Who are the Sikhs?

Sikhs are followers of the Sikh religion: the worlds youngest mainstream religion, and the fifth largest religion in the world. The word Sikh means 'student'. Sikhs are students(or followers) of the philosophy developed by Guru Nanak(1469-1539) - the founder of Sikh religion).

This philosophy was developed around the present day region of Punjab: literally the land of five rivers. These five rivers flow through the region of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. This makes Sikhs the direct descendents of one of the original four ancient old-world civilizations: Indus Valley, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Chinese. Sikhs have been native in this land for thousands of years, since 'time began'.

More than a religion

Sikh religion is much more than a religion.

It is also a practical, rational and proven model for social, political and economic prosperity; developed by natives of a great civilization at its peak; during its time of greatest need; and for the benefit of all.

It is more than a protocol to communicate with God.

Some unique points about Sikh religion

Some unique points about Sikh religion are specific to Sikh religion only. They are not cultural or regional. Other non-Sikhs in the region do not demonstrate these traits to the same extent.

These deeply embedded traits will be very useful in our turbulent 'End Times' of System Failure, and new social-economioc-political world order.

In no particular order...

Deep respect for property rights: Sikhs have a deep, almost visceral respect for property rights. This comes from the reign of legendary Sikh General and administrator Banda Singh Bahadur who established the first Sikh Kingdom(1710-1715). He abolished the prevailing feudal system and made Sikhs owners of their land. This was a major milestone in Sikh history.

As Ludwig von Mises writes: "Private ownership of the means of production is the fundamental institution of the market economy". This ownership of their native land allowed Sikhs to move from feudal economy for the few to market economy.

Property also represents inter-generational wealth for Sikhs. They respect each others property and fight for it. "Punjabi identity and culture are rooted in the land".

The Farmers protest was one of the largest and longest protest in history. At its core was Sikh's fight for their property rights and identity. Sikhs enjoy and respect others property rights at a deep visceral level.

Sikhs take the Initiative. They are not paralyzed by lack of hierarchy. They do not need to wait for 'orders'. Crisis, chaos or anarchy or disorder does not paralyze them. This trait is not cultural or regional. It comes from their religion. Sikh's Guru empowered each and every Sikh with love, encouraged them to acquire knowledge, and act with confidence.

Sikhs ability to organize and help others at there own initiative during crisis when normal systems breakdown is well known: "if you want anything done you get the Sikhs".

A Sikh has a 'Revolutionary mindset' - he is quick to change the status quo and accept new ideas and tools. He is not a slow reformer, or over-analytical and defensive of the status quo. Most people have a natural tendency to be wary, over-analytical, and with inertia to act. Sikhs are always ready to change the status quo if required. An authentic Sikh welcomes drastic changes and is not afraid of it. If the drastic change is later shown to be harmful, an authentic Sikh refines it and improves upon it just as quickly. This quality developed because the Sikhs have been through intense times and quick thinking 'on the feet' was required. Status quo has been hostile for Sikhs through most of their history, and so they are not overly defensive or analytical of it.

Sikhs ability to adopt new model, techniques and tools is well known. They are not stuck in the past, and among the first to adopt new ideas, implement new models and techniques, and buy latest hardware.

Reason and logic: Sikhs don't believe in irrational cultural and social practices. There are no angels and demons; no heaven or hell; and no afterlife. Every Sikh learns this, and in the process learns to think rationally and logically.

You can experience this in day-to-day talk with Sikhs. Sikhs look for a rational explanation rather than attributing conditions to dark, mysterious, hidden forces.

Heaven or hell is a place on earth, and there is no afterlife. Sikhs don't believe in karma where your previous or next life influences you. This encourages them to make this world a better place rather than accepting their 'fate', or wait for a miracle, or pray for better luck next time.

Sikhs demonstrate this everyday. They are well-regarded as an enterprising community that make heaven or hell in this world by their actions. There is no karma, or fate, or 'next life'.

No worship of personality or physical objects: This is attributed to the founder of the religion Guru Nanak who destroyed people's dangerous beliefs of that time such as cult of adoring certain group of people and believing whatever they say, and worship of physical objects.

This is in complete contrast to the modern world with it's consumerism and cult of personality worship in media and politics.

This is why there are no personality cults in Sikh politics, and new leaders are elected every elections as the incompetent ones are rejected. There also are no physical objects of veneration in Sikh religious places and public life as well: no statues of great Sikhs, no palaces or 'architectural marvels' to commemorate narcissist rulers.

Sikhs are a proud martial race who believe in legitimacy of violence. Sikh religion allows legitimate use of violence as the last resort in fighting injustice. Their Gurus explicitly allowed this. Sikhs have exercised their legitimate right to use violence when all other approaches to fight injustice have failed.

They are not pacifists. They do not believe that only the state has monopoly of violence.

Also notable is that there is no historical or anecdotal evidence of Sikhs in history ever using violence to hurt the weak, women or children.

This trait is alive and well and was seen during the Farmers Protest where hundreds of thousands of Sikh farmers camped on roads. They resisted harassment from police and hired agents, but there was not even a single anecdote of Sikhs hurting someone or harming other people's business.

Organized and disciplined: This was demonstrated during the Farmers Protest where hundreds of thousands of Sikh farmers camped on roads. They resisted harassment from police and hired agents, but there was not even a single anecdote of Sikhs hurting someone or harming other people's business.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were organized without any visible formal structure or hierarchy. Every single one of them exhibited discipline and did not go rogue. This was only possible because the traditional structures and institutions are still intact. These traditional means and institutions can be, and are relied upon everyday. There is still deep respect and reverence for these traditional structures and institutions around which Sikhs organize in a disciplined way.

