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A Sikh (IPA: or IPA: ['sɪk.kʰ" target="_blank" >*) is an adherent of Sikhism. Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region although converts from across the globe are increasingly prevalent.

Definition

The SGPC defines a Sikh in the Rehat Maryada as a person who believes in:

Such a person is defined as a Sikh as long as said person does not owe allegiance to any other religion.

Distribution

Worldwide, Sikhs number more than 23 million, but more than 90 percent of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they form close to 65% of the population. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and the cities of Delhi and Mumbai. However Sikhs compose approximately only 1.9% of the Indian population. Migration beginning from the nineteenth century have found significant communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, East Africa, Southeast Asia and more recently, the United States, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite their comparatively small population, Sikhs are highly represented in various sectors of Indian life. They compose a significant segment of India's military services and are significant participants in sports such as field hockey, cricket and politics. Sikh political leaders of the past and present include Master Tara Singh, Sardul Singh Caveeshar, Baldev Singh, former president of India Zail Singh and present prime minister of India Manmohan Singh; in addition the first Indian American, or Asian American for that matter, elected to the United States Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, who had campaigned for the Indian American right to U.S. citizension in the 1950s. Sikh intellectuals, sportsmen and artists such as Khushwant Singh, Jaspal Bhatti, Milkha Singh (nicknamed The Flying Sikh), Bishen Singh Bedi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Singh are an integral part of popular culture. Sikh communities also enjoy comparatively greater economic prosperity - the state of Punjab is known as India's breadbasket, owing to its significant production of food crops, and one of the most industrialized economies in the nation. In India and across the world, Sikhs are an important mercantile class, as well as employed in skilled professions. This is primarily owed to a close-knit community structure, progressive farming techniques and a cultural emphasis on education.

Sikhs enjoy representation in India's civil services. Relations with Hindu communities have generally been amicable and friendly, although recent years have seen antagonism between the two, particularly in the 1980s. In recent years, the number of younger Sikhs who are not well-versed with religious scriptures and long-held traditions, and do not observe many religious injunctions has increased in some communities in Western Europe and North America.

Names

The surname or middle name Singh (meaning Lion) is given to males when they become a Sikh. Similarily, Kaur (meaning princess) is given to women. Of course, not all people named Singh or Kaur are necessarily Sikhs. The name Singh is closely linked to the martial antiquities of North India dating back to at least the Eighth Century CE. Sikh forenames are unisexual; the "Singh" and "Kaur" monikers are hence useful in clarifying the person's sex. Additionaly, giving the last name Kaur to a woman is meant to empower her: no longer does she take her husband's last name when married. Changing of the last name to Singh (for males) or Kaur (for females) was also decreed by the Gurus so as to eliminate discrimination based on one's family name. By casting off one's family name, every Sikh acknowledges that all humans are equal; that no one shall be treated differently just because of the family name.

Castes and tribes

Despite its emphasis on equality and brotherhood, socio-economic divisions have developed between Sikhs of urban mercantile "castes" such as Khatris and Aroras and Jatt Sikhs. Rajput, Gujjar, Tarkhan, Kamboj, Saini and Labana are other Sikh castes or communities. There are also Sikhs of Brahmin (mostly Mohyal) and Dalit extraction/ancestry. This re-emergence of the caste system is strictly forbidden in Sikhism, as all men and women are equal.

There has also emerged a specialized group of Sikhs calling themselves Akalis and there are Prasadis, which have existed for some time but have recently become more vocal.

See also

An index of the most important pages on Sikhism can be found at the list of Sikhism-related topics.

Notes

External links

Sikhism

Sikhar | Sikher | Sikh

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Sikh".

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