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INTERFAITH ENGAGEMENTUnderstanding Experience Issues

Viewed through Sikh Prism

Nirmal Singh

Hemkunt PublishingNew Delhi

© Hemkunt Publishing 2015© Author© Sikhs and Society.org

ISBN: 978-81-7010-410-0

Hemkunt Publishing403 Imperial Tower, Naraina Commercial Centre,C-Block Naraina Vihar, New Delhi-110028Tel. : 98101-94729E-mail : [email protected]

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Cover Photo: Turkish Newspaper Zaman, 4 October, 2004 [p. 168]Back Cover: With PA Senator Pat Vance and Mark R Corrigan, Secretary of theSenate before offering the Opening Prayer [p. 161]

A joint publication of Hemkunt Publishing andwww.sikhsandsociety.org

Library CataloguingSingh, Nirmal, Interfaith Engagement, Pg.208, Rs.300.00, US $20.00, 2015Typeset in 10pt Palatino by Golden Printographics, New DelhiPrinted and bound by ABC Press, New Delhi

‘Dedicated to

the memory of Prof. Rabbi Joseph Ehrencrantz,

Reverend Dr Richard Griffis, Dr Noel Q King,

Dr Ibrahim Abu Rabi and Dr Kuldip C Gupta

who helped me better understand interfaith engagement by

involving me with interfaith processes and

facilitating my engagement with the other faiths and

their contemporaneous concerns and in the process

encouraging me to explore and discover so much

that is inspiring in the world view of my own faith.’

CONTENTS

Introduction 7

PART I: UNDERSTANDING INTERFAITH

1. Development of Interfaith Movement inWestern Societies and International Arena 21

2. Interfaith Relations: Indian Setting 37

3. Sikhs & Interfaith Interface 524. Understanding Interfaith: My Journey 67

PART II: INTERFAITH EXPERIENCES, INTERVIENTIONS

5. Talking Among Interfaith Group 81

6. Introducing Local Community to Sikhs 84

7. Multi-Faith Perspective on Faith & Politics 90

8. Beckoning Eco-Sikh Initiative 93

9. ‘Kudrat’: The Concept of Nature inGurbani 97

10. Cultivating Print Media 100

11. A Presentation of Sikh Sacred Music 104

12. A Soulful Celebration of the Sacred 106

13. Area Sikhs Mark Special Anniversary 110

14. Thoughts Inspired by Interfaith Interactionsin Pakistan 113

15. South Asians Affirming Togetherness andHarmony SAATH 124

6 Interfaith Engagement

16. Vandalization of Sikh Billboard: PA StateHuman Relations Commission Inter AgencyTask Force for Civil Tensions 126

17. Sikhs Can’t Do it Alone 133

18. Sanghvi’s Free Speech Defence 135

PART III: INTERFAITH PRAYERS/ADDRESSES

19. Interfaith Prayer for Victims of Sep.11 139

20. Closing Prayer CCIU Meeting 14121. Prayer for Remembrance 143

22. The Sikh Message of Peace and Brotherhood 145

23. The Sikh Prayer for Peace in Our Country 148

24. Sikh Prayer for Remembrance, Peace & Harmony152

25. Spirituality Beyond Religions 156

26. Sikh Interfaith Prayer: PA Senate 158

27. Bringing Faith, Meaning & Peace to Life in aMulticultural World 163

28. Shatter Not Any Dreams 168

PART IV: MULTICULTURAL FESTIVITIES

29. Baisakhi & Sikhs 173

30. Lohri: A Mid-Winter Celebration 179

31. Reminiscing Festivities: This Festive Season 182

32. Press Release – Vaisakhi Raat 2004 186

Going Forward: Sikh Interfaith Engagement 193

Glossary 201

Index 203

INTRODUCTION

This book is an attempt to explore the space that interfaithactivism occupies among Sikhs and in Sikhi as practicedand lived. It is a relatively unexplored area in Sikh literatureand this book therefore is offered to the readers with adeep sense of humility recognizing that the frame ofreference that I created for this exploration could indeedlack focus or be offset from where it should have been.My hope is that if the book evokes interest of readers, theensuing discussion and feedback would be helpful inproviding directions for better understanding of the subjectand lead to improved Sikh participation in interfaithinterventions in a variety of situations where shared humaninterest is involved or the underlying issues could impactsocietal peace and harmony or where equity and justice isat stake by discriminatory practices or due to prejudice.

Interfaith activism as an organized activity is a morerecent phenomenon. One of the possible reasons is thegrowing diversity in some Western countries. This createda constructive interest in trying to fathom the nature ofvalues and influences this diversity was bringing to thesociety and also to help to ease out any misconceptionsand prejudices that may have arisen out of ignorance ofthe ‘other’. The latter role is more evident as the recognitionof lack of awareness of the other has come into greaterfocus in a post September 11 world infested with a varietyof inter-religious tensions and conflicts.

Inter-religious conflicts are known to have beenexperienced through the human history almost all the worldover. Notwithstanding the recognition that faith has


contributed to the progress of civilization, a widely sharedview is that religious convictions of the powerful whooften were committed to protect and spread their faith ledto struggles that could only be resolved through subjugationof the other resulting in bloody conflicts.

In more recent times religious differences have continuedto be a cause for breakdown of societal peace and harmonyand in some cases to even division of countries alongreligious lines. Socially disruptive activities can manifest inthe form of fundamentalism, armed struggle and terrorismby religious groups or state repression and cultural violenceagainst religious minorities.

In this kind of conflict scenario, religious organizationscould be involved in a variety of roles - perpetrators,victims, stay uninvolved or be proactive to try and brokerpeace. Choice to stay uninvolved can amount to let themighty prevail and thus pose ethical questions. Working tocontain and help resolve conflicts has become an importantrole for interfaith groups in developed societies.

Most contemporary societies either follow or are movingtowards state structures to help ensure that the functionsof Church and State are kept separate. The concept, inpractice has implied that the state should take over manyof the social roles performed earlier by religious institutions.Underlying issues in such secular practices however havenot been easy to settle and debates as well as legal challengeson application of the principle continue to this day.

Expectedly the situation prevailing in different countriesis varied. In England, while secular practices are mostlyfollowed, Anglican Church has stayed on as state religion.Maldives does not allow practice of any religion otherthan Islam. In Norway clergy remain state employees andlaw requires municipalities to support activities of the Churchof Norway, re-designated in 2012 as ‘Norway’s people’schurch.’ In Turkey in spite of strict secularism, the Statepays Sunni Muslims imams’ wages and provides Sunnireligious education in public schools.

Considering the range of divergence in structures that

exist in various countries, emphasis is placed on assuringreligious freedom which encompasses that all religions acceptone another and that the state does not allow discriminatorypractices based on religion. As compared to this religioustoleration may assure absence of religious persecution butnot necessarily preclude religious discrimination e.g. undersharia law in some Islamic societies, religious minoritiesmay be barred from higher civil offices, military positions,and university posts. To not allow certain faith observancesin selected spheres could also be a discriminatory practice.

Differences between faiths are not the only cause ofinter-religious tensions. There have been conflicts betweensects and denominations which are referred sometimes asreligions under a Faith rubric. In fact World Council ofChurches refers to actions between different Christiandenominations as interreligious and that between faithgroups such as Muslim and Christian as interfaith.

In interfaith circles most of the conversations can be ina larger setting where the broad faith groups as well asdenominational groups may interact collectively. As suchthe terms get used interchangeably.

The Interfaith movement as evidenced contem-poraneously has developed over the last century in theWestern societies. Interfaith relations received a differentkind of attention when after the end of the Second WorldWar, the enormity of Jewish persecution by the Nazis cameto light and the Christian Churches were blamed for theircomplicity of silence. This realization led to a flurry ofactivity by the World Council of Churches and the RomanCatholic Church to condemn all forms of anti-Semitismand promote dialogue with the Jewish community. The 911terror attacks and the ensuing Global War on Terror ledby the US have demonstrated the kind of conflicts that canso easily erupt in the emerging global society with its multiplicityof unresolved religious issues as potential flash points.

The United Nations Organization and its affiliate bodieswho have been engaged in trying to help defuse conflictsand promote measures for peace and harmony seem to

Introduction 9


have realized the need for inter-religious harmony as apre-requisite for societal peace and have over the yearsinitiated a number of programs under their direct aegis orin collaboration with other international bodies engagedin promoting interfaith relations.

The interfaith movement has received increasedparticipation since 911 and in more recent times the academyis also getting interested in the subject. Institutes like theHartford Seminary have started to offer a variety of courseoptions that are rooted in or relate to interfaith issues. Iwas recently approached by Prof. Mathew Sayers, Facultyof Religious Studies at Lebanon Valley College in Anneville,PA, seeking help in their plan to set up an Institute forInterfaith Literacy & Leadership at the College.Organizations like The Religion & Society in Harrisburg,PA, aim to get their members to get a feel of religious lifeof all religious groups.

After this broad overview of contemporary interfaithmovement in the Western societies, I have tried to explorethe interfaith relations through the prism of history inIndia. I did this essentially in acknowledgement of twofacts. One is that historically the Indian society has beenperhaps the most religiously and culturally diverse societyand second that the Sikh story is firmly located in andlinked to the historical experience of this region. India inthis context should be read as a region or a State – as thenarrative may suggest.

The Indian experience is intriguing and encouraging.There are a variety of narratives that are in circulation andconnecting the dots is a challenge. Even though I amconscious that the received historical memory is not freeof tensions, the existence of legacy of survival of not onlyfaiths but also of the languages, culture, rituals et al wouldsuggest both the resilience of inhabitants as well as theirfirmness of beliefs. In our context it would imply a morecontentious but not an unlivable circumstance. While thisis the encouraging part the intriguing part is that given thelikeliness of clashes that firm convictions could have caused,

evidence of interfaith engagement is fragmented and sparse.The society must have been hanging by its will to surviveand in fact must have had a tremendous ability to assimilatethan get culturally subsumed.

India seems now to have has gone full circle in historicalchanges and the Hindu majority again is in a position toexercise political control. The experience is mixed. Therehave been instances of grave oppression of minorities yetthe country’s mood is vibrantly alive and there is a senseof determination in all segments for their tradition to surviveand grow. Interfaith engagement is not much in evidencebut the talk can be heard. It cannot be long in coming asthe Indian society is in the throes of trying to grasp theemerging doctrine of Hindutva with some visibletrepidation. Dialogue is the only way forward.

In this milieu we then proceed to look at how Sikhsare positioned. This review starts with a brief look at thecontents of the Sikh scripture, celebrated as their eternalGuru by Sikhs. One unique feature of Sikhi is that theirscripture, written in the spoken language of the times, isa melody of rhyme and rhythm, set to music, containingthe compositions not only of their Gurus but also of severalof the holy saints belonging to other faiths. Apart from itscomposite character, the Sikh theology is inclusive and thepraxis does not exclude any person from entry into SikhGurdwaras, using the facilities or joining in worship.

Sikhs happen to be a minority in all countries of theworld. Being adventurous and footloose they are spreadout in most foreign countries with substantial populationsin the UK, USA, Canada, Malaysia, Australia and severalcountries in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and Africawith a sprinkling even in South America. Sikh Diaspora inthe US, UK, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenyaetc has history of over a century and they, in spite of theirsmall numbers, have had a measure of success includingseveral firsts in political arena. Several of the Sikh holysites are in Pakistan and the Sikh presence in Afghanistanand Iran goes back a few centuries.

Introduction 11


After the 911 terror attack, the Sikh community in theUS has had to face unmerited hate attacks due to beingmistaken as members of the Radical Islamist groups becauseof sporting facial hair and turbans as part of their faithobservances. The mistaken identity has created a verydifficult situation for Sikhs and they have had to takerecourse to many avenues to mitigate the problem ofignorance about them in the American mainstream. Theseactivities include getting involved in interfaith and multi-cultural activities to reach out to lay Americans.

It is in this context that I thought I should also sharemy own journey into the field of interfaith activism. It wasinitially driven by my interest in learning about other faithsand sharing thoughts about Sikhs and Sikhi with the others.This interest almost turned into a passion post 911 whenI found that Sikhs had to use all their connections andresources to reach out to the mainstream to try and mitigatepervasive ignorance about Sikhs. In this endeavor the supportcame from friends in the interfaith and multi-cultural fields.In time it opened up new opportunities for constructivevoluntary work and learning. I had to put my writingabilities to write on Sikhi and Sikh issues – well receivedby my non-Sikh audiences. The American TV and printmedia mostly were helpful and hardly ever turned downmy request for coverage of an event or for publication ofan Article or opinion piece.

The most enduring outcome was getting to know theactivists and scholars from various faiths that broughtinvitations for participation in interfaith events andConferences sponsored both by interfaith organizations andvarious faith groups. This encouraged me to search Sikhethos more deeply to be able to make presentation of Sikhperspective to learned groups on themes ranging fromreligious precepts, praxis, history and issues of contemporarysocial relevance or subject of public interest and scrutiny.In the process I may have been the instrument a couple offirsts, say in the study of a theme, developing a format forpresentation that in time was used by others or being

asked by default to be the first Sikh to offer an openingprayer at the PA Senate or being a part of the group thattook up position against the practice by Commonwealth ofPA to sponsor an event termed as Prayer Breakfast whereno faith group other than Christians was invited to be partof or to speak and address. The result was the start of anannual interfaith Prayer Meet open to all faith groupsincluding non-believers in Harrisburg.

After these introductory chapters I have included asampling of my presentations at various types of interfaithgatherings. These are intended as examples of my attemptto communicate sharing of feelings of solidarity with thecommunity or to convey a flavor of Sikh thought and Sikhito a diverse group. My intent also is to offer these samplesas something to build on and also to give a sense ofreassurance to those setting out in interfaith activity thatthe task may not be as daunting as we may have envisioned.As you hone in your thoughts, you will surely burnish thecontent and manner of presentation to convey a lot in justa few words.

Part II of the Book contains texts of actual presentationsin interfaith events or their summing up. These include asharing of views on interfaith activity within the interfaithactivist group, with a local community and with an informedaudience on political and social issues in the run up to thePresidential campaign. The reader would no doubt noticethat in all the three cases the purpose is not only to shareinformation about ourselves but also to bring in our specificconcerns for their broader recognition by the community.

The next two short Articles relate to environment orlaunching of an initiative for promoting the involvementof Sikhs with environmental issues. Interfaith movementhas been empathetic to the movement for clean and greenenvironment but initially the two movements actedindependent of one another. Towards the end of 20th century,some Churches started promoting involvement ofcongregations to work for cleaner environment as a sacredtrust. In CT the first initiative was a daylong Conference

Introduction 13


at Hartford Seminary in October 2001 at which I presenteda paper on the Sikh perspective on environment. While theother presenters either drew upon scientific evidence ortradition of caring for plant life, I searched Gurbani forSikh thought on creation and its care and evidence ofenvironment friendly Sikh practices. This paper subsequentlypublished in Sikh Review was very well received and Ihave since been involved on the side lines with activists onvarious facets of environmental issues.

This follows with two examples of working with andthrough the Print Media. There is a lot of competition formedia space and getting media to agree to provide coverageto Sikhs and Sikh events can be challenging. In the examplesI picked, one is with Hartford Courant which is proud tobe the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world.It has pretty clear notions about what kind of reportingkeeps a newspaper relevant and therefore any expectationof favors for a miniscule and reclusive minority can beillusory. The other example is from the Ethnic media – avery effective resource for communicating with the IndianDiaspora. The English Ethnic media is mostly owned andoperated by non-Sikhs and had adopted positions closerto official Indian handouts during the tumultuous 80’s.Sikhs therefore were still weary of them but I sought theircoverage and they invariably sent a reporter over fromBoston.

Another favorite program offered by interfaith groupsis a show presenting sampling of spiritual music of varioustraditions. Sikhs are fortunate that kirtan has been givena place of centrality in their tradition but availability ofRagis on weekdays can be very difficult. The first time wetried to join in an interfaith event and present an item wasin 1998/99. The occasion was to promote the Clinton initiativefor youth to take responsibility for themselves and theinvited speakers included Elizabeth Dole then a Republicancandidate for Presidential Primaries and General ColinPowell. The interfaith interlude could only be accommodatedduring the morning hours as the delegates were having

buffet breakfast. Interfaith presenters went bravely on inspite of the prevailing gossipy mood. We had had to getthe Ragis over from Norwalk, a hundred miles away andtwo of our young women volunteers had undertaken thatdrive starting at 3 a.m. I looked around and took ouryoung tabalchi aside and asked him if he could play aflourish kind of beat when our turn came and then all ofus would walk in onstage. He did a wonderful job and asthe curtain went up there was this lone Sikh beating at thetable. The audience suddenly felt drawn to the stage andwe received a thunderous applause as we took our places.Sikhs in Connecticut had arrived on the interfaith scenewith aplomb!

In another event, we were able to help rescue a programitem. The opening piece was a medley of sounds createdby various instruments played in spiritual music includingthe conch to be played by our Hindu friend. He did notshow up and we had to do something even if symbolically.Someone did have a conch but knew not what to do withit. I again pulled our young ragis aside and asked if anyone of them had ever sounded a conch – nyet! Ok I saidwho will try and one of them came forward. He quicklytried a few times, got some sound coming and we set theprogram rolling. Onstage the kid did a wonderful jobblending in!

The next two items relate to Pakistan. With the unfoldingof 911 suddenly Americans discovered that they did notknow much about Radical Islam. In time Hartford Seminaryconnected with the Quran Academy in Lahore whosefounder Dr Israr Ahmed was a leading expert on the concept.They extended an invitation for a round table on RadicalIslam and the group included me among well knownChristian, Jewish and Muslim academics. This exposureled me to conclude that for Sikhs, relations with PakistaniMuslims are critical because of their neighborly presenceand due to several Sikh holy sites being located in thatcountry. This could provide an interesting insight.

Though least expected by an average Sikh, they have

Introduction 15


been pushed into the Muslim corner in the US by thethoughtless choice post 911 by the Government and themedia to give terror a face to the grieving Americans asmales with turbans and facial hair – a sort of lookalike ofOsama bin Laden. This image profiling immediately exposedSikhs to pent up hate against the impugned perpetrators of911 attacks. The next two items should help the readersfamiliarize with how the Sikh community has to buildinterfaith coalitions to pursue hate crimes and the mechanicsof the issues being handled by agencies involved. It can bea very detailed and exhausting exercise with no guaranteeof the perpetrators being nabbed or their motivation evercoming to light. We have to be thankful to the civil rightsgroups like SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, United Sikhs for takingon such cases now with better follow up and success, sparingthe harried interfaith activists to keep tabs on progress ofinvestigations.

Part III of the book profiles some prayers and otherbrief presentations made at interfaith meets. Let me explainsome details of what these events are about. The motivationfor offering prayers likely comes from the participants beingfaith groups and, is a way to make various traditions getinvolved. To keep the program brief generally time slot isonly 3 to 5 minutes for each faith group. The theme for theevent is announced and in some instances, may be subdivided among the participating groups. The prayer shoulddraw upon the faith teachings though in some cases thedirect quotes may not be encouraged lest it is seen as anattempt to proselytize or spread the word of a particularfaith. This kind of desiderata is suggested for prayers atState functions as the effort is to avoid conflict with secularistposture. In this connection I may invite the reader to readthe notes following the text of prayer that I offered atopening of the PA Senate.

My effort always was to use actual quotes from theSikh scripture that I did in all settings, Senate prayerincluded, without drawing criticism, and mostly receivingaccolades for sharing the actual and not sanitized version

of Sikh religious position on the subject theme. The otherfeature that I may mention is the format alternating withquotes in original and the exposition in vernacular did notseem to have been used before by any other traditionthough it did come to be used by some others includingAhmediya Muslims.

The prayers and short presentations included in thispart were made by me by myself or jointly, mostly with awoman presenter. This helped in bringing more Sikhs onboard and getting them involved. The main hesitation Ifound stemmed from writing out the text but I found thatthere could be other inhibiting factors also at play forsome did not even show up at the event after they hadattended rehearsals with me and the text was provided.The excuse – I got caught in traffic!

The last part of the book is a sampling of three write-ups – on Baisakhi, Lohri and Guru Nanak’s birthdayfestivities. Sharing of cultural experiences and celebrationof festivals tend to become a part of interfaith engagements.In fact cultural presentations are sometimes passed off asa form of prayer offered by some sub- traditions. Thereare others who suggest that the religious cannot be viewedas isolated from culture because indeed the origin of severalreligious festivals can be traced to cultural celebrations.

An important point often ignored is that familiaritywith language and culture of the mainstream helps in makingan easy entry into their circle – an objective of activitieslike interfaith dialogue. Let me share an experience. Wehad been in the US less than two years when one of myclients whom I had provided management consulting askedme to join their organization to lead their turnaround.During my consulting I had recommended significant jobcuts that had been put in place but the management teamcould not handle the emerging issues and problems. WhenI took on the position, I noticed visible signs of hesitationamong the managers and workers in coming forth withme. I was able to get the core managerial team to co-operate but the veil with the rest seemed to persist.

Introduction 17


As we were getting close to year end, we announcedthe annual Company Party. My wife had not yet moved tothe new location but I asked her to come and join theparty. She did, dressed in a Sari and we tried break throughthe hesitant veil but with did not see much warmth flowing.We had live music and after the dinner, the music startedand people were on the floor. I waited a couple of minutesfor people to see us sitting quietly and then stood up andasked my wife ‘chal kudiye nachiye – come girl, let us dance.’A minute later we were on the dance floor and couple ofminutes gone almost all eyes seemed turned on us. Whenwe walked back to our table, we had a continuous streamof employees coming to speak with us. In a matter ofminutes, the veil of strangeness had disappeared. That canbe the magic of cultural affinity for likewise I was drawnto a neighbor because he took pains to write his name inBengali on his card when he gave it to me. He had beenwith the US Embassy in Dhaka and his familiarity withour culture made us to open to him the same way evidenceof our familiarity with the American culture possibly madethe employees open to us.

While thinking about how to structure the Book sothat I can build in all the diverse factors that play intointerfaith engagement when the ignorance is not just aboutbeliefs but about the totality of our values, culture, customsand social mores, I did consider bringing in many of theabove explanations and anecdotes in the main text butgave it up to not detract from its serious import. May beanother Editor would have advised a different structure.

Go ahead and enjoy reading the book as is, now thatyou have picked it up!

PART I:UNDERSTANDING INTERFAITH

Development of InterfaithMovement in Western Societiesand International Arena

INTERFAITH DIALOGUEInterfaith dialogue is a conversation between persons fromtwo or more religious groups or belief systems at individualor institutional levels. Interfaith dialogue can facilitate ethnic,religious and cultural groups to foster understanding acrosstheir differences. Its immediate objectives can be to opencommunication between faith groups and developunderstanding on specific problems of contemporaneousmutual concern.

Religious pluralism is used as a synonym for interfaithdialogue to help enable people to coexist without sectarianstrife or persecution of religious minorities. It inherentlyenvisages absence of any special rights or privileges to anyone religion or denomination.

The dynamics of inter-religious encounters can differdue to historic relationships between faiths as well as theirtheological, social, and political concerns. The dialogue canbe difficult if faith’s protagonists are exclusivists or treatparticularistic concerns as over-riding.

World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago iscited as the first worldwide initiative for an interreligiousdialogue in recent times. Dialogue between Christianity,Judaism and Islam had started to take place in early 20th


Century. A series of Congresses of International Associationfor Religious Freedom were held starting in London in1901, Geneva in 1905, Berlin in 1910 and Paris in 1913. Inthe interregnum between the two World Wars, ‘Religionsof Empire’ conference was held in 1924 in London, theWorld Congress of Faiths founded in London in 1936 andits annual conference was held in Paris in 1939. SecondWorld War again caused an interruption.

World Council of Churches [WCC] and the Vaticanorganized a number of meetings with other religioustraditions in 1950s. In 1965 the Roman Catholic Churchissued the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate institutingmajor policy changes in their policy towards non-Christianreligions.

In the US, by late 1960s interfaith groups such as theClergy and Laity Concerned were getting involved in CivilRights issues for African-Americans and were often vocalin their opposition to the Vietnam War. In 1971, the WCCestablished its ‘Dialogue with People of Living Faiths andIdeologies.’ In Britain, the Inter Faith Network wasestablished in 1987. An Interfaith Global Forum on theEnvironment was held in Moscow in 1990. Yet as late as1980 the church communities hardly showed any interestin other religions.

In the recent decades, a variety of interfaith organizationscame up under the auspices of the UN as also in varioussocieties. The World’s Parliament of Religions of 1893 wasrevived by holding another meet on its centenary in 1993and has since been followed by a series of conferencesunder the title ‘Parliament of the World’s Religions.’

The start of 21st century witnessed the 9/11 terroristattack on the US giving impetus to a rapid growth ofinterfaith and intercultural dialogue as well as the academicstudy of religions.1

MODES OF DIALOGUEThe forums for discussion of interfaith issues have now

come up at levels going up from the local to the national,international and global. Some typologies on the basis oftheir nature of discussions or its manner that have beensuggested are briefly mentioned below.2

The discussions in global assemblies like the Parliamentof World’s Religions have been termed Parliamentarydialogue. Participation in these forums is both by institutionsand individuals with a variety of interests, backgroundsand agendas.

Meetings organized to establish and nurturecommunication between institutional representatives ofreligious organizations, sects, denominations and otherreligious institutions like seminaries et al are referred asinstitutional dialogue.

Discussions in which respective theological andphilosophical issues like understandings of God, views onrevelation, etc are shared is termed theological dialogue.In a spiritual dialogue, the participants may observe worshipservice of other faiths or share diverse perspectives onmodes of prayer and thus get an awareness of the spiritualin different faiths.

There are certain issues that affect the entire societyand which get brought up for discussion in interfaith groupsbecause collective opinion of the religious community maybe of help in fine tuning the approach for its eventualsuccessful implementation. Examples of the issues of sharedconcern could relate to the status of religious minorities,religion in text books used in public schools etc. Suchconversations are referred as the dialogue of life ordialogue in community.

Imranali Panjwani suggests that he has witnessed fourmodes of interfaith dialogue in practice that he has termedas: the Show, Debate, Seminar and Workshop – typologiesreasonably clear from the titles. He commends a ProjectMeeting to offer a comprehensive approach to ‘positivelycombat local problems’ in a multicultural world.3

Development of Interfaith Movement in Western Societies... 23


TYPES & LEVELS OF INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUEScarboro Missions, a Canadian Roman Catholic MissionSociety, refers to the following types of Inter-religiousDialogue4:

• Informational: Acquiring of knowledge of the faithpartner’s religious history, founding, basic beliefs,scriptures, etc.

• Confessional: Allowing the faith partners to speakfor and define themselves in terms of what it meansto live as an adherent.

• Experiential: Dialogue with faith partners fromwithin the partner’s tradition, worship and ritual -entering into the feelings of one’s partner andpermitting that person’s symbols and stories to guide.

• Relational: Develop friendships with individualpersons beyond the “business” of dialogue.

• Practical: Collaborate to promote peace and justice.

Thomas Thangaraj suggests the following levels ofInterreligious engagement5:

• The dialogue of life, where people of all faiths striveto live in an open and neighborly spirit, sharingtheir joys, sorrows, problems and preoccupations.

• The dialogue of action, in which adherents of allreligions collaborate for the integrated developmentof people.

• The dialogue of theological exchange, where experts shareunderstanding of their faiths and learn of relatedspiritual values of others.

• The dialogue of religious experience, where believersshare their religious living with the believers of otherfaiths.

INTER-SEMITIC FAITHS RELATIONAL PROBLEMSAfter the conclusion of the Second World War, the Christianchurches were criticized for letting systematic denigration,defamation and persecution of Jews to prevail. The WCC

condemned anti-Semitism as a sin and irreconcilable withChristian faith at its First Assembly in 1948. The SecondVatican Council called for increased understanding betweenChristians and Jews.

Soon Christian–Jewish reconciliation became the focusin Christian interfaith dialogue. Vatican set up a PontificalCommission of the Holy See for Religious Relations withthe Jews that reports to the Pontifical Council for PromotingChristian Unity. The Christian-Jewish tensions have beenconsiderably contained now.

New tensions however arose due to the unresolvedPalestinian-Israeli conflict and the 9/11 terror attackculminating in the Global War on Terror. In the meanwhilethe terrorist activity has spread to other countries wideningthe area and nature of conflict. This development in thelast dozen years or so has spawned intense interest ininterfaith activity in the US, several Western countries andthe UN affiliates to supplement efforts to maintain peaceand harmony.

Dialogue between Christians and Muslim goes back tothe last decade of 19th century. Hartford Seminary inConnecticut set up Duncan Black Macdonald Center in 1893to study Islam and to foster Christian-Muslim relations.Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims6

affiliated with the Pontifical Council for Interfaith Dialoguewas set up as part of the Vatican II changes. GeorgetownUniversity established a Center for Muslim-ChristianUnderstanding in 1993. A ministry, now expressed throughThe Beckett Center for Christian Understanding of Islam,was incorporated in February 1994, in Richmond, Virginia.Since 1991 Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago hasoffered courses with concentrations in interfaith studieson Islam and Christian-Muslim relations. They have anactive Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peaceand Justice.

The 1965 Declaration of the Second Vatican Councilmade a plea to forget the past and make a sincere effort



to achieve mutual understanding and preserve and promotepeace, liberty, social justice and moral values. In 2002 PopeJohn Paul II suggested that rather than forgetting the past,forgiveness is important for the present and future relations.Following up on this, the U S West Coast Dialogue ofCatholics and Muslims in 2003 agreed upon the importanceof forgiveness and to work for peace, avoid demonizingone another and to not misrepresenting one another ’steachings and traditions. Each of their three regionaldialogues is co-chaired by a Catholic bishop and arepresentative of Muslim organizations.

INTER-CHRISTIAN & INTERFAITH DIALOGUEIn almost all the interfaith groups that I have been part ofor events that I have participated in, the Christians havebeen represented separately by various denominationalgroups with none of the groups ever suggesting that theirview represented the entirety of Christian population. Infact the ecumenical issues needed to be resolved whileorganizing an interfaith/inter-religious service in a Church.

The guidelines for dialogue among Christians by thePontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity emphasizethat ecumenical dialogue and collaboration must be basedon respect for every religious conviction and rooted in theshared faith that all the baptized become members of theone Body of Christ and can pray together, as Jesus hadtaught.7

There also are occasional attempts at conversationsbetween denominations to further mutual understanding.A recent case was Romney’s Presidential bid being used topromote Catholic-Mormon dialogue by convening aconference entitled ‘Catholics and Mormons: A NewDialogue’ sponsored by Notre Dame and Brigham YoungUniversities.8

STATUS OF INTERFAITH MOVEMENT IN THE USThe Pluralism Project at Harvard9 launched a pilot study

of the interfaith movement in America in 2011- some of itsfindings in brief are:

While there has been a robust growth of interfaithactivity at local community levels, fundraising remains thebiggest challenge faced by interfaith groups. The reasoncould be that the grants are increasingly given to directservice organizations rather than those with dialogue focus.Finding the balance between volunteer and paid staff isdifficult and maintaining volunteer base is also a challenge.

More than half the Board members are clergy, andalmost 75% had at least one member from minority religiouscommunity. About 1 in 6 paid leadership position is heldby minority religions. Women are actively engaged ininterfaith activity with more than 60% of the Board andhalf of the paid staff.

About 1/3rd of the Board are youth but even thoughyouth were the mission constituency in 3/4th cases, interfaithdialogue did not seem a priority with students because ofdifficulty in creating and maintaining a “sacred space” sharedby multiple religious groups on campuses.

Communities involved in interfaith dialogue are overtwenty denominations of Christians, Jews, Muslims,Unitarian Universalists, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs [thelast two being the last two in order too]. The context forinterfaith efforts is mostly the local community in the city/metro area, with links to national and, on occasion,international efforts.10

INTERFAITH SEMINARIESIn the last couple of decades some Seminaries have beenfounded that offer interfaith spirituality for those whofeel called to a spiritual life outside denominational orreligious boundaries. These Schools train and ordainInterfaith Ministers, Rabbis and Chaplains conferring degreesto enable legally attach titles like Dr., D. Div. or Th.D. toone’s name.11 With ordination, the ministers can create theirown new alternative church, a wedding chapel and offercorporate chaplain services.



Australia was the first country to introduce the practiceof licensing individuals to register and perform civilmarriages and religious marriages. Known as Minister ofReligion (Marriage Celebrant), the individual is requiredto pass a written test12 and can also act in other ceremonieslike naming, funerals etc. Their function is more of afacilitator with the choices regarding the ceremonies leftentirely to the couple or families.

I was invited to conduct weekend retreats on Sikhismfor groups of ministers training to be ordained as interfaithministers by School of Interfaith Ministeries, a Pennsylvaniabased seminary. I found the participants very receptiveand perceptive and the experience was indeed inspiring.They had done some reading on Sikhs and Sikhi and hadbeen through a weekend each on Hinduism and Buddhism.Almost all the participants were ordained Christian ministerslooking to ministering to the needs of other faiths in thehighly dispersed demographics of religious groups inAmerica.

Interfaith ministers are criticized for assuming that theycan actually represent different religions. There is somemerit to this critique but in societies like the US, there area number of persons looking to experiment with alternatespiritual ministering in their search for the sacred whomay seek their guidance. In some cases the interfaithministers may be searching for ways to give an expressionto their own sense of the spiritual. An Indian parallel couldbe some of the deras and ashrams.

CRITICISM OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUEThere has been considerable criticism of interfaith actionswithin Christians because the Church prohibits Christianspraying with followers of other faiths and excludes everyform of syncretic practices. Some also question joining handswith those faiths with which Christians have basicdifferences about foundational beliefs, praxis and the like.

Non Christians contend that in spite of the fostering of

widespread dialogue, the term interfaith dialogue is oftenused for evangelism programs in Church parlance andtherefore are suspicious of any interfaith engagement. JacobNeusner13 underscores that genuine dialogue essential forworld peace may be possible only if a religion’s account ofitself is valued. This is seldom the case. His view aboutJudeo-Christian relations is that “there is not now, andthere never has been, a dialogue between the religions ofJudaism and Christianity.”

Another critique is that while through dialogue we alllearn from each other, we cannot assume that dialogue canobliterate the deep influences of different theologicalperspectives, culture, and language that we so consistentlyand strongly defend.

Some interfaith groups have made difference at locallevels but the engagement seems mostly to be guided andswayed by Judeo-Christian views. Eastern faiths arerelatively new entrants often looking for Judeo-Christiansupport for their causes. Muslims are not too happy whenthey feel to be stigmatized for the actions of a few. Sowhile lauding the good that interfaith dialogue can bring,there are voices cautioning that purpose of dialogue is notto find faults or to judge which religion is better but tounderstand other religions besides our own.14

AS A TOOL FOR PROMOTING PEACE & HARMONYOne helpful development in the West has been that housesof worship and religious communities are increasingly takingmoral positions on war, injustice, violence, discriminationand any other socially divisive issues. The positions thatthey take are often supported by the religious preceptsand theology of their beliefs. Examples of empoweringtheologies that inspired people in the face of sufferingcaused by widespread violence include the Liberation theologyin Latin America and the Black theology in South Africa.

The potential of churches and church communities toplay a constructive role in peace making is now increasingly



recognized. During 1978-1984 Pope John Paul II mediatedsuccessfully between Argentina and Chile over a territorialdispute. Religious organizations have an infrastructure andcommunication network in place to mobilize people e.g.Vatican is represented in 122 countries and its ambassadorcan access information on local affairs from the network ofcatholic parish priests.

Religious leaders have claim to moral rectitude to beable to help in promoting conciliation and forgiveness. ThePapacy enjoys moral legitimacy, reputation for neutralityand is seen to be able to influence public opinion. Theythus can be effective to make peace overtures if they donot have links with the perpetrators of violence and helpout in conflict situations.

There is growing evidence that Faith can be a pathwayto connecting with people and interfaith movement canhelp the economic, social and political health of communities.It is also realized that Civil rights movement was born andbred in churches and that effective organizing is easierwithin congregations. Additionally experience has shownthat faith helps people stay motivated even in very tryingsituations. As such persons of faith are considered suitablefor leading social movements that require high commitment.SOME INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH ORGANISATIONS

United Nations & Its Affilited AgenciesThe United Nations has deliberated on issues concerningreligion and culture from time to time and adopted variousresolutions that show a progression in the direction ofimproving human rights and also recognize the potentialof interfaith dialogue as an instrument to promote peaceand harmony at various levels of society. Declarations include:

• 1981 U N Declaration on the Elimination of All Formsof Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religionor Belief.

• 1992 UN Declaration on the Rights of PersonsBelonging to National or Ethnic, Religious andLinguistic Minorities. 1995 UNESCO Declaration of

Principles on Tolerance [also proclaimed November16 as the annual International Day of Tolerance]

• 1999 UN Declaration and Program of Action on aCulture of Peace.

• 2001 UNESCO Universal Declaration on CulturalDiversity.

• 2001 UN Global Agenda for Dialogue amongCivilizations.

• 2007 UN Declaration for Promoting Dialogue andMutual Understanding among Religions andCivilizations.

• 2008 The Madrid Declaration affirms that all humanbeings should be treated equal, that individualfreedoms and beliefs, as well as religious institutions,must be respected, and that preserving theenvironment and protecting it from pollution andother dangers is a central objective in all religions.

The recognition that belief can inspire social action hasencouraged the UN and its agencies to launch severalinitiatives involving religious groups15 that include:

• The Alliance of Civilizations: Established in 2005, itaims to improve understanding and cooperativerelations mostly among Western and Islamic nationsand peoples to counter the forces that fuel polarizationand extremism.

• The Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation forPeace: Founded in 2006 is composed of representativesof member states, the United Nations system, andnon-governmental organizations to foster mutualrespect, tolerance and friendship among peoples,cultures, and religions.

• A new collaboration between the UN DevelopmentProgram and Alliance of Religions and Conservationinvolves world religions in addressing climate changeand help develop programs of action to slow globalwarming in practical ways.



• The December 2007 General Assembly resolutionencourages governments to identify areas for thepromotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue,understanding and cooperation to promote peaceand security.

• The first week of February has been declared a UNWorld Interfaith Harmony week.

RELIGIONS FOR PEACEWorld Conference of Religions for Peace [RFP], founded in1970, is based in NYC. Their global network comprisesWorld Council of senior religious leaders from all regionsof the world; four regional and over seventy national inter-religious bodies; the Global Women of Faith Network andGlobal Youth Network.

The main effort of Religions for Peace is to:• Work with religious groups to understand the causes

of conflict; conduct mediation and negotiation amongarmed groups and to lead communities inreconciliation and healing needed to build lastingpeace.

• Engage religious minorities and majorities to promotereligious freedom, pluralism and sharedunderstanding. Cultivate respect for diverse religiousbeliefs and practices and stand together in solidarityagainst violence and hatred. Their affiliated Inter-religious Councils, women of faith networks andyouth networks span 90 countries on five continents.Through these networks, Religions for Peace mobilizesthe collective assets of religious communities byanalyzing threats to peace; making an inventory ofavailable religious assets; matching religious assetswith problem-solving roles; defining roles for religiousleaders and communities; building the capacity ofreligious communities to act together; and unleashingcommon action.

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONSThere have been several meetings referred to as a Parliamentof the World’s Religions, the first being the World’sParliament of Religions of 1893, considered an attempt tocreate a global dialogue of faiths. Another conference washeld on its centenary in 1993 that led to a new series ofconferences under the title “Parliament of the World’sReligions”. Since then the Parliament has been held in1999at Cape Town, South Africa; in 2004 at Barcelona, Spain;then a Forum of Cultures in 2007at Monterrey and 2009Parliament at Melbourne, Australia. Next Parliament is tobe held in 2015 in Lake City, US.

End 2013 Report of the Parliament states that interfaithmovement has tripled in the last decade, through the fullpotential of interfaith movement, remains untapped due tofunding difficulties.

The Parliament is likely to reduce their budget deficitin 2014 and their development work is fully funded forthe first time in the Parliament’s history. Their social medianetwork now is the largest of all the major internationalinterfaith organizations. Ten new members have been electedto their Board of Trustees including two Hindus, one Jew,one Sikh and five Christians.

The Parliament did five webinars against hate presentedwith leading organizations such as the Southern PovertyLaw Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the Sikh Coalition,the Compassion Games, and the Tectonic Leadership Center.So far 15 seminaries and divinity schools like Harvard,Yale and Claremont-Lincoln have been important participantsin Training Religious Leaders for a Multi-Religious Worldprogram.

The Parliament is sad to say that the interfaithorganizations do not have much history of working witheach other and are determined to change that.

ICRDInternational Center for Religion & Diplomacy [ICRD],



located in Washington, DC, was set up to prevent andresolve identity-based conflicts that exceed the reach oftraditional diplomacy by incorporating religion as part ofthe solution. Suggested steps are including religiousimperatives in foreign policy formulation and ambassadorsanticipating and dealing with religious factors using religiousrepresentatives to inform public diplomacy with a morenuanced understanding of their respective faith traditionsand help avoid unintended consequences. http://www.icrd.org/storage/icrd/documents/religion_a_crucial_tool_in_u.s._foreign_policy.pdf

US INSTITUTE FOR PEACESince religion has been, and will continue to be, a majorcontributing factor in violent conflict, it is broadly agreedthat interfaith dialogue could be a useful response toreligious conflict. Despite their increasing popularity, thesedialogue projects are rarely subjected to rigorous evaluationof their impact and effectiveness. For programs developedwith clear statements of goals, methods and intendedoutcomes, the US Institute of Peace model for evaluationof interventions can help understand the potentialrelationship between a particular intervention and thedesired outcome. Such evaluations have to be an ongoingprocess to enable the program managers to fine tune theinterventions. Obviously it cannot be a useful tool for actorsin the conflict.16

ENDNOTES:1. Some developments in Europe accessed from http://

theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2014/6/15/an-historic-overview-of-faith-relations-in-europe.html

2. This represents my understanding of the modes suggestedby Charles A. Kimball in Muslim-Christian Dialogue: TheOxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0567

3. The Need for New Models of Interfaith Dialogue in aMulticultural Climate, Dialogue & Alliance, Spring 2013.

Panjwani is a Ph.D. candidate and Tutor in Theology &Religious Studies at King’s College, London.

4. Extracted from the instructional guidelines on interfaithwork for their local missions – go to the link for detail:https://www.scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/guidelines_interfaith.php

5. M. Thomas Thangaraj, The Common Task: A Theology ofChristian Mission, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1999, pp.95, 96.

6. Romana Bashir of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi,Pakistan is among Consultors of this Commission. I hadmet Romana at an interfaith meeting at the Center whenvisiting Pakistan in 2003 when she had shared with methat her family was Sikhs who had converted to Christianityafter they stayed on in Pakistan on partition of India in1947 for reasons of personal safety.

7. Based on a note by Cardinal Walter Kasper, President,Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity.

8. The Observer, ND and BYU open interreligious dialogue,By Catherine Owers, News Writer, Published: December 4,2013

9. Founder of the Pluralism Project Professor Diana Eck believesthat 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions defined thenew religious landscape of America and catalyzed realization



of local importance of interfaith activity. Pluralism Projectdocuments interfaith movements developing at the grass-root levels. “I use the term pluralism to describe a multi-faith and engaged society for which interfaith has becomea way of operation in just about every field... the populationis a multi-faith population. So whatever brings peopletogether and enables them to work together, we can describeas interfaith — It’s not simply a scholarly endeavor, itdraws on a tradition of empathetic understanding to tryand understand and interpret not one’s own faith.” http://theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2013/11/15/from-bozeman-montana-to-the-world.html

10. <http://www.pluralism.org/interfaith/>11. Examples of such Ministries include Interfaith Theology

Ministry, Esoteric Interfaith Theological Seminary, The NewSeminary, School of Sacred Ministeries

12. http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/celebrant-keeps-indian-culture-alive-in-sydney/article1-1236619.aspx [ July 4, 2014]

13. Jews and Christians: The Myth of a Common Tradition byJacob Neusner

14. In this case the remark was made by Datuk Daud AbdulRahman Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office(Islamic Affairs) at Kuching — Courtesy of The Borneo PostOnline

15. http://www.onecountry.org/e192/e19201as_UN_and_Religion_story.html

16. As reported by Renee Garfinkel, a Research Scientist at theInstitute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at GeorgeWashington University, July 13, 2004.

Interfaith Relations: Indian Setting

INDIA – A BRIEF NOTEIndia possibly is the most religiously and culturally diversecountry in the world. Five faith traditions: Jaina, Hindu,Buddhist, Sikh and Ahmediya Muslim were founded in theIndian sub- continent in addition to many traditions whoseimprint can be detected in pluralistic religious practiceswitnessed among its people. India has the highest numberof Muslims, Jaina and Sikhs living in any country in theworld and has been home to some of the earliest Jewish,Zoroastrian and Christian populations. India has over twentylanguages with their own alphabets, corpus of literatureand cultural appurtenances, history as well as historicalbaggage.

This diversity that the country offers has been a mixedblessing. While certainly contributing to the richness of itsculture, the changing mix of people of diverse faithpersuasions, languages, ethnicities and cultural backgroundsgenerated its own stresses on the society to maintain peaceand harmony. That perhaps is the main reason why Indiatoday, while very vibrant, presents a picture of tenuoussocietal peace and harmony. Let us try and take a peepinto its history to understand the realities that constitutethe contemporary India.

The Northwestern region was endowed with naturalresources, hospitable climate, fertile soil, plenty of freshwater rivers and availability of food in abundant quantityand variety. This land had access to mountain passes whichprovided the trade routes to lands beyond and were also


available to migrants and invaders to this oasis of plenty.Invasions and migrations were therefore a commonexperience of the populations in these parts over thecenturies. Many of the series of invaders stayed on andhave left a legacy of both diversity and division.

EARLY INDIA – RELIGION RELATED VIOLENCE?The early known civilization in these parts has been namedIndus Valley Civilization [IVC]. The excavations near thecoastal part of Indus suggest that the decline of IVC occurredbetween 1800 BC and 1700 BC; attributed by some westernhistorians to the aggression by Vedic people who devastatedthe earlier civilization.17 This view has been contested bysome recent researches.18 That the tract between theHimalayas and the Vindhyas is named Aryavarata in ManuSmriti and other ancient texts would suggest the beliefthat Aryans did control this region in ancient period.

CASTE SYSTEM – A CONTINUING ISSUEMoving further down the history we learn that the Hinducaste system possibly started out as a way to classify aperson’s work but in time turned into a practice where aperson was considered to be born into an unalterable casteor varna based social status. Four primary castes wereidentified: Brahmin - priests; Kshatriya - warriors andnobility; Vaisya - farmers, traders and artisans; and Shudra- tenant farmers and servants. In addition there were somepeople who were born outside of and below the castesystem, avarna - untouchables. This got extended to denyUntouchables entry into temples or temple grounds andeven to lay face-down at a distance when a Brahmin passedlest their shadow should pollute the Brahmin. Caste systemhas continued with its inter-religious as also intra-religionconflict generating potential.

ENTER BUDDHISMBuddhism appealed to the people for its simplicity and its

non discriminatory ethos of rejection of caste distinctions.Ashoka [c. 273–232 BC] adopted Buddhism and his patronagehelped it spread all over India and poised it for growthbeyond.19With their growing numbers, the Buddhists cameto be viewed as threat to the Hindu way of life. Byperseverance and waging an extended struggle, Brahminismregained supremacy over Buddhism and Jainism. Thisrevival, in the opinion of some historians caused some ofthe Jains in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and a large number ofthe Buddhists in Sindh to adopt newly arrived Islamicfaith.

ENTER ISLAMThe Arab invasion of Sindh in early 8th century was a sortof expansion of Islam as a religious movement. Islam of adifferent variety arrived to coastal Gujarat in 11th centuryand in northern India in 12th century with Turkish invasions.This led to Turks, Mongols and Afghans entering Indiathrough north-western passes, from time to time, for loot,rape, ravine and iconoclasm as well as to stay on as rulerswith its potential to proselytize. Some Muslim invadersare cited for plundering and destruction of Hindu temples,killing of Hindus and forcing them to pay Jizya tax, aswell as subjecting them to many other discriminatorypractices.

Islam with its concept of one God, open and egalitarianethos, simple worship appealed to many among the lowercastes who had endured institutionalized religiousdiscrimination for centuries. Conversions were commonthrough various means and devices – official or domesticinfluence, battle slavery, offering inducements, forced andthrough the influence of preachers like Sufis.

THE EMERGING SOCIETAL MIXThe Muslim society was layered. The immigrant Muslimsmostly were rich and powerful having been close to thepresent or an erstwhile ruling elite. Locals who had

Interfaith Relations: Indian Setting 39


converted to Islam mostly were in the same vocations asbefore. Both the segments had their sub layers that includedthe orthodox Mullahs and Qazis. Then there were the Sufiswho lived in their monasteries in poverty and abstinenceand were influenced by yoga, vernacular and hindwi music.Qalandar, wandering darveshes, practiced magic & occultpowers.

The non-Muslim society had its own groups. HinduBrahmins were caste & form bound. Many of them learntFarsi and got jobs with the rulers yet maintained theircontrol over Hindu masses. Jogis were tantric, ascetic,warrior recluses who rejected caste, idols, temples andpilgrimages. Bhagats believed that salvation could only beattained through loving devotion to the divine and caste,rituals, pilgrimages et al were not critical. The Saktasbelieved in goddess worship. Sants had belief in non-incarnated, formless, immanent God. They did not acceptcaste system and had a liberal social approach.

The societal structure was separatist, elitist anddiscriminatory. The impression one gathers from historicalaccounts and from the Sikh scriptural literature is of asociety infested with moral and ethical decline due toprevalence of discrimination, caste system, hypocrisy,corruption, ritualism or asceticism, decadent intellectuallife, acute poverty, greed and chicanery. Ruling elite tendedto be exploitative and capricious. The non-Muslims werenot allowed to carry arms, ride horses and were expectedto observe certain restrictive codes.

ENTER SIKHSGuru Nanak, the founder Guru of Sikhs [1469- 1539 C E]witnessed Hindus weighed down by hegemony of Brahmins,the suffering of lower castes because of institutionalizeddiscrimination, ritualism, superstitions, hypocrisy, prejudicesagainst women, and other social evils. He also saw thereligiously prejudiced, corrupt, capricious and unjust waysof Muslim ruling elite. He raised his voice against social

evils and decried the ignorant apathy of masses as hespread his message of one God, reachable by all throughloving devotion, sharing and ethical, socially responsible,family life.

The ministries of successor Gurus saw Sikhs and Sikhistay the path of growth, their institutions on the rise andtheir following spreading over distant parts. Jahangir, whenhe succeeded to the Mughal throne, became weary of therise of Sikh Gurus and ordered that Guru Arjun ‘should beput to death with tortures’ because he ‘had captured manysimple-hearted Hindus and even ignorant and foolishMuslims.’ Sikhs rallied around successor Guru Hargobindwho recruited an armed retinue of trusted guards anddefended successfully against armed attacks by the Imperialagents.

Things got worse in the reign of Aurangzeb [1658–1707]. Forcible conversions of Hindus to Islam led KashmiriPandits to request Guru Tegh Bahadur to intercede ontheir behalf. The Guru told them to inform Aurangzeb thatif the Guru were to embrace Islam they would follow suit.He did not and was publicly beheaded at Delhi in 1675.

Guru Gobind Singh created the order of Khalsa whoseinitiation rites and outward symbols reflected on theirdetermination to carve out their place in society on theirown in full glare of visibility. The immediate effect ofcreation of the Khalsa was a deep sense of insecurity andanxiety among hill Rajas who sought help of Delhi to dislodgethe Guru. He fought back but in the end, his force depleted,his sons killed fighting/walled in alive, he and few survivingSikhs left Anandpur Sahib.

A little before his passing Guru Gobind Singh pickedon Lachman Das,20a bairagi renamed Banda Singh, andcharged him to punish those who had persecuted Sikhsand murdered his young sons. Banda had not long leftwhen the Guru expired. In less than two years Bandabecame the virtual master of territories between Yamunaand Sutlej. Soon the Mughals came down with full force



and Banda and his followers were captured and put todeath in 1715.

With Sikhs rebellious, the Mughal control in Punjabweakened and invasions through Western passes started.Abdali invaded India time and again. Laden with loot andcatch of women he was harried by the Sikhs when returning.Irritated, Abdali razed Amritsar, blew up Harmandar andpolluted the sarovar in many of his invasions. However byend of 1767 Sikhs retook Lahore and had control of Punjab.In 1783 Baghel Singh controlled Delhi for eight months.

Ranjit Singh used the opportunity to take control andin 1801 was proclaimed as Maharaja of Punjab. He expandedhis rule to the North and Northwest by annexing largeswaths of territory including Kashmir and the NorthwestFrontier Province, creating a well administered State buthis successors could not contain the Palace intrigues andBritish were able to annex the Sikh Kingdom in 1849 andvirtually get the control of all the territories later knownas British Indian Empire.

CHRISTIANS FACTOR INThe world’s oldest existing church structure, believed tobe built by Thomas the Apostle in 57 AD, is atThiruvithancode, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. Keralais home to Saint Thomas Christian community, an ancientSyriac Christianity. The initial converts possibly were fromamong Cochin Jews believed to have arrived in India around562 BC, after the destruction of the First Temple. SaintThomas Christian community was strengthened by immigrantPersian, Babylonian and Syrian Christians in early centuries.

A Catholic of the Latin Church, Jordanus Catalani wasthe first European to start conversions in Surat in 1320.Portuguese Catholic missionaries arrived in Kozhikode in1498 with Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. In 1557,Goa was made an independent archbishopric. The Protestantmission started in India with two Lutherans from Germanyin 1705 in Tamilnadu.

Many Jews who had turned Christians but weresuspected of secretly practicing their old religion migratedto India due to the Portuguese inquisition. Since Crypto-Jews were considered a threat to solidarity of Christianbeliefs, Francis Xavier [1506–1552] requested King ofPortugal for Inquisition in Goa.21 Many fled Goa Inquisitionand most Mangalorean Catholics are said to be theirdescendants. Tipu Sultan, a Muslim ruler of Mysore [1782–1799] ordered destruction of 27 Catholic churches. ManySaint Thomas Christians were killed or forcibly convertedto Islam.

The turn of Christians to rule India came in 1857 whenthe British annexed most of the Indian territories andestablished their rule all over India.

COLONIAL ERAUnlike the pre-medieval invaders who generally settled inIndia and over time culturally merged with the locals,Islamic conquerors followed separatist, elitist anddiscriminatory policies. The Muslim culture that developedwas a mix of Arab-Turk-Persian cultures marginallyinfluenced by local hues, mainly in the spheres of spokenlanguage and music. The population was divided alongseveral layers due to religion, caste, class, language etc.This socio-cultural division was adopted by the British asa feature of Indian society that needed to be preserved tosubserve the convenience of their administrators.

This policy had a contingent effect in that it preventeda thaw in the separatist relations between Hindus andMuslims. A measure introduced by the British, separateelectorate for minorities through Morley-Minto Reform of1909, only sharpened the divide.

At the instance of Gandhi Hindus supported KhilafatMovement for the restoration of Ottoman Empire. Theexpectation was that it would induce Muslims to joinCongress but in 1921 Kerala Moplah Muslims went on arampage. Annie Besant wrote: ‘The Moplahs murdered and



plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hinduswho would not apostatize — Malabar has taught us whatIslamic rule still means, and we do not want to see anotherspecimen of the Khilafat Raj in India.’

Creation of a legislative law-making body under theGovernment of India Act in 1935 did not help much becausethe Muslim minority could not influence decisions in theelected legislature. This experience of an unresponsivemajority was cited as a reason for Muslim League to demanda separate Muslim state.

Things got worse as the possibilities for independenceof India from the British rule seemed to be becoming better.A Muslim League plan to divide the country into a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan was rejectedby Congress. Muslim League planned general strike toprotest this rejection. Congress urged Hindus to not submitto the hartal in Muslim League ruled Bengal. The protesttriggered massive rioting, sparking a chain of religiousriots in Noakhali, Bihar, United Province, Punjab, and theNorth Western Frontier Province - sowing the seeds forthe eventual Partition of India.

As India and Pakistan became independent on August15, 1947, 14.5 million crossed borders to ensure their safetyin an increasingly lawless and communal environment. Thisis said to be the largest such migration in history of mankind.It was accompanied by terrible violence. Estimates of deathsare placed at around 500,000. The divide has continuedand language, religion and ethnicity have kept challengingthe democratic character of a pluralistic India.22

INDEPENDENT INDIAIndependent India opted for a secular, socialistic patternof society with elected legislative bodies at the Center andin States. The Constitution adopted in 1950 granted votingrights on the basis of adult franchise to all citizens.

Islam is the largest minority religion in India constitutingaround 16% of its population. They are majority in one

state and form a sizable 13.5 to 24 percent of populationin five states. Muslim demographics have helped them tobe able to have considerable influence on electoral resultsin certain constituencies thus enhancing their leverage withinthe political system. Christians and Sikhs have substantialpopulations in some States.

Muslims in India are governed by Muslim PersonalLaw [Shariat] Application Act, 1937. The Supreme Courthas recently ruled that decisions by the Islamic judgesinterpreting religious law could only apply when individualssubmitted voluntarily to them and were not legally binding.

THE COMMUNAL DIVIDEThe relations between Hindus and Muslims have beenmarked by mistrust and India continues to witness boutsof Hindu-Muslim violence. A number of contributing factorshave been cited for the fact that contrary to expectations,the incidences of conflicts and their ferocity have increasedwith time. An external factor is the continued support toanti-India groups by Pakistani agencies. An internal factorlinks the problem to the way Indian politics has beenhijacked by identity issues giving rise to the practice ofoffering privileges to minorities in return for their votes inelections, termed vote bank politics, setting off new socialtensions in an already frayed society.

On the Muslim side the grievance could have been theinsensitivity of successive Governments to recognize therelative insulation of the Muslim community from the benefitsof development. They also feel that police and administrativemachinery sides with Hindus even when violence is provokedby them. The Indian media and Hindu right have raisedalarm at the growth of Muslim population. Muslims alsoview the possibility of introducing a common civil code asan attempt to dilute their cultural identity.

The communal tensions however have not manifestedonly among Hindus and Muslims in India. Sikhs haveendured some of the most brutal violence and there have



been scattered incidences of violence against Christians.Hindus were also selectively attacked by militant Sikhs inPunjab during the turbulent 80’s and 90’s. We will revertto the Sikh issues in the next chapter. In fact the communalorganizations have mushroomed in India in a climate ofcomplicit officials and an intemperate media.

AN EMERGING CONTROVERSYThe view of Hindu Right is that even though the Indianpolitical leadership opted for a secular democratic structure,it was expected that Hindu influence would be visiblymanifest in Indian politics and the way India presenteditself to the rest of the world. There have been two facetsof this view that cause some concern going forward relatingto interfaith relations. We will briefly refer to these at thisstage without tracing the processes or the history of theirdevelopment.

CONCEPT OF DHARMAOver the last several decades a Hindu view has developedthat Sanatan Dharma was the religious practice of Vedictimes and that modern Hinduism is its contemporary version.It is also argued that Sanatan Dharma represents essenceof human learning over the ages and unlike an organizedreligion it has no prescribed texts, set beliefs, dogmas orreligious authority. Instead it continues to be a way of lifewith recognition of a single consciousness pervading theentire universe and respect for all life and plurality isintegral to it.

The above line of reasoning has been extended to inferthat since all religions emanating in India have been usingthe term dharma, these can all logically be termed ‘dharmictraditions.’ It is also claimed that all dharmic traditionsrecognize certain dharma or fundamental laws includingthe law of karma, the process of rebirth, and need to gainrelease from ego besides following certain dharmic practicesakin to yoga, mantra and meditation.

The logical extension of the above is that non-Hindufaiths of Indian origin - Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism -are all dharmic traditions that despite their basic differences,are characterized by a notion of Integral Unity with HinduDharma.

This is seen as none too subtle attempt by Hindus toappropriate these faiths as sort of sects of Hinduism thathas caused mistrust against Hindu intentions. The positiongets further worrisome when Sanatan Dharma is claimedto be the original source of the entire spiritual thought inthe world. Richard E. King has termed neo-Vedanta asinclusivist appropriation of other traditions that ‘colonizesthe religious traditions of the world by arguing for thecentrality of a non-dualistic position as the philosophiaperennis underlying all cultural differences.’

HINDUTVAAt the political-cultural level, the above concept has morphedinto Hindutva philosophy that has been vigorouslypropagated by the Hindu Right. The term was coined byV D Savarkar in a 1923 pamphlet entitled “Hindutva: Whois a Hindu” to refer to cultural and spiritual ethos of spiritualsystems that evolved from India and thus drew upon Indiancultural and civilizational heritage.

Hindutva is now interpreted as spiritual, plus economicconception founded and developed from ancient times inIndia that stresses the performance of righteous-duty andconformance to a code of conduct both by the ruler andthe ruled. It encompasses an abstract value systembequeathed by Hindu or Indian culture and shared by allIndians irrespective of their religious affiliations, to largeror lesser degrees and is claimed to be a “secular” conceptin spite of its pronounced Hindu character.

The above two emerging developments have set offapprehensions about the future of liberty of religious practicein India and appropriately should be pondered over by thoseinterested in the creation and preservation of interfaith harmony.23



INTERFAITH ACTIVITY IN INDIAInterfaith dialogue isn’t new to India. In the 16th centuryEmperor Akbar encouraged tolerance among people ofvarious faith backgrounds. There is evidence in the Sikhscriptural literature that the Gurus engaged in interfaithconversations and experienced support from the other faithgroups. These encounters however seem to have beenepisodic and even though some of the events did serve todefuse tensions at the time, they did not induce any traditionof interfaith conversations as a means to reduce inter-religious conflict or to promote understanding betweengroups warring over religion.

With a plethora of religion based issues dividing thepopulation, religious communities continue to live in sortof separation. In villages, the divide is possibly lesspronounced, but post eruptions like the 2014 MuzzarabadHindu-Muslim riots, Muslims refused to return to theirvillage homes from the temporary shelters. The samehappened after the 1984 pogrom against the Sikhs and theattacks on Pandits in Kashmir when the victims preferredto live on in safer neighborhoods or in closeness with theirfamilies and co-religionists. Separation thus continues tobe the preferred choice by minority groups pointing to thelack of confidence in the ability of Police or social or interfaithgroups to instill a sense of security at the grass root levels.

There is no shortage of organizations and more arecoming up by the day. In Delhi alone, apart from interfaithevents organized by the Bahai center, Islamic Center, Churchgroups, new groups have been formed primarily aimed atorganizing conferences, colloquiums, seminars and similarmeets. Examples include: The Interfaith Foundation supportsmovement of Interfaith for peace and harmony among peopleof different faiths. GPF-India, Delhi is dedicated to bringingPeace and Harmony through Inter culture, InterfaithPartnership, Healthy Family and Culture of Service.

Indialogue, a dialogue and peace foundation, was foundedin New Delhi in 2005, by a group of Turkish and Indianpeople inspired by Mevlana Jalal-ad-Din Rumi, to promoteand to encourage local, national, international, inter-civilizational, intercultural, interfaith dialogue. InterfaithCoalition for Peace is involved in non-formal interfaith,academic courses and advocacy of community care.

Some of the luminaries of the global interfaith activityare India based or of Indian origin. Some names are DalaiLama, Bawa Jain Secretary-General, The World Council ofReligious Leaders, Bhai Mohinder Singh of Guru NanakNishkam Sevak Jatha, UK among others.

Nonetheless even given such assets, the Interfaith activityat the grass root community level does seem to be almostnon-existent except the bonhomie that one may see amonginvited audiences at festival times and occasionalconferences. This is not just my view – the surmise of ayoung activist, Brenna Horn, memorialized in May 2012 isnot much different: ‘Although India is thought of as the“spiritual capital of the world,” I have not seen much thatis different from the U.S. in terms of the interaction betweenpeople and religion. Pluralism and prejudice are present inIndia and in the United States; however, the interfaithmovement as I conceive of it is either nonexistent or ishidden in Kolkata.’

Brenna goes on to say: ‘The movement could create alot of good here. Interfaith cooperation increasesinterreligious understanding, decreases intolerance, andtackles community problems. India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world but is still developing.Poverty, sex trafficking, inadequate care for the elderlyand people with disabilities, along with many otherproblems, could be addressed through an interfaith effort.’24

There is a lot to ponder over what Sai Baba preached‘Cultivate attitude of oneness between men of all creeds



and all countries. Respect the differences between the faithsand recognize them as valid as long as they do not extinguishthe flame of unity. If each one lives the ideals propoundedby the founders of their religion, unaffected by greed orhate, then the world will be a happier and a peacefulhabitation for man.’25

The above is a far cry from reality that prevails inIndia. The signs for future do not seem to offer any hopeor comfort. Interfaith activism could help to some extent,if it takes to the problems of societal peace and harmonyas its main objective and agenda.

ENDNOTES:17. In 1953, Sir Mortimer Wheeler proposed that the decline of

Indus Civilization was caused by the invasion of Indo-European Aryan tribe from Central Asia. Today, manyscholars believe that the collapse of the Indus Civilizationwas caused by drought and a decline in trade with Egyptand Mesopotamia. It is also suggested that immigration bynew peoples, deforestation, floods, or changes in course ofthe river may have contributed to the collapse of the IVC.

18. http://www.indianetzone.com/26/decline_indus_valley_civilization.htm

19. www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38797/Ashoka20. Encyclopaedia of Sikhism entry says ‘According to Hakim

Rai, Ahwali Lachhman Das urf Banda Sahib, his fatherRam Dev, a ploughman, came of the Sodhi subcaste.’

21. On 16 May 1545, Xavier wrote to King of Portugal to establishthe Inquisition in Goa: “The second necessity for theChristians is that Your Majesty establish the Holy Inquisitionin Goa because there are many who live according to theJewish Law and according to the Mohammedan Sect,without any fear of God or shame of the World. And sincethere are many Hindus who are spread all over the fortresses,there is the need of the Holy Inquisition, and of manypreachers. Your Majesty should provide such necessarythings for your loyal and faithful subjects in the Indies.”

22. Bayly on Prehistory of Communalism <http://sahoo.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/pre-history-of-religious-conflict-in-india/sarbeswar sahoo>

23. For a detailed exposition on the Hindu view on Religion &Dharma and neo Vedanta go to: http://veda.wikidot.com/dharma-and-religion and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Vedanta.For a similar explication of Hindutva, a reference to http://veda.wikidot.com/hindutva should be helpful.

24. http://www.ifyc.org/content/interfaith-india25. Sourced from: http://www.kheper.net/topics/gurus/

Sai_Baba-messages.htm


Sikhs & Interfaith Interface

INTRODUCTORYSikh faith was founded by Guru Nanak [1469-1539] andnurtured by nine successor Gurus, the last Guru GobindSingh. The theology and praxis that they preached placedimportance for the believer to live a prayerful life, supportself and family by engaging in honest work and sharewhat they could with the needy. Justice, common good,defense of righteousness and non-discriminatory practiceswere encouraged to achieve societal harmony.

In this Chapter we will try to explore the Sikh dispositiontowards other faiths and interfaith engagement. For thiswe will start with their scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib[SGGS], that the Sikhs venerate as a Guru, drawing uponSikh praxis and their historical experience, where relevant,for illustration.

SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIBThe Sikh scripture, initially called Adi Granth, was compiledby Guru Arjun and installed at the site of present GoldenTemple in Amritsar in 1604. It contained the writings ofthe first five Sikh Gurus plus the selected writings of Hindu,Muslim and Dalit Saints and other holy persons of thosetimes. Writings of the ninth Sikh Guru were added byGuru Gobind Singh who also consecrated it as the eternalGuru of the Sikhs prior to his passing.

The text of SGGS is practically in its entirety in poeticformat and set to music. Guru Arjun arranged thecompositions according to the Ragas in which these were

suggested to be sung. The language is the spoken tongueof the people, the metaphors drawn from life, nature andthe popular religious and cultural lore. The verses singpraises of the divine, interspersed with pearls of wisdomand guidance on living ethic.

The SGGS does not contain any historical accounts thoughsome of the verses do reflect on contemporary occurrencesand thus provide some authentic leads on the state ofsociety of the times and the manner of Gurus engagementwith societal issues and with the other faiths.

SHARED HUMAN DESTINYSome authors have termed SGGS as an interfaith scripture.It is respectful of all faiths and their sacred texts. GuruArjan says that once the Guru’s teaching frees one’s mindof illusion, realization comes that Parbrahm and Allah areone and the same.26 Guru Nanak says in another place thatif one were to really grasp the truth, one would recognizethat with one Creator, unchanged over the ages, men havebut one dharam.27

Recognizing the multiplicity of paths Guru Ram Dassays that the treasure of devotion to the divine isoverflowing, infinite and beyond measure, and His devoteespraise Him in countless different ways – - - and of all thedevotees, sublime are those whose devotion is pleasing toHim.28 The emphasis is clearly on the quality of devotionrather than its manner or path.

About sacred texts of other faiths, Guru Arjan says –all revelations are the unwavering God’s word that isaddressed to the entire mankind; not exclusively to some.29

Bhagat Kabir intones all not to think of Vedas and Kateb[sacred texts of Semitic faiths] as untrue for the falsenesslies in the inability of those who cannot ponder over andgrasp the truths enshrined in them.30

The Gurus rejected caste prejudices and declared thatanyone - be he Khatri, Brahmin, Vaish or Shudra - whoheeds and lives by Nanak’s teaching of devotion to the

Sikhs & Interfaith Interface 53


one Lord’s naam can swim across the ocean separating themortal and the divine.31 Likewise the Gurus proclaimedthat the merit of the [teachings of] true Guru is that itenables men and women living in the midst of childrenand spouses to attain emancipation.32 To Guru none seemslow; all have been fashioned by the same potter and ineach God’s noble light shines.33 Societal diversity emanatesfrom and melds into the unity of the Divine.

Guru Amar Das in his anguish pleads with God toshower His mercy and save this burning world throughwhichever door [path] it can be rescued.34 The daily Sikhprayers at homes and in Gurdwaras always beseech thatthe well being of one and all be God’s merciful will.35

LIVING ETHICSikh living ethic preaches all humans as part of the samefraternity, animus against none and harmonious relationswith one and all.36 The sangat – the community of devoteesto which all are welcome and none is excluded, providethe anchor for altruistic and spiritual pursuits and ifliberation comes to any of them, all associated with themwill also get liberated37 – shared human destiny.

Guru Nanak was deeply troubled by the suffering ofpeople due to institutionalized inequities and inequality;degradation in social ethics; unjust and corrupt stateapparatus; oppressive and apathetic governance et al. Hewas critical of apathy - blind in ignorance and dumb likeeffigies filled with straw - in common people.38 Nor did heappreciate the people opting to survive through a displayof outward conformity with a culture39 in which the rulingelite behave like prowling tigers with their officials asdogs and intrude upon unsuspecting people, harass themand share the fruits of their corrupt blood sucking practices.40

Guru asks for the boon to not shy away from pursuit ofrighteous option41 when faced with tyranny, corruption andexploitation.

The Sikh thought therefore would seem to promoteuniversal values that could not cause any major differences

with other faith groups on core societal issues of peace,justice and caring for the weak and the poor. Let us nowlook at the praxis part.

SOME PRAXIS FEATURESThere are some Sikh practices that possibly would be anasset in interfaith setting. Some of the important ones are:

• Sikh houses of worship and worship service is opento one and all. Sikhs believe that the door to liberationis open to high and lowly alike, dependant only ontheir deeds.

• Sikh Kirtan is singing of hymns in praise of the divineand has a place of centrality in Sikh worship. TheSikh scripture is written in poetry and was set tomusic by the Gurus. The practice of kirtan goes backto the time of Guru Nanak and is an inspiring andcalming spiritual experience by Sikhs and non Sikhsalike.

• Sikh worship service invariably includes a fellowshipmeal - langar. This is open to all and has alwaysbeen popular with visitors face persuasions.

• Seva or voluntary service is another feature of Sikhworship commended strongly in their scripture andvisible in their praxis. It is heartwarming to seedevotees of all ages and various backgrounds vyingwith one another to get the visitors shoes to placein a safe pigeon hole and possibly polish them beforetheir return – a seva considered to be an expressionof utter humility.

• Socially responsible behavior is associated with Sikhs.The religion teaches for Sikhs to earn honest living,support their families and share some. Significantlyone hardly sees a Sikh beggar.

• Willing to help, even sacrifice – this characteristic isso evident from Sikh history and from the numberof disproportionate Sikhs who have made sacrificesfor social causes through history.



SOME INHIBITING FACTORSThe above analysis would leave us with the impressionthat Sikhs would welcome interfaith events of all varietiesin Gurdwaras as may have been witnessed, say in someChurches. This however does not happen. In practice, Sikhstend to be fastidious about keeping the activities atGurdwaras to be confined to worship that includes langarand would not even contemplate multifaith prayers in theGurdwara setting or allow interfaith events with culturalovertones at Gurdwara premises. Some Sikhs also tend tobe critical of others not adhering to their mode of showingrespect to SGGS as Sikhs do. Similar inhibitions do constrainall traditions to varying degrees, but Sikhs a bit more!

Next the Sikh clerical persons are generally not enabledto engage the audience in languages other than traditionalPunjabi or Hindi. This would necessitate that lay Sikhsrepresent the Sikh views in most interfaith gatherings butfinding volunteers is an uphill task especially as the Sikhresource of suitable books, literature that can be useful toparticipants in interfaith activities is also limited.

Those who venture into this activity, however, generallymake up for these shortcomings by their obvious enthusiasmand willingness to co-operate.

TRACING SIKH RELATIONS WITH OTHERSNotwithstanding their inclusive theology and welcomingpraxis or because of it, interface of Sikhs with Hindus andMuslims has had its difficulties from early days. Sikhrelations with the Muslim ruling elite became brittle withthe martyrdom of Guru Arjun at the orders of the MughalEmperor Jahangir in 1606. The tensions which initially seemto have been intended to arrest the Sikh quest for religiousspace by both Hindu and Muslim clergy tended to growduring the next hundred years or so. Guru Tegh Bahadur’sexecution for taking on the cause of forced conversions ofHindus and Sikh resistance to oppressive measures by therulers transformed the struggle to a fight for justice and

survival with dignity. This quest assumed political ambitionspost the Guru period culminating in Sikh rule overNorthwestern parts of India.

This classical pattern of inter-religious conflict changedwith the advent of British rule when the three communities,Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs vied with one another to curryfavor with the rulers who became arbiters of their fateabove the fray of their three way tensions and had toseparately cope with the efforts of Christian Missions atseeking converts and the influence of Western culture.

The British administration could not cope with theintensity of raw inter-religious bloody battles that ensuedin the immediate run up to the partition of the country.During this phase, Sikhs and Hindus joined together againstMuslims in the territories to be divided and in virulenthate and fear of the other, masses unleashed a frenzy ofviolence.

Since then there have been some significant changes inSikh interface with both faith groups. Sikh-Hindu relationsin1947 were of allies because of their shared need for safetyfrom and surge of vengeance against Muslims. In the yearsfollowing political aspirations of Hindus and Sikhs startedto diverge and led to widening chasm in their relations.This Hindu-Sikh hiatus led to major unrest for almost twodecades close to end of 20th century culminating in armyassault on the Golden Temple complex, killing of IndiraGandhi, pogrom against Sikhs in Delhi, police oppressionof Sikhs and their killings in fake encounters et al.

That phase eventually and thankfully got over. Sikhsand Hindus now seem reconciled to the inevitability of theneed to live together and the religious right in both realizesthat if they do not collaborate the power will be denied tothem due to the electoral demographics in Punjab. Theyare therefore in a state of coalition and an unreal calmprevails.

Sikh relations with Muslims underwent a total changeafter India’s independence. With little to divide and a good



number of Sikh holy shrines left in Pakistan, Sikh stancetowards Indian Muslims moved into a neutral kind of mode.They recognize each other ’s existence but neither hasdenounced their past differences and bloody battles. Norhave they ever thought of sitting down and talk overwhat had so vehemently divided them. They have hardlyever come to the rescue of the other when they cameunder attack by the majority.

This picture of occasional public bonhomie with a strongundercurrent of indifference is now showing signs of fraying.Significantly the rise of Hindu right to political power atthe center in May 2014 seems to have spawned an unexpectedand yet unnoticed development. Muslim- Sikh riots havetaken place in Hyderabad and Saharanpur in the space oftwo months with more than six deaths, scores injured andmassive loss of property. Early indications suggestpreparedness on the part of Muslims. If so it could be theopening of a new phase when the Muslim frustration atthe rise of Hindu right turns their ire on Sikhs as proxytargets. The implications of such a divide are difficult topredict or envision at this stage.

HATE & PREJUDICE AGAINST SIKHS PROFILEDSikh experience of problems that they have encounteredon account of being Sikhs shows that the cause for theincidents could broadly be rooted in religious provocation,different political aspirations, economic causes, culturalprejudice, conflict due to certain religious observances,misdirected hate and plain discrimination.

We will look briefly at some examples of the aboveand try to fathom if the Sikh experience suggests anypossibilities for interfaith intervention. We would howeverlike to caution that the following narrative is based onmedia reports or published comments, and is not intendedto be a rigorous analysis or authenticated study. Its purposeis illustrative.

Religious ProvocationAs mentioned earlier Sikh-Muslim relations in India havebeen sort of neutral for several decades. Two cases ofSikh-Muslim riots were however reported between themonths of May and July 2014. The first incident took placeat Hyderabad in May, when the Nishan Sahib, the Sikhreligious ensign, at a Gurdwara was desecrated by Muslimyouth. This provocation led to rioting in which three personslost their lives due to police firing. A Sikh interfaith activistis said to have conferred with the Muslim religious leadersand helped restore calm.

In another case in Saharanpur in July, Muslims andSikhs clashed at a Gurdwara over a land dispute. Againthree people were killed in rioting with massive propertyloss. Media reports that the suddenness and intensity ofattacks suggest planned assault on Sikh properties by theMuslims. While religious leaders from both sides havevisited Saharanpur, I have not heard of any interfaith contactsor attempts to defuse the situation and help resolve thecause that may have provoked the attack.

Political CausesThere is an extensive corpus of published work that hasdocumented and analyzed the events leading up to the IndianArmy’s assault on the Golden Temple Complex, code namedby the Army as Operation Bluestar and the Pogrom againstthe Sikhs in Delhi following the murder of Indira Gandhiby her Sikh security guards. There is a broad convergenceof opinion that even though the manifestations of the problemhad a strong Hindu-Sikh conflict color, the causes weredominantly political in nature by all the players involved.

From the perspective of our subject, a calamitous phaselike this would have areas of shared human concern thatshould offer opportunities for providing relief to thesuffering of innocent and pursuit of justice for the victims.We acknowledge that some civil society groups did in factprovide such help to victims of the anti Sikh pogrom in



Delhi though it would be difficult to characterize it asbeing inspired by interfaith harmony concerns.

Economic CausesThis is becoming a fairly common cause for incidences ofhate or prejudice against minorities as societies cope withshrinking economic opportunities. Sikhs have experiencedbeing target of ire of the locals for economic reasons inTerai region of UP and Kutch region of Gujrat, in both thecases after their pioneering effort started to bring themprosperity, the local elements started pressing for theirouster back to their original residence decades earlier.

At the time of writing an incident in Brampton, Canadaprovides an apt illustration of this. A flyer by a groupcalled Immigration Watch Canada appeared in Brampton,in April 2014. The flyer showed a picture of Sikhs with thecaption, Is this what you really want? Another flyer saying,‘Stop the Madness, asks residents to say no to the invasionof Canada by third world.’ This flyer carries the picture ofa Sikh male as it blames immigration for lower wages,unemployment, increased poverty and reducing whites toa minority.42

Even though victims in such cases may get supportfrom some civil society groups, these are the type of caseswhere interfaith groups in the West are getting increasinglyinvolved.

Cultural PrejudiceThis again is a common minority experience and Sikhshave experienced it in various forms in all societies. Reasonsinclude customs, dress, food habits, linguistic skills, economiclevels, et al. Due to the nexus between interfaith and inter-cultural activities this is generally an area where interfaithintervention can help to build favorable public opinion.

Misdirected Hate/Mistaken IdentityThis is a likely unintended effect of ignorance coupled

with popular stereotypes that get to be associated with aparticular religious, cultural or ethnic group in public mindby the frequent and thoughtless use of the stereotypes inconversation, media or public discourse. One telling Sikhexperience in this regard is the association of Sikh maleswith the images of Osama bin Laden and the affinity ofthe Sikh women’s head scarf with some forms of headcovering in vogue with Muslim women. This has led toSikhs being mistaken as radical Muslims or Al Qaidaterrorists and thus being targeted for hate directed at suchgroups. This presents a very difficult challenge to educatethe masses because Sikhs do not want to ask to be nottargeted because they are not Muslims, which would seemto suggest it is okay to target Muslims but not Sikhs.Interfaith activity may not be of help much in such casesbut apathy of other faiths hurts.

Discrimination Based on Religion or Religious ObservancesThis is the most common form of grievance Sikhs have inall Diaspora societies. In India any religious discriminationthat may happen is normally not sanctioned by the authoritythough it was reported in 201243 that a Private School inShimla, did not allow a Sikh boy to wear turban thoughthere was no restriction on patka. Generally interfaith groupsare sympathetic to the faith group being discriminated againstand would extend co-operation.

From the above it can be surmised that Sikhs happento be acutely vulnerable to random or organized prejudice,discrimination and violence against them, underscoringimportance of need to leverage their abilities to debunktheir negative stereotypes and to try create humaneunderstanding about them. The reality is that Sikhs, inspite of relatively small numbers, can be found livingdispersed almost all over the world inviting curious looksdue to their visible identity and envy for their subduedbut relatively spread-out success. A Stanford UniversityPeace Laboratory study [2013] revealed that roughly 70%



of American public cannot identify a pictured Sikh man asa Sikh; about half associate the turban with Islam andabout half think Sikhs are a sect of Islam. They weredismayed to find that anti-turban bias exists even amongAmericans who have greater understanding of Sikhism.44

PROFILE OF SIKH RESPONSEIn the Diaspora Sikhs seem to have learnt to resort less toagitations and demonstrations. This possibly is the resultof recognition of the way protests are organized in thosecountries. In a recent campaign by the Sikh Federation[UK] against the British decision to install a statue of Gandhiin the Parliament Square after securing a lucrative armsdeal with Modi Government, the Federation explicitly ruledout agitation or vocal protest.

The Sikh response by the victims, their families as wellas the community to the hate crimes has also been calibrated.They have not sought revenge – instead they have beenforgiving. This happened after the Arizona killing of BalbirSingh Sodhi as well as after the attack on the Gurdwaracongregants in Wisconsin. A doctor and professor atColumbia University, who was the victim in the Bronxhate attack, chose to ask the police to not arrest the offendersbut instead to invite them to the Gudwara so that they canlearn about Sikhs and shed their hate by better knowingSikhs. It is difficult to comment on the effectiveness of thisapproach at this stage.

Sikhs developed civil rights organizations that havesuccessfully pursued many cases of hate crimes againstSikhs, conducted sensitivity training seminars about Sikhsfor police and the public offices like motor vehicles andare developing a variety of programs to encourage Sikhyouth to get involved in social and political activism, securefor them positions as interns and work with public agencies,interfaith groups and professionals to develop sets ofpackages for lobbying the issues with Congress and theWhite House.

The courses about Sikhs and Sikhi offered by Sikh chairsare also attracting more participants and there is significantincrease in research interest on Sikhs going by the numberof Ph.D. scholars. A number of young Sikhs are writingop-ed pieces in mainstream media on social issues andissues that concern Sikhs directly.

A newly formed group National Sikh Campaign hasengaged Hillary Clinton’s former Chief Strategist, GeoffGarin to run a presidential-style campaign to highlightSikh community as an integral part of American societyand advise Sikhs organize an effective campaign to improvepublic awareness and public perception about them.

In India however agitations and aggressive protestsare the only ways to get some attention from a Governmentwith a colonial mindset and subject to high amount ofpolitical influence and manipulation by politics of hate andseparation. Sikhs have suffered loss of goodwill by resortingto such methods because of lack of media support butnonetheless have persevered in line with the commonpractice.

WHY INTERFAITH?We want now to try and examine what is it that Sikhs canexpect to gain from participating in interfaith actions orleveraging their interfaith relations. As we have seen beforethe purpose of interfaith activism is to try and disentanglethe causes for historical hiatus among different faith groups,facilitate interfaith understanding, promote societal peaceand harmony, which if frayed, may also be quickly restoredthrough multi-faith co-operation.

As we have said before Sikhs are a minority in allcountries in the world. They try to cope with the issuesthat confront them as a religious minority mostly bythemselves. The reader would have discerned that thecharacter of problems that Sikhs encounter in India isdifferent and more complex than in other countries becauseeffects of hangover from historical factors tends to becomethe dominant influence.



Sikh activism should help the community to get involvedin local corporate life and advance the community’s causes.Interfaith activism is a part of that total package and mysense is that such conversations at multiple levels betweenSemitic traditions have helped and there is a certain degreeof optimism at the progress, albeit slow, that has beenmade. While some such conversations do take place withinthe cloistered environment of inter faith groups, creationof specific mutual understandings between any faith groupswould need direct and dedicated conversations with clearobjectives.

In India Sikhs need to engage with Hindus and Muslimsin serious, multi dimensional, multi level and multidisciplinary dialogue on the lines of Christian, Jewish andMuslim exchanges in the West. These conversations shouldcover agreed topics with both sides represented by personswho would be in a position to help the conversations movetowards the objectives set. It should be helpful if sucheffort has the support of the apex religious institutions ofthe faiths involved.

Let us now turn to the simpler but often experiencedsituation where the purpose of interfaith engagement is tofurther mutual understanding in a multi-faith setting or toaddress any specific issue collectively by the group. Myexperience is that the interfaith encounters do havelimitations in informing the lay public about other traditionsbecause they do not have any mechanism to get the messageof mutual respect and reassurance developed through theirconversations out to the lay public.

That need of Sikhs is likely to be answered better byproactively engaging at all the levels alongside other faithson issues of shared concern. This may need new orrestructuring of existing Sikh organizations to be able tovoice community’s views; protect rights and rightful positionsin the larger community; showcase religious and culturalheritage; and engage with others in conversations to theextent possible. For doing this Sikhs will also have to spot

and nurture those who may be able to contribute to theseendeavors; encourage them to get involved and keep suchinitiatives going by providing sustained institutional supportto those involved. Interfaith engagements are increasinglybeing found helpful to build and sustain peace and harmonyin modern, diverse societies. Sikhs have to be part of thatquest.

ENDNOTES:26. kaho nanak gur khoey bharam, eko alloh parbrahm –[Ramkali M

V, p. 897]27. eko dharma dir-rhai sach koey, gurmat poora jug jug soey –

[Basant M I, p. 1188]28. teri bhagath teri bhagath bhandar ji bharai beant beanta, teri

bhagath teri bhagath salaahan thudhh ji har anik anek ananta -– - se bhagath se bhagath bhale jan nanak ji jo bhavee mere harbhagavanta - [Asa M IV, So Purkh, p.10].