Sikhs have no respect or recognition for usual political and state methods of discipline which rely on punishment and violence.

Lee Kuan Yew recognized power of traditional systems as well. "As these changes were taking place, I feared we were losing something valuable in the Chinese school system. I wanted to preserve what was good in the Chinese schools: the discipline, self-confidence, and moral and social values they instilled in their students, based on Chinese traditions, values, and culture."

"The older generation of teachers had known hardship and had seen how difficult it was to bring stability and harmony to Singapore's multiracial society. The younger teachers, all educated in English with Chinese as their second language, were no longer as steeped in these traditional values. We wanted to preserve the distinctive traditional values of our different cultures."

This is universally true. Traditional values and education instill "discipline, self-confidence, and moral and social values". They are not visible through modern lenses, but are visible with the right perspective.

What the mind does not know, the eye does not see. The uniqueness is visible when highlighted.

Another visual and dramatic example of this was demonstrated during the popular 'Mastaney' film. Sikhs would spontaneously stand up in film theatres during certain scenes.

These anecdotes clearly demonstrate that Sikhs today are organized and disciplined.

Internalizing these traits: changing 'DNA'.

Most people cannot articulate abstract ideas. Their minds are occupied by other more immediate day-to-day needs that need urgent attention. They might be caught off-guard.

Most Sikhs also might not be able to articulate what makes them unique. The more aware and articulate of them will be able to articulate it.

However, Sikhs have internalized the unique traits above. It is part of their 'Collective Memory'. The unique traits have been passed from parents and community to children. It has become part of their culture.

Sikhs refer to it as 'their DNA has changed'.

Hijacking and corruption of Sikh religion

Sikh's history has been a turbulent history where their existence was in doubt. All empires over the last 500 years have literally and metaphorically placed a price on Sikhs heads.

Soldiers and mercenaries alike were paid for each head of Sikh they brought in. This is well documented and illustrated in museums.

Sikhs who lived, breathed, and understood their philosophy had to hide to save their life.

The curatorship of religion and Gurdwaras went to less aware 'praise-thirsty clergy' of Sikhs. Instead of being curators of true ideals and values of sikh religion, they (unknowingly as well as knowingly)developed their own corrupted version of the religion which placed emphasis on easier to define and police maryada(protocols).

This was done intentionally(for money and power) and unintentionally(for praise and recognition).

Empires of the time such as the British Empire started a decades long campaign to keep Sikhs away from their indigenous sources of strength and learning.

"the true education of the Punjab was crippled, checked, and is nearly destroyed; how opportunities for its healthy revival and development were either neglected or perverted; and how, far beyond the blame attaching to individuals, our system stands convicted of worse than official failure" - G.W. Leitner, former Professor at Kings College, London.

The excellent book 'The Hijacking of Sikhi' explores this in detail.

"Sikhi as it is practiced today, is no longer the Sikhi that was taught to us by our Gurus. It is a spirituality that stands distorted, corrupted and tainted. Its scripture – Gurbani – has been distorted through vedic and puranic slants in interpretations and translations; its history muddled in unbelievable tales of miracles called Sakhis, and its religious practices consist of those smuggled in from rejected and discarded rituals of pre-1469 faiths. It’s a faith that has been hijacked from its unique path and equally distinct goals."

"The uniqueness of Sikhi was total and complete. Every aspect of Sikh Spirituality was uniquely different from the then existing ones."

"In the 207 years of the hijacking, virtually everything about the uniqueness of Sikhi that was constructed by our Gurus in 239 years would be turned on its head. And everything that was rejected would be systematically brought back as accepted religious practices."

"combined effect of the prolonged efforts of the three deviant groups would be that Sikhi would take on a severely ritualistic mode".

"the spiritual plane of Sikhi would be systematically but surely hijacked and taken back to the same destination it intended to break away from."

"Sikhs who have become aware of the hijacking and desire to return to authentic SGGS based Sikhi are looked upon as “deviants” while the adherents of the hijacked version are considered as “true” and “genuine” Sikhs."

It began when "Authentic Sikhs – because there was a price on their heads and limbs – would take refuge in the jungles of Punjab, the desert regions of Rajasthan and the hills of Jammu and Kashmir.

The void and vacuum would allow Sikh gurdwaras, institutions and virtually everything connected to the Sikh psyche to fall into the hands of THREE groups who were either anti-Sikhi, deviant or even non-Sikhs for a long and continuous period of time."

Ideologies, religions, and nations get corrupted and hijacked. Sikhs are not the only one. There is considerable body on opinion that the founding principles of USA have also been corrupted and hijacked.

It happens to the best of us all. In fact, it is more likely to happen to the best of us all as higher level of consciousness and knowledge tend not to be understood.

It happens to the best of us all as it is done only to the best of us all.

The book 'The Hijacking of Sikhi' also "narrates the efforts undertaken by awakened and enlightened Sikhs to free our spirituality from the shackles of the hijackers and to revert Sikhi to its original authentic mode".


Sikhs subconsciously demonstrate the unique traits mentioned above everyday. They are a different race and ethnicity(whatever that means), a distinct culture, with distinct language, distinct formal script, distinct cuisine, distinct values, and an urgent need to preserve these all at this time of intentional government managed demographic dilution in their native lands.

What the mind does not know, the eye does not see. The uniqueness is visible when highlighted.

Sikhs undoubtedly have unique traits that they live and celebrate everyday.

There is another higher trait that is incredibly rare in our modern world, yet so abundant in the Sikhs. It is their humanity - even during stressful and testing times, and despite "oppression and discrimination throughout the world".









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