment.
Further, Guru Granth explains that a person of God must be like a god.
ਹਰਿਜਨੁਐਸਾਚਾਹੀਐਜੈਸਾਹਰਿਹੀਹੋਇ॥ SGGS, p. 1372
The humble servant of God should be just like God.
There are fourteen hundred and twenty-nine pages of the sacred scripture, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib that elaborate Guru Nanak’s teachings about God and relate to God.
However, through an inaugurating verse in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth, Guru Nanak, highlighted specific characteristics or virtues of Divine suitable for humans to inculcate within the human intellect. Uniquely, Guru Nanak’s inaugural verse begins with the numeral of One is:
The translation of the above verse in terms of the divine virtues is as they are listed below.
The poem starts with Guru Nanak’s designated icon ੴ, followed by the virtues chosen for emulation of countless divine virtues. The icon translated as: God is one virtual reality manifested in all creations: God’s presence within the human heart bestows numerous virtues. However, the virtues that Guru Nanak chose for the metamorphosis of the human mind are:
Recognize Your True Eternal Identity and become Truthful!
Cultivate a Creative Personality!
Emit Fearless Behaviors!
Consider No One As Your Enemy!
Engage In Timeless Actions!
Let No Impact Of Anthropomorphism!
Cultivate The Eternal Self!
Be Grateful to The Eternal Wisdom
Indeed, the above attributes of God instilled in humans will bring a metamorphosis of humans into gods.
Harbans Lal, Ph.D.; D.Litt (Hons) is the Professor Emeritus & Chairman at the Dept of Pharmacology & Neurosciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center. He is also the Professor Emeritus at the Amritsar-based Guru Nanak Dev University as well as President of the Academy of Guru Granth Studies. He can be reached at Japji2050@gmail.com. Link to the original article.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
It is game, set and match for Navjot Singh Sidhu in his slugfest against Captain Amarinder Singh.
Despite Amarinder using every arrow in his quiver against Sidhu — from blatant blackmailing to using the Hindu card and invoking national security — Captain has been fairly and squarely beaten in this fight for supremacy in Punjab Congress. Sidhu is the president and all four nominees as working presidents are high command appointees, despite vehement opposition by Amarinder.
For all practical purposes, Captain Amarinder Singh is now a lame duck chief minister (CM) of Punjab.
Sidhu has indeed slayed a dragon of Punjab politics.
Captain Amarinder Singh was the first true mass leader of Congress in Punjab who had ended the careers of the likes of Shamsher Singh Dullo, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Jagmeet and Partap Singh Bajwa [all former presidents of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee or PPCC] in his 24 years hegemony of Punjab Congress.
To beat him at his own game, when he was an all powerful CM and an all India icon by Navjot and his pal Pargat Singh virtually alone, is a massive achievement. It is surely now an end of an era.
NAVJOT SIDHU
Navjot Sidhu is the 1,000 pound gorilla in Punjab politics. Despite his manifest weaknesses — elite politics, narcissism and frequent party hopping he remains one politician who inspires both classes and the masses.
He is considered by many as the engine who can drag any collection of bogies past the finish line in Punjab politics. His bold and persistent duels with the Badals and Captain Amarinder Singh strikes a chord among Punjabi’s yearning for a change from the ruling 75-25 clique of Punjab politics.
His public career as one of India’s finest cricketers, commentators and entertainers endears him to a generation of Indian public. As a meritocratic elite in a society of feudal privileges, he strikes a chord among the middle classes. His incorruptible image and as an “insider outsider” makes him a hero in public eyes.
Navjot Singh Sidhu appointed Punjab Congress chief amid escalating tension
Amid the escalating tension within the Punjab Congress and putting days of speculation to rest, former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief on Sunday (18 July). Congress also appointed four working presidents for the Punjab unit — Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel and Kuljit Singh Nagra. – The Indian Express (19 July 2021)
His Jatt Sikh origins with a sanatan lifestyle makes him a symbol of Punjabi syncretism. His stand for Kartarpur corridor and justice for beadabi endears him to the Sikh masses.
His bold attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yogi and willingness to suffer for that endears him to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi who compares it with the pusillanimity of other congressmen.
His mesmerising oratory, fluency in three language, incorruptible image and raising of pro people issues makes him a rare Punjab politician on whom people still have faith in an age when politicians are less lauded and more chased in paddy fields.
That CM Amarinder Singh, a titan of Punjab politics, has to throw a veritable sink of “Hindu anxiety”, “national security” and “blatant political blackmail“ to thwart his fellow Patialvi shows his desperation in this box office congress saga of upmanship.
However, despite his many accomplishments, his administrative inexperience, lack of team work, narcissism and elitism remains Navjot’s achilles heel.
If he is able to overcome these handicaps he has the ability to write a new chapter in Punjab’s history. Otherwise, he will go down as one of the many shooting stars of Punjab politics like Jagmeet Brar who briefly shone brightest before crumbling to dust.
PARGAT SINGH
Most Indians above 40 will remember Pargat Singh as the only world class hockey player of India between mid-80s and mid-90s .
Even as India rapidly declined as a world beating hockey playing nation after 1980, Pargat was India’s Maldini and Messi rolled into one. As a fullback, no one would get past him, not even the legendary Shahbaz of Pakistan.
As a forward he could dribble past entire teams to score a goal like he did famously against Germany and Holland in the 1985 and 1986 Champions trophies.
In his new avtaar as a political player, Pargat has been an able ally of the mercurial Navjot Sidhu. Pargat openly supported and defended him when the whole Captain-led Punjab congress was gunning for Sidhu’s blood, post 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He led a one man charge on Captain within Congress by raising issues of Punjab including mafia, electricity and Beadabi when Sidhu was forced to endure a political “Banvaas”. He did not blink and stood up to the bullying of Captain and his henchmen.
Confident, Courageous, modest and a quintessential team player, Pargat is an ideal foil to the much more flamboyant and mercurial Sidhu.
Their ascent to the top of Punjab Congress hierarchy is not only a generational shift in the party but also a change towards merit and talent from an era of feudals and family in Punjab politics.
Harjeshwar Pal Singh is an assistant professor at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, where he teaches history. He is an avid political commentator.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Fresh on the heels of a 12-part Sikhi Concepts video series, Sikh author and preacher Dr Karminder Singh Dhillon is now onto to his next Sikhi understanding adventure. This time, the planned dozen video series will dig into the main themes of his book, The Hijacking of Sikhi, which was released last year.
In the new series – with the first video already out – the speaker intends to reveal why, how, when and who were the hijackers of Sikhi. The series will lay out the roles played by the hijacker group in corrupting, distorting and damaging Guru Nanak’s Sikhi. Click here to catch the first video.
The Hijacking of Sikhi is a 420-page book containing 17 chapters that stitches together the author’s more recent writings, fortified further with argument as to what has gone wrong in transmitting Sikhi for so long now. If you have read the book, you cannot but notice the author’s strong views on the topic. Now, you can listen to them in this video series.
‘The Hijacking of Sikhi‘ is no easy read. But it is an essential read for those who want to examine if they’ve got their Sikh understanding right, according to a review published at Asia Samachar.
In the recently concluded series of 12 lectures on Sikhi Concepts, Karminder dissected questions like what does the Guru Granth Sahib, or the Sikh scripture, say about after life? What about heaven and hell? Salvation? What happens to our ancestors? And does Gurbani actually accept — lock, stock and barrel — the commonly held belief on reincarnation – that one dies and is reborn as this or that? If those topics are of interest, you can start here.
LINKS TO VIDEOS AND LECTURE NOTES FOR ‘THE HIJACKING OF SIKHI’
Hijacking of Sikhi – Part 1 (The Plot): Video | Notes
Hijacking of Sikhi – Part 2 (Udasis): Video | Notes
Hijacking of Sikhi – Part 3 (Udasis): Video | Notes
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
For years I played with a pencil or a pen. Now life has changed and I play with the mysterious hidden power of a computer. The story I pick up today, I assure you, is the absolute truth. Yet it seems to be the most imaginative product of a harebrain: I suppose I may fit that.
Some details are simple. I came to this country on a fellowship to study. There were perhaps 3 Sikhs where I lived and worked for years, and no gurduara in the state. Times changed, and Sikhs are now dime a dozen and perhaps more than a dozen gurduaras are in driving distance of where I live and worked. The different ways of different people fascinated me. This story develops over roughly 20 years.
I always felt free to visit – cavort around – other places of worship irrespective of religious identity. It was a joy to transcend differences. The timeless adage empowered me with its call: “Know thyself and know thy neighbor.”
My story today runs about a full decade and is largely the trek of one lady, a New Yorker whose religious affiliation I will not reveal. She became curious about Sikhs — her different looking neighbors. In time, slowly she became curious about Sikhi and became a regular at the gurduara. Her curiosity awakened. She even studied Punjabi language at the Gurduara Sunday school, even though her command of conversational Punjabi remained somewhat troublesome but charming.
And then in a trice she became amritdhari. Just imagine that. She even changed her name for a landmark Sikh name. Time passed. Days became weeks, months, and years. In a memorable day and in a monumental way, she had become an integral part of the Sikh community.
But habits of a lifetime are not so easily shelfed, discarded and replaced or reframed, especially if the language to be newly adopted is entirely different.
Years passed though not always kindly. She married a fellow religionist but that union collapsed. Yet our personal friendship continued to flower. I suppose I could lay significant burden on the silent but prominent “No Approval” from the wider non-Sikh community, as well as a leery suspicious non-welcoming Sikh community, and perhaps silence from her parental community as well.
Note that I have dealt with life-changing issues in a couple of paragraphs, even though the process must have been earth shattering for those caught in the struggle.
Nothing in life is free and time demanded its price. She returned to her roots. Surely, she gained some peace of mind while conflicts likely continued to tear at her heart and sense of self. Surely now the repertoire was a mix of two different lore that she had experienced and made her own.
Could one conclude that she had now returned to the place from whence she came. Perhaps the mixture of two traditions suits her but such mixtures don’t always create a workable union. Just think; major religions can work together on single issues. To create a joint presence and accommodate contradictory do’s and don’ts rarely ever sit together. As life exists it is a joint step not easily taken or tolerated.
But life turns once again on a small but powerful axis. So, now just weeks ago she informed me that what she wanted most in life is to return to her life as a Sikh. That, she insists, describes her more truly than any other way of life. If so, in my view, she had the right to walk that step. I believe it. And that’s what I told her.
But these matters are not so easy. Most religions seem to design powerful and significant processes and steps for both entrance into or exit from their model-discipline and life style. Most Sikhs will remind us that as a Sikh she has to go through some very formal time laden steps, such as confession of grave error and a formal public admission thereof that requires formal steps of forgiveness by the Creator. I wonder do we mean by the Creator or by the Sikh community, or is it that the Creator acts only through the Sikh community for issues dealing with Sikhs?
When I pushed her further, she felt that she needed to feel forgiven by the Creator who will forgive her trespasses only if she showed public tears, penance and humility. I do not respect such an opinion and demand when it comes from the clergy of a religion but I listen carefully and respectfully when it comes from a believer, no matter which faith.
My attitude is simpler and hopefully recognizes that we are dealing with an adult. She has not only the right but also the duty to think about her obligation and to attend thereon. Before we jump to scalding or scolding advice, we might as adults realize that we are dealing with adults. They have not only the right to change their minds, but also the duty and obligation to do so.
People have their minds? Where being the place for their minds now that their reality may be somewhat mixed? Wherever they find their honest place is what I would say. All people have their stars, and all have their Satans. The choice is ours.
Let’s welcome my unnamed friend wherever we find her – back with the Sikhs, if she so desires. Another day, she might make a different choice. Welcome that, too, if and when it comes your way.
Whichever way or ways you have lived, if you lived the other path your onus is to decide and live honestly, even a mixture, if that appeals. Even if you lived as the other, the experience will last. Make it for the better.
Now for my friend with a changing heart. I am what my past has made me. I look at the fact that I came to this country as a 16-year-old alien, and had a reasonable sense of the culture and cuisine that I brought with me. For about 70 years I have been an American. The two experiences were and remain different in culture, language, cuisine, technology and the whole world, in fact, but within me their whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Their union does exactly that, nothing less.
God and our inner self respond to real sentiments and reason. A formal public celebration is not necessary. Should my friend adopt a public but joyous time for this it would be her choice. There need not be a public display of sorrow either. Her feelings override necessity of any public display. It seems that as we get older our identity becomes less sharply edged. In fact, it becomes a mix of our many and different experiences of our rich lives.
I fully understand that this may be a kind, overriding event for my friend. Surely, the Creator is beyond personal stake of joy or disappointment. The Creator is Forgiveness incarnate, beyond any personal stake here
Think of the Creator but not as a counting business head. He created us so he values us too.
I.J. Singh is a New York based writer and speaker on Sikhism in the Diaspora, and a Professor of Anatomy. Email: ijsingh99@gmail.com.
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
“A rose by any other name is a rose just the same”.
(Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii)
What’s in a name indeed? “The nature of a holy name can be described as either personal or attributive, and in many cultures it is often difficult to distinguish between the personal and the attributive names of God, the two divisions necessarily shading into each other”.1 Does the multitude of names by which we call God in our revered Sikh scripture the Guru Granth Sahib (GGS) have the same meanings? Besides many names, God in Sikhism has countless virtues and attributes, takes on innumerable forms, and yet is formless.
The word Waheguru (ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ) is commonly used in Sikhism to refer to God. Notwithstanding its variant spellings of Vaheguru, Vahiguru, and Vahguru, its meaning is derived from an amalgamation of two words, namely Vah from Persian, meaning exclamation of wonder and admiration for the Divine, and Guru from Sanskrit, meaning spiritual parent or preceptor. Taken together, the word Waheguru expresses wonder of the Divine and almighty God and the Creator in Sikhism. Modern scholars affirm that the name Vahiguru is owed originally to the Gurus, most likely to the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak himself.2 It is the name by which the Supreme Being is known in the Sikh tradition and has also been the main mantra, gurmantra or gurmantar for the Sikhs from the very beginning.3 Interestingly, in the GGS “the term Vahiguru does not feature in the compositions of the Gurus, although it occurs therein, both as Vahiguru and Vahguru in the hymns of Bhatt Gayand, the bard contemporary with Guru Arjan, and also in the Varaan of Bhai Gurdas.4 According to Bhai Gurdas, the word Vaahiguroo is the gurmantra or the mantra given by the Guru, and it eliminates ego.
The phrase Ik Onkar, also variously spelt as Ik Oankar or Ek Onkar, (ੴ or ਇੱਕ ਓਅੰਕਾਰ) simultaneously forms the opening words of the Mul Mantar and the Guru Granth Sahib. It is a compound of ik (“one” in Punjabi) and onkar, a central doctrine of the Sikh faith, and canonically understood in Sikhism to refer the “absolute monotheistic unity of God”.5 Sikh scholar Pashaura Singh asserts that Sikhs “rather view Oankar as pointing to the distinctively Sikh theological emphasis on the ineffable quality of God, who is described as ‘the Person beyond time, the Eternal One, or the One without form”.6Sat Nam (ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ) is a compound main word that appears in the GGS immediately after the phrase Ik Onkar The two words Sat Nam comes from two Sanskrit words Sat which means truth/honest/right and Nam, which means name. Together, these two words loosely translate into “I am the truth,” or “My essence is truth, or True/everlasting God/Name.
The term Akaal Purakh (ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ) is another name used to denote God in Sikhism. Kal refers to time and the addition of the prefix ‘a’ to kal enhances its meaning to eternal or timeless. The word Purakh is derived from Sanskrit Purusha to mean ‘cosmic being’, a complex concept dating back to the Vedas and Upanishads7 and the term Akal Purakh collectively refers to the timelessness or immortality of God as an eternal cosmic being in Sikhism. On its own , the word Akaal is intrinsic to Sikh philosophy and tradition and used by Guru Nanak in the Mool Mantar of the Japji Sahib, and also in its wider context, in the Guru Granth Sahib itself. Guru Guru Gobind Singh used this word in his poetic composition in the Dasam Granth titled Akal Ustat, meaning in praise (ustati) of the timeless one (akaal). Guru Ram Das also used the word Akaal in conjunction with moorat in Siri Raag chants, and also in conjunction with the word purakh in Gauri Purabi Karhale.
Besides Bhagat Kabir’s use of the word akaal, other mentions of this word are also to be found in Guru Arjan’s bani in the GGS on pages 99, 609, 916, 1079, and 1082.
The word Nirankar (ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ) refers to one of the many attributes of God in Sikhism and means The Formless One. The word has its roots in Sanskrit nirākārā and is a compound of two words “Nir” meaning without and Akar (or Akaar), meaning shape or form and therefore formless. Other attributive names for God in Sikhism include Dātā or Dātār (the Giver), Kartā or Kartār (theDoer), Diāl, (the compassionate), and Kirpāl (thebenevolent).
God has also been mentioned by a multitude of Hindu and Muslim names in the GGS, expressing different aspects of the divine Name and Supreme Being, and the hymns (sayings) of the Sikh Gurus and the Bhagats (Bhaktas) are accorded the same reverence and spiritual fervor as of the Gurus. These names include Ram (pervading), Hari (shining), Ishwar, Parmeshwar (Supreme Lord), Prabhu, Jagdish, Murari, Damodar, Gopal, Gobind, Girdhari, Shyam, Narayan, Madho, Mohan, Keshar, Braham, Mukand, Gosain, Kahan, Krishna, Bithal, Goverdhan, Jaganath, Narhari, Allah (Arabic for God) , Khuda (Persian for God), Rahim (merciful), Karim (generous), Parwardigar, Rabb, Maula, and many other names and descriptions. Some names have been used more than others in the GGS. The word Hari appears 8,344 times in the GGS, Ram 2,533 times, Prabhu 1,371 times, Gopal 491 times, Gobind 475 times, Parmatma 324 times, Karta 228 times, Thakur 216 times, Daata 151 times, Parmeshwar 139 times, Murari 97 times, Narayan 89 times, Antarjami 61 times, Jagdish 60 times, Satnam 59 times, Mohan 54 times, Allah 46 times, Bhagwan 30 times, Nirankar 29 times, Krishna 22 times. Interestingly, the word Waheguru only appears 13 times, and the word Wah Guru 3 times.8 The word Rabb is Arabic in origin, and has been used to refer to God in Islam, and in the Quran, this word has been used to refer to Allah (God). It has also been used in Punjabi to refer to God as the sustainer, cherisher, master, and nourisher. ‘Hai Rabba/O Rabba’ has also sometimes been used in common parlance as an interjection/exclamation akin to ‘Oh my God’ in the English Language.
The multiplicity of the different names for God in the GGS begs the question of how this came about. “The attribution of a specific name to God stems from a specific spiritual experience of the prophet or the saint who coins that name. As all the names of God are attributive , it does not matter which one name is to be meditated upon”.9 More than 900 out of a total of 5,894 hymns in the GGS are the contributions of the bhaktas, Sufis, and bards. “While Bhikhan, Farid, and Kabir came from a Muslim background, all other contributors were from the large Hindu fold”.10 It is well known that Guru Nanak travelled widely in his five udasis undertaken over 24 years and visited various centres of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sufis, Yogis, and Sidhas and engaged in dialogue with these saints who came from all castes and classes.. Arising from Guru Nanak’s discussions with these holy men, there would undoubtedly have been some concordance of views in rejecting ritualism and formalism, and embracing unicity, and love and remembrance of God’s name.11 There are differing views amongst Sikh scholars as to exactly how and when the contributions of these bhagats came to be incorporated in the GGS, some either in their entirety and others possibly with amendments.12 This could well be one plausible explanation for the inclusion of the different names for God in the Sikh scripture.
Besides Bhagat Kabir, “Guru Nanak Sahib and Guru Arjan Sahib had also used many Hindu and Muslim names of God and a great many names of God coined by themselves. But for the Guru, all the attributive names of God cannot be written down even if the whole of the vegetable kingdom turned into pens, all the oceans into ink, and the whole of earth into paper. All the attributive names of God are but human attempts to describe Him according to human capacity.”13
In the final analysis, the inclusion of these different names of God exemplifies the universality of both, the Sikh religion and Sikh scripture. S. Radhakrishnan, the philosopher and second President of India astutely observed that the Sikh Gurus had the noble quality of appreciating “whatever was valuable in other religious traditions”.14 This view is echoed by Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell who remarked that “humanity should not be deprived of such divine message of the Guru Granth Sahib which is for the whole mankind to share”, a view aptly summed by another Nobel Laureate, Pearl S. Buck who in commenting on the English translation of the GGS said “they speak to a person of any religion or of none. They speak for the human heart and the searching mind.”15
REFERENCES
1. Mbiti, John S. (1970). Concepts of God in Africa. S.P.C. K., London, p.217.
2. Singh, H. Editor-in-Chief (1998). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. vol. 4. Punjabi University, Patiala, p. 398.
3. Singh, H. Editor-in-Chief (2001). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. 2d ed. vol. 2. Punjabi University, Patiala, p. 149.
4. Singh, H. Editor-in-Chief (1998). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. vol. 4. Punjabi University, Patiala, p. 397.
12. Mann, G.S. (2001). The making of Sikh Scripture. Oxford University Press, p.103.
13. Kaur, R. (1999). God in Sikhism. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, p. 107.
14. Radhakrishnan, S. As cited in Grewal, J.S. (2009). A study of Guru Granth Sahib; Doctrine, social content, history, structure, and status .Singh Brothers, Amritsar, p.29.
15.From the Foreword to the English translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib by Dr. Gopal Singh.1960.
Rishpal Singh Sidhu has been involved in library and information services management in Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia over the past four decades. He has a passion for research, writing, and teaching. He is the compiler and editor of the book, Singapore’s early Sikh pioneers: Origins, settlement, contributions and Institutions, published by the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board in Singapore in 2017. He is presently based in Sydney, Australia.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Two British Sikh sisters who have always been head over heels with painting and interior design are all set to turn their hobbies into a career.
Sisters Amandeep Kaur and Kalveer Kaur have been drawing since childhood after being inspired by their mother.
“We were always fascinated with her artwork and designs, and the way she drew, doodled and painted,” they told Asia Samachar.
The sisters set up A & K, Art and Kraft during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. This was something that they had always wanted to do, what more having always been told they should sell their artwork. Last month, they had their first exhibition at Hansford and Sons.
Amandeep has a Masters in Strategic Marketing from Imperial College London and a bachelors in Advertising and Brand Communication at UCA. Drawing and painting has always been a hobby of hers. Outside of her business, she works in a fast paced advertising agency as a project manager.
Kalveer has a bachelors in Computer Game Arts where she learnt core skills in digital art, illustration, both 2D and 3D. She is passionate about all aspects of design. Having excelled in art throughout the years in school and her full time job as a graphic designer.
Asia Samachar spoke to the sisters. Excerpts from the email interview.
Tell us more about yourselves?
We are A & K, Art and Kraft, sisters who love painting and interior design. Our names make up the initials of our venture. A, stands for Amandeep and K, for Kalveer making Art & Kraft. Our art collections express our personality, fun, loud, and bubbly!! Recently we ran our first exhibition at Hansford and Sons, which we received great exposure for, in getting our art out there! We have over 10 years commercial experience in art and design between us, but have been drawing since childhood. We aim to sell our work in galleries around the globe and get recognition on the artwork we produce. Turning our hobby into a career.
How did you get into painting?
We have always loved painting! Our creativity comes from our mother. She is our inspiration from an early age. She is an amazing graphic designer who studied her degree whilst raising us! She is our superwoman in all things art and design. We were always fascinated with her artwork and designs, and the way she drew, doodled and painted. Her exploration with art got us drawing our favourite Disney characters and experimenting on the computer with Paint, Clipart, Photoshop, and Microsoft Publisher in the 90s. Excited by paint and colour, we were always experimenting with colouring pencils, felt tips, gel pens and glitter crayons. Her support has brought our new business vision to life. Throughout our school years, university years and into our careers, we enjoy creating artwork for clients. Seeing our artwork up in their homes and helping them with interior design is so rewarding.
What kind of work do you do mostly?
We create unique pieces to match our clients home decor, paintings that brighten up homes and get people talking. We enjoy creating abstract pieces, portraits, illustrations and wildlife art, using acrylics, watercolour and alcohol inks, as our favourite medium on canvas and yupo paper. As well as stationary for weddings, birthdays, anniversary’s and special occasions and accessory pieces such as phone cases, masks, water bottles, pillows and much more. Our artwork is versatile and we plan to showcase a range of pieces to suit our buyers.
What inspires your painting?
Our artwork is inspired by our favourite things and surroundings. We take inspiration from everywhere, our abstract art comes to fruition from our thoughts and ideas, wildlife art from animals we love and our own snaps from daily walks, portraits from family friends and people who fascinate us!
Sisters Amandeep and Kalveer at the Hansford and Sons exhibition
There are two of you. So who does what?
We both love doing a bit of everything. Abstract art we come up with ideas together and start working on projects as a team. Portraits, illustrations and wildlife art we work on individually as our techniques are slightly different and both have a uniqueness about them that clients ask for particular styles over others. Altogether we collaborate on everything we work on and brainstorm from stationary, accessories to wall art.
Sisters working together. How do you get along? How to make it work?
We get along very well, we are best friends! Sometimes we have disagreements but the oldest always wins… joking! Depends on who presents a better case! We always strive for the best and will go above and beyond to deliver a masterpiece. That’s all part of the fun and games of running a business whilst working full time.
We’ve always done things collaboratively and individually when it comes to expressing our own styles. We’ve worked together in the past professionally as well, Amandeep having project managed Kalveer as a designer.
Check out the sisters at www.aandkart.com or @aandkart on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Sikhs in uttar Pradesh, India, providing oxygen to anyone who shows up – Photo: Videograb from BBC News
By Jasreen Mayal Khanna | BBC |
Founded some 500 years ago in what is now India’s Punjab region, Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest religion. But what makes its members habitual do-gooders? Author Jasreen Mayal Khanna writes on the tradition of selfless service ingrained in the community.
Think of any scene of disaster and you’ll find Sikh volunteers rallying to the site, feeding migrants, helping riot victims, and rebuilding homes after earthquakes.
From the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar to the Paris terror attacks, the farmers’ marches in India to the protests in America against George Floyd’s killing, people from this 30 million-strong community worldwide have made it a tradition to help complete strangers in their darkest moments.
Through the pandemic, they reached new heights.
In Maharashtra in western India, a gurdwara (the Sikh place of worship) fed two million people in 10 weeks last year. Other gurdwaras in India melted the gold they had collected over the last 50 years to set up hospitals and medical colleges. Sikh NGOs set up “oxygen langars” – langars are the community kitchens in the gurdwaras – providing free oxygen to people as India gasped and reeled through its deadly second wave of coronavirus.
How did Sikhs become the Good Samaritans of the world? Most religions tell their followers to help others and to do good – but how have the Sikhs gone from talking to doing so effectively?
Sikhs in uttar Pradesh, India, providing oxygen to anyone who shows up – Photo: Videograb from BBC News
It goes back to their founder Guru Nanak who preached that selfless service (seva as it is called) and hard work are as important as prayer.
When Sikhs visit the gurdwara, they spend time in front of the holy book, giving thanks and praying, but they spend an equal amount of time helping cook and serve the langars or meals, looking after the devotees’ shoes and cleaning the premises.
Sikh temples thus aren’t just places of worship – they are soup kitchens and homeless shelters and community centres, a place to call home if you have none.
By making seva the song of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak instilled service in their DNA. This is why Sikh vegetable vendor, Baljinder Singh, has spent every Friday afternoon for the last 40 years looking after the footwear of the Muslims praying in his local mosque in Punjab. “For me humanity is above any religion,” he says.
Jasreen Mayal Khanna is the author of Seva: Sikh Secrets on How to Be Good in the Real World
Read the full story, entitled ‘ Viewpoint: Why Sikhs are the do-gooders of the world’ (BBC, 16 July 2021), here.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