29. baanee prabh kee sabh ko bolai aap addol n kabehoo dolai -[Gauri M V, p. 294]

30. bayd katayb kahau mat jhoothay jhoothaa jo na bichaarai -[Parbhati Kabir p.1350]

31. khatree baraahman sood vais sabh aykai naam taraanath. gurnaanak updays kahat hai jo sunai so paar paraanath -[Maru MV, p. 1001]

32. satgur kee aisee vadi-aa-ee. putar kaltar vichay gat paa-ee -[Dhanasri M I, p. 661]

33. sabh kau oocha akhiye neech neh deesai koey, ikna bhandai sajianik channan the loey – [Siri Rag M I, p. 62]

34. jagat jalanda rakh kai apni kirpa dhar, jit dwarai ubhrai tithailai ubhar – [Bilawal M III, p.853]

35. tere bhanai sarbat ka bhala - Ardas36. neh kau bairi nehin begana sagal sang hum ko ban aayee –

[Kanra M V, p.1299]37. aap tare sagle kul taarey – [Dhanasri M I, p. 662]38. andhi rayat gian vihooni bhaah bhare murdaar - (M I p.469)39. neel vastra pehr hoveh parwaan (M I p.472)40. raajae seeh mukadham kuthae jaae jagaaeinih baithae suthae

chaakar nehadhaa paaeinih ghaao rath pith kuthiho chatt jaahu– Malar M I, p. 1288



41. de shiva bar mohey shubh karman te kabhoon neh taroon - [DasamGranth]

42. http://www.citynews.ca/2014/08/07/anti-immigration-flyer-targeting-sikhs-surfaces-in-brampton/

43. http://www.sikhsangat.com/Index.php?/topic/66577-private-school-in-india-bans-turban/ In another case, StFrancis De Sales School in Janakpuri, Delhi also is reportedto have not allowed patka as a uniform dress code for Sikhboys. http://gurmatbibek.com/forum/read.php?3,14298

44. http:/issuu.com/saldefmedia/docs/turbanmyths_121113

Understanding Interfaith:My Journey

GROWING UP AT HOMEDuring my growing up years I did experience traumaticinter-religious conflict. I was sixteen in 1947 when Indiawent through its religion based partition accompanied witha bloody and said to be the largest migration in history ofthe world, of peoples of different religions, out of the fearof extinction at the hands of opposing religionists. But Iwill get to it a bit later.

Both my parents were born into Sikh families and werepracticing Sikhs. On my father’s side, we were proud ofclaiming direct linkage to Bhai Daya Singh, the first amongthe panj pyaras – the elect five – that had offered theirheads in response to the call by Guru Gobind Singh onBaisakhi of 1699 when the Guru dramatically revealed theKhalsa.

The atmosphere at our home was typical Sikh for thosedays. My parents were not orthodox but were observantand tried to live by the Sikh code. We had a small roomat home where the Guru Granth was respectfully installed.Both my parents regularly began their days after readingthe sacred text and we all mostly paid quick obeisancebefore setting off to school, especially when exams wereon hand. My early memories are of the way I used to lovethe recitation of Gurbani verses by my father. His renditionwas clear, loud, sonorous, musical that resounded withinthe house and even if I did not catch or understand all the


words, the recitation seemed always to grip my attention.If I accompanied my father for a morning or evening walk,I could hear him recite the Gurbani compositions as perthe Sikh praxis. Other than this and the fact that he kepta flowing beard and wore a white turban over his suit andtie, there was nothing that could distinguish him fromanother practicing physician in Delhi of those days whenthe Second World War raged and the British ruled India.

The routines of my mother were different. She spentmost of her day reading or reciting Gurbani and invariablytried to go to the Gurdwara in the afternoon. Occasionallymy brother Ujagar or I would accompany her, possiblymotivated more by the prospect of her buying us sometreats on the way back. She told us the stories from Sikhhistory, the lives of Gurus, of sacrifices made by the Gurusand Sikhs to stay steadfast in their religion. Many a timeI slept off in her lap as she recited Sukhmani sahib. Shealways prepared krah parshad on sangrand and on gurpurbs– we helped by signaling when the aroma of the cookedflour spread to other rooms as a sign of it being done. Itthus was a home where Sikhi was actively lived thoughnot enforced. The example was there to see, learn, imbibeor just accept as a part of life.

Our friends were from all faiths though mostly theboys were Hindus. My sisters did bring some Muslimgirlfriends home and they received the same kind ofwelcome as did their other friends. We saw Ramlila withour friends and watched Tazia processions and festivecrowds returning after Id namaz, from the balcony of thehouse. The contact with Hindus obviously was close –with Muslims rather sparse. There was no sense of antipathywith any but a sort of veil separated us from Muslimsthough I recall my mother once telling my father that shewould love to have Zenub as a daughter in law. Zenub,who often came home to play, was a pretty and well behavedfriend of my sister Surinder.

At School, I had learnt to read and write Urdu and

English. This helped me pick up a good deal of Persianvocabulary. When offered a choice to learn another orientallanguage, I opted for Sanskrit, though I must admit, I didwell enough to secure good grades but did not reallylearn much of the language. Incidentally my recall suggeststhat while we were aware of association of Sanskrit andPersian to Hindu past and Muslim influence respectively,we did not pick languages to learn on the basis of anyaffiliation.

This would also be clear from the fact that while wespoke Pothohari Punjabi dialect at home, my first Gutkawas in Urdu from which I learnt Japji Sahib and rememberdiscovering much later that some of my pronunciationswere not faithful because of the transliteration constraints.We learnt Gurmukhi at home mostly to be able to readGutkas or Guru Granth Sahib though at the gentle urgingof our parents. Obviously we were not given any formalreligious instruction – nor were any of our cousins or Sikhfriends. The same could be true of our Hindu friends. Ifound out later from a Muslim friend at College that hehad learnt to read Arabic from a Moulvi.

TRAUMA 1947I was in my first year College at Lahore when thedisturbances flared up in Rawal Pindi area in March 1947,soon Lahore also became affected. Curfew was imposedand in a couple of days seeing no respite the College decidedthat we all staying in the hostel should go home and returnonce situation improved. The reason as given I recall waslack of rations availability. We were left at the RailwayStation from where I took the night train to Rawal Pindion my way home as my parents had moved from Delhi.

Arriving there the scene was tense. At the station wewere received by Sikhs carrying lathis and mandasas tiedover their beards, who collected all Hindu & Sikh passengersand told us that the things were bad in town and that theyhad arranged a bus to take people to the city bus stand

Understanding Interfaith: My Journey 69


near Imperial Cinema. We all got there safe but I and someothers had to go further to Kartar Pura etc. They said theroute could be hazardous both via Raja Bazar and MurreeRoad.

After some time the driver and a couple of volunteerssaid they would take us via Murree Road because the roadis wider and may be open. We started out and soon as weturned into the Muslim populated area the people whosaw us started pelting stones and missiles at the bus. Thedriver sped along with all of us heads down but missedthe turning into Kartar Pura and we landed in anotherarea where a Hindu family gave us shelter. With theexperience fresh in all our minds we could understandwhen driver refused to venture further.

We were standing at the roof top as the eveningapproached and I saw a military armored car coming downthe road. I ran down and out to the road waving myCollege ID and shouting for them to stop. The Britishofficer stopped and I screamed that I am a student of FCCollege, Lahore and ——, now stranded like this. Hethought, looked at my card and then said – ok we aregoing the other way but if your bus can follow us we canleave you where you have to go. I came back and to everybody’s relief we left our sanctuary homeward.

The College did not reopen. My father was transferredto Lahore and he arranged for the kids to stay with ourMasi who had moved to Solan for safety of children. Aftersome weeks, we wanted to join back with our parents andlanded home in Lahore. Things got worse and soon it was15th August and we were in Pakistan. The situation wasgetting dangerous and it was on 19th August that myparents decided to send me, my brother and three sistersin the care of a Hindu couple to Delhi by train fromMughalpura station.

The train schedules were completely upset withstoppages by attacking masses. Finally the train got in lateat night and we were able to board a vacant second class

compartment. Our escorting couple locked the doors frominside and told us to not open the doors or windows. Byearly dawn the train covered the thirty miles to Kasur, thelast station before we entered Indian Territory but seemedto have stopped there as if forever.

It was hot and humid as mid August is in those partsand I could not help but open the window partially topush my nose out to get some fresh air when hearing theshouts ‘Sikhra, Sikhra’ our lady escort pulled me back,shut the window and shoved both my brother and me intothe bathroom with instructions not to squeak. We couldhear the knocking at the door, it being opened and thewoman telling the men outside ‘there is no Sikh here -only we and three daughters. I would hand over any Sikhif he was there. They are the cause of all the problems’which possibly assuaged them. We made it through!

In Delhi, my brother and I were keen to reconnectwith our old friends, Govind and Jagdish Saksena. Whenwe got to their house, the boys were not home. We werereceived by the parents. They offered us nimbu pani andbefore leaving, the father sat us down for a moment longerto give us a little bit of advice ‘jahan ka murda hota hai wahinpai ghara jata hai!.’

We had cherished our friendship but the sane advicedid not seem to bring us any sense of comfort - not thatwe were looking for it. We did not speak and Ujagar andI did not talk about it. But we never again thought ofmeeting them either.

We all had spent over five months living in tension,the men taking turns keeping watch against any attackersmost nights, girls almost totally confined to the safety offour walls. We saw grim atrocities committed on both sides,barely escaped ourselves becoming victims, now lodged ina tent in a refugee camp opposite the Red Fort, still separatedfrom our parents and not sure if we would ever reconnect.We may not have realized it but our hearts must havebeen fully subsumed by conflicted emotions and anxieties



for the joy and excitement over the newly won freedomthat we all so fondly had looked forward to just bypassedus - totally!

Yet in this unbeknown inner turmoil one thing I doremember clear as the day. I was not shaking with fear orrage. Nor were Ujagar or my little sisters. We were quiet,subdued, but there was no hate – no compulsive motivationto go kill or hurt now that we were on safe ground. Lookingback, I feel fortunate that these memories never becameoverpowering enough to turn into hate or kept comingback to haunt in later years.

GETTING INVOLVED WITH INTERFAITHLife rolled along. I had Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian,Jewish, Jaina friends and colleagues at work. I was firmenough in my faith but not ever inimical to others even inthose difficult days of Operation Bluestar or pogrom againstSikhs in Delhi. Once when visiting Delhi after the Army’sassault on Golden Temple complex, I could not contain myemotions talking to my mother, she gently reminded methat it was not the first time the temple had been desecrated.It had happened several times in Abdali’s invasions. Sikhsonly came through stronger.

It was around 1995 when we had been in the US forseveral years, that I saw a notice in Hartford Courantabout lecture at a Farmington Church about Christian- Jewishrelations by Rabbi Joseph Ehrencrantz of Sacred HeartUniversity in Fairfield, C T. We resided in Farmington anddecided to attend the meeting which both I and my wifedid. The talk was instructive though my thoughts throughthe conversation were on the tenuous relations that hadexisted between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs over thecenturies in India and how the mistrust had been responsiblenot only for partition of the country but also remained themost important factor impeding peace in the region and itseconomic development.

I talked to Professor Ehrencrantz and he invited me

for a lunch meeting at Fairfield. During this meeting hetold me about his involvement with the Christian-Jewishdialogue that had been on at the Vatican for decades andhad resulted in the 1965 document Nostra Aetate, whichread: ‘True, the Jewish authorities and those who followedtheir lead pressed for the death of Christ; still, whathappened in His passion cannot be charged against all theJews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jewsof today —- the Jews should not be presented as rejectedor accursed by God —- in her rejection of every persecutionagainst any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimonyshe shares with the Jews and moved —- by the Gospel’sspiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions —- directedagainst Jews at any time and by anyone’- a very clearmessage of reconciliation at the apex level of the Church.He was willing to go with me to India if I thought itwould help initiate the process but counseled me to getinvolved with interfaith activity.

It was a little later that my wife and I were to connectwith Reverend Richard Griffis who chaired the newlyformed Connecticut Committee for Inter-ReligiousUnderstanding that put us on a new journey of learningabout other faiths and sharing ours with non Sikhs. DickGriffis was untiring and creative. He thought of so manynew ideas to make people talk about living their faiths andhe had two constant willing participants, my wife and I.We met a lot of people – learnt about them and even moreabout ourselves and made connections that turned out tobe an asset couple of years later when the Sikh communitybecame an unwitting target of hate after September 11, 2001.

BOLTS FROM THE BLUE SKY 9/11In the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001, whilethe mainstream was trying to cope with grief and graspthe enormity of the tragic event, its ire turned on Muslimand Sikh communities – Muslims because the perpetratorsof the terrorist act were all Muslims and Sikhs because



male Sikhs sporting facial hair and turbans were the onlypeople in the US who resembled the images of Osama binLaden being flashed across the TV screens. Apprehendingthat the image profiling could pose an imminent danger tothe Sikhs I got involved in doing what little I could to dullits impact in our vicinity in CT. I talked to TV networksand received immediate responses from all of them. HartfordCourant and Radio networks were co-operative. Sikhmessage of love and our shared humanity started gettingout. The Governor and Senate President accepted my requestto come and join us in prayer and assure the congregationof their support. We had started.

This voluntary involvement in interfaith activities tookalmost all my time, making presentations on Sikhperspectives, getting the community to participate ininterfaith and multi cultural events and help organize suchactivities. I started writing about Sikhs, Sikhi and Sikhissues, mainly for mixed audiences, presenting my papersat interfaith meets and conferences in CT, in other Statesand in time in several countries abroad.

Slowly it became evident that in all gatherings whileall others were focused on insecurities that were generatedby terror threat it was Sikhs who also talked of hate facedby them and Muslims who took pains to reiterate theirrespect for other faiths and human life. The audiences werevery receptive and interfaith groups supportive and helpful.I invariably tried to explain how the need to give terrora face by the Government and the media had resulted inSikhs being mistaken for terrorists – some texts includedin this book. US Sikhs are now launching a national campaignto embellish their besmirched image costing hithertounimagined amount of money.

In the midst of this growing involvement one of myMuslim interfaith group members told me about the ImamHussain Day meet in New York City in 2003. Eager to talkto any group on Sikh perspectives, I called them and theysent me an invitation to speak at the event. The sponsors

turned out to be Indian Muslims agitated over the riotsagainst Muslims in Gujrat. Upendra J Chivukula, the firstHindu to have been elected to the office of member ofNew Jersey State Legislature was also an invited speaker.We talked about the forthcoming Global Dharma Conferencein Edison, NJ. Noticing my interest he had me invited tothe Conference to present a paper.

I was the only Sikh presenting a paper at the GlobalDharma Conference. The Chairman and President of thenewly created Hindu University of America who werealso at the Conference approached me to develop and teacha three credit course on Sikhism for their graduate programas an adjunct Professor. I had no inclination to take on ateaching commitment but ended up adding it to my longlist of volunteer activities. It has remained a relativelydormant activity but brought me into close contact withHindu scholars and activists in the US as well as in Indiaand be invited to present Sikh perspectives at various Hindusponsored events.

My meeting with Ibrahim Abu Rabi, the highly acclaimedMuslim scholar at Hartford Seminary, blossomed into adear friendship that we both valued. He had spent sometime at Gobind Sadan in Delhi and was familiar with Sikhs.A strong advocate of Muslim understanding, he possesseda sharp mind and a great reserve of energy with anunmatched persuasive persona. I spent weeks listening toexpositions on Islam and interacting with Muslim scholarsat conferences and meets in the US, Pakistan and Turkeyand sharing Sikh perspectives with them. Exposure onMuslims and Islam was further enriched by several otherengagements in India and the US.

LEARNING FROM INTERFAITH MEETSIn the course of my interfaith engagements I got far moreopportunities than I would have had as a lay citizen tomeet with people of different persuasions, talk to them tolearn about their faiths without seeming to be inquisitive.



It also afforded me the opportunity to share their worshipand ritual ceremonies and to present a glimpse of ourlived religious life to them. To witness prayer services byRomas, Tribals, a variety of ancient traditions and ethnicgroups besides the different faith groups in mixed societieshas indeed been very enriching.

Little comfort but I find all faiths seem beset withsimilar problems. Attendance in Churches is declining. Theyouth are turning away from the exhortations that hadseemed to have helped keep the congregations together insupport of the Church. An increasing number of people areexperimenting with other spiritual paths in their search foranswers to many difficult questions that the modern lifethrows up. As expectations from faiths are rising illiteracyabout religions continues to be high. The increase in numbersof interfaith marriages, atheists and agnostics is bringingdiversity into our homes. While all this change is in evidencethe interest in religious music, books, festivals and evenreligion based strife seems to be rising.

In the changing world that we live in, one new challengeseems to be how do we live our faith together with theothers? To me the message of Guru Nanak is beckoning -live truthfully by the principles of your faith and all shouldbe well. That involvement in interfaith actions suggeststhe validity of this precept is reassuring and offers hopefor us all!

PART II:INTERFAITH EXPERIENCES,

INTERVIENTIONS

Talking Among Interfaith Group*

Growing up in the northern parts of India (and Pakistan),I had several friends from different faiths. Though wewent to school and played together, our social interactionwas guided, broadly by the relationship paradigmsdeveloped over centuries of experience of living together,yet apart. We did have, I guess, some ideas about our ownfaith(s) but I am not sure if our understanding of theother faith traditions was such as to permit of anythingother than a tenuous social balance.

The division, in 1947, of the country along religiouslines was too much for this tenuous balance to bear. Theevents leading up to and following the historic partitionled to the uprooting of several millions from their homesand a mayhem resulting in a million or more dead. It isfutile to argue if the political outcome could have beenavoided, but it certainly would not be vain to hope thatgiven some level of mutual trust and not so pervasivenegative mutual stereotyping among the divided religiouscommunities, the dimensions of human tragedy could havebeen vastly reduced.

Many of the reasons for mistrust were embedded inthe popular understanding of history, which provided ampleinstances of the need for each community to be beware ofthe other. Add to this the unmindful acceptance of theprevailing ignorance about each other; the communitieswere a fair game for manipulation. Long standing mistrustand ignorance had created a fertile ground for promoting


prejudice, stereotypes, and insularity. And once hate tookover, it had to play itself out

There are several such tragic experiences that the worldhas witnessed and others that continue to unfold. I pickedthis instance not because of any unique features but becauseI myself lived through it and continue to wonder at themeaninglessness of the whole thing. It resolved nothing.

Here in the US, we live in a society that has beentransforming itself through constant infusion of people ofdiverse ethnicities, linguistic & cultural heritage and faithtraditions. The world also is becoming a smaller place.Our efforts at promoting inter-religious understanding areconstantly being challenged by the need for continuousenlargement and broadening to be inclusive of the faithsand traditions whose following is becoming more visiblein our midst as a result of changing demographics. We allneed to encourage any constructive effort in this direction.

At our level, as a young group with highly limitedresources, I personally have found the Committees’ effortsat promoting inter-faith dialogue in an open and mutuallytrusting environment commendable. I enjoyed participatingin our conversations and other events and celebrations,not only because I can learn more about the perspectivesof other faiths on problems and issues confronting us butalso because our exchanges occasioned an increasinglybroader and sometimes possibly even a deeperunderstanding of certain dimensions of my own faith.

I hope that in the days to come, the institutions andagencies engaged in promoting events, academic activity,training programs, research and publications in inter-faithrelations will progressively be persuaded to extend theiractivities toward a more inclusive coverage. The mediawill pick up more diverse human-interest stories- and therealways are so many.and our resource directories will helpthe schools and others looking for faculty or project worksupport.

Let us hope that we can reach out to more and more

people. Let us also hope that those we reach out to, findthe experience reassuring that, in spite of all the diverseimages, as Bhakt Kabir said” ek nur te sab jag upjaiya, kaunbhale kaun mande”— all of us have emanated from the sameeternal flame, who is good and who bad?

We are all capable of getting angry and committingwrongs, hurting people- more so if they are on the fringesof our own little world. Guru Nanak preached “naa kaubairi, naa-hee begaana—sagal sang hum ko ban aayi”— (we) donot consider anyone an adversary, or stranger— we are atpeace with all and every one. So let us encourage open,mutually respectful conversation so that we are less ofstrangers to one another. And again as Nanak said “ jab lagduniya raahiye Nanak, kichh sunniye, kichh kahiye”— for aslong as we are in this world, O Nanak, let us listen someand say some. Thus alone can we make the world aroundus a more hospitable place to live and enjoy.

So let’s keep the dialogue going!

* This is the text of my brief article on Our Activities on InterfaithGroup.

Talking Among Interfaith Group 83

Introducing Local Community toSikhs*

I am glad to be in the midst of my friends and neighborstoday and have this opportunity to talk about my faith. Ihope our conversation today would help promote greaterunderstanding between us as residents of this beautifulcommunity so that our corporate lives as Farmingtoniansare built around a shared respect for one another even asadherents of different faith traditions. In these difficult,divisive and fractious times we must do what we can toprotect the fabric of our society.

I better start out by telling you that I am a Sikh. Peoplehave asked me even prior to some media appearances asto how do we say it – S-E-E-K? Very close indeed not onlythe way it sounds but providentially in what it means also.Literally Sikh means disciple – seeker – so whichever wayyou say it we remain humble seekers of the path that maybring us closer to the divine.

In the few minutes available to me this evening I willattempt to share with you my understanding of the Sikhperspective on the two questions which define the core ofour conversation this evening. The first of these is: whatis the most important thing about Sikhism that I wouldlike you to know. Difficult as the choice is, I thought itmight be instructive if I should try and explore the attitudeof my faith about other faith traditions.

Let me start by saying that Sikhism does have a traditionof respect for other faiths. The faith recognizes that there

Introducing Local Community to Sikhs 85


can be and are several paths to emancipation. The Gurusprayed for God to save this burning world in His mercyand let (people) find liberation through whichever path(faith persuasion) they may be able to.45 They also visitedholy places of other faiths and had extensive dialogueswith their religious leaders during their travels andmissionaries.

The two dominant faiths in the social milieu of theGuru’s time were Hindu and Muslim. The Sikh scripture,Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains compositions of Hindu,Muslim and Shudra saints of the time. The scripture alsocommends acceptance of all languages (literature) and scienceor technology (developed) anywhere. Sikhs are told thatthe test of a true devotee is to be able to create harmonyin the time they live in.

The Gurus and subsequently the Sikh rulers stayedsteadfast for the right to free worship and helped placesof worship of other faiths. Guru Tegh Bahadur accepted tobe martyred to defend religious freedom of Hindus. Amosque, picturesquely situated on a hill overlooking a curveon the banks of the mighty Beas river in Punjab’s Gurdaspurdistrict was constructed by Guru Hargobind. Guru Arjanasked Mian Mir, a Muslim saint to lay the foundation stoneof the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden temple. Till 1947 halfthe singers of spiritual music at the Golden Temple wereMuslims when in the wake of riots on partition of thecountry they left for safety of Pakistan.

The Gurus repeatedly stress that one should live byone’s faith precepts to be a true devotee. What is importantis the way one lives the life, what one practices, notprofesses. The Rehit tells the Sikhs that only those wholive by the principles of the persuasion are Guru’s Sikhs.46

The message for the Hindus47 is that one who disciplineshis mind and whose soul is attuned to God is a Pandit.And one will be called a Muslim only when he iscompassionate to all beings.48 Thus the litmus test for each

of us is what we do, how we live and we will be judgedby our karma alone. The best faith, says the Guru, is to livea prayerful life doing good deeds.49

The Sikh scripture reminds us again and again that weare all children of God, our one common father.50 Thedistinctions of religion, caste, color, creed, ethnicity etc.are all man made and do not exist in His court.51 The Gurutells people that we were not created Hindu or Muslim;our body, our life is given us by the One we call Allah orRam52- popular names for God in the two faiths.

In practice what does it mean? Are Sikhs any the betterhuman beings? I would not claim that at all. We are frail.We falter. We make mistakes. We are, I hope, like everybody else and not worse. Our beliefs however do seem tofind articulation in an open entry to all to our houses ofworship with everybody being treated alike – rich or poor;high or low; good or bad; believer or non-believer; manor woman; young or old. Sikhs treat with equal reverencethe writings of Gurus and those of holy persons fromHindu, Muslim and Shudras included in the scripture. Atthe Golden Temple at Amritsar, more than 100,000 mealsare served at the community kitchen everyday – thoseserved coming from all the strata of society includingpilgrims, visitors and the needy.

The Sikh philosophy believes that death is not the endof man.The ideal of perfection which ends the cycle oftransmigration has to be attained living in this world andtill that stage is reached the individual keeps progressingor regressing on the path to merging with the Lord. Thereis no heaven or hell - it is all here, in this world. The Gurusays that meeting the true Guru can show us the perfectway to achieve emancipation while living a life with ourshare of laughter, sport, fineries and food.53

A distinguishing point of Guru’s vision is that to attainemancipation one needs the company of virtuous. Thusthere is a social dimension to it and in fact it is carried



forward by saying that the virtuous may not only getemancipated themselves but also cause the community tobe liberated.54 Sikhs believe in Divine presence in the companyof the virtuous and respectfully bow to any congregation.

Before closing I do want to briefly touch upon thesecond question relating to any misconception about Sikhsthat I want to clear or correct. If absence of conception canbe called a misconception then understandably we have asizable project here. But I have an uncomfortableapprehension that the Sikh image in an average American’smind is a blur associated with some negative stereotypes.If that be so the project becomes even bigger and far moredifficult. I am afraid that I cannot accomplish that taskalone or with the help of my fellow Sikhs. We can dosomething about that only by all of us working shoulderto shoulder. Come therefore and join us in this quest toknow one another better. Join us in our homes, in ourfestivities, in our trials and tribulations, in our worship.We will welcome it for we do realize that we are in ittogether – hopefully for a better tomorrow for our children.

ENDNOTES:45. Jagat jalanda rakh lai apni kirpa dhar, jit dware ubhare tite lai

ubhar [Slok M III, p.853]46. rehni rahe soi sikh mera47. so pandit jo man parbodhey, ram nam atam meh sodhey [Gauri

Sukhmani, 4.9]48. to nanak sarab jia mehramat hoey ta musalman kahavey [Slok M

I, p. 141]49. srab dharma meh srisht dharma, har ko nam jap nirmal karam

[Gauri Sukhmani 8.3]50. ek pita ekas ke hum balak [Sorath M V, p. 611]51. jaano jot neh pooch jati aage jat neh hai [Asa M I p. 349]52. neh hum hindu neh musalman, allah ram ke pind pran [Bhairon

M V, p. 1136]53. Nanak satgur bhetiye poori hovai jugat, hasandeyan khelandian

pawandeyan khawandeyan viche hovai mukt [Gujri M V p.522]54. aap tare sagle kul tare [Ramkali M I, p. 877]

* The town of Farmington in CT where we lived for over 15 yearsis steeped in New England history with colonial estates datingback to the 17th century. In 1841, Farmington housed the revoltingslaves on the slave ship Amistad and raised funds for theirreturn to Africa after the trial.

I was involved with Farmington Unity Network and eventhough we were only a couple of Sikh families in the Town, wasable to get the Town to organize a number of interfaith andmulti-cultural events with active participation of Sikhs fromneighboring towns.

Ruth Grobe, Chair Human Relations Commission, wroteon Apr 18, 2003:

‘In today’s Hartford Courant on p. B3 is an article aboutNirmal Singh and his efforts to promote interreligiousunderstanding and to be a teacher and spokesperson concerningthe Sikh religion. Nirmal was the Sikh presenter at the ForumFor Faiths in Farmington and has many wise things to say. Ithink that you will enjoy the Courant article.’


Multi-Faith Perspective onFaith & Politics*

Lebanon Valley College, Anneville, PA, convened a Forumon Faith & Politics in the run up to 2008 Presidential election.The prompt question for sharing of views by the forumpanels was: “What sort of role should faith play whencitizens make political decisions, and how does that playout in your life?”

They had set up two-student panelist each representingthe Democrats and the Republicans. In addition they hada panel of representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhistand Sikh faiths. I represented the Sikhs from CentralPennsylvania.

The response of the student panelists was well informedand argued though obviously colored by their partisanpositions. The independents did not have a place aroundthe table - nor really much in the minds of the audience.The election is too close now and most seemed to havetheir minds made up.

In this setting the perspectives by faith representativeswere relatively less sharply partisan. The Jewish positionwas that from their belief perspective they are supportiveof separation between Church and State but the politicalthemes are talked of from the pulpit in their synagogues.They however do not tell the congregation who to votefor. In other words the candidacies are evaluated from theperspective of how they might impact Jews as a faith andas a group but the decision on who to vote is left to theindividual.

The Buddhist Sensei said that he had grown up a Baptistand thus had the sensitivity to being a minority and couldshare his concerns in the political arena as he grew. As aBuddhist now and as a Sensei leading a Buddhist prayergroup, he felt less compelled by the theological positionsof candidates than their political views. He was the onlyone among us who wore an Obama button on his jacketlapel.

The Muslim position was as expected rather defensive.The speaker cited from Quran to affirm their belief thatGod had created diversity [of beliefs] for people to followtheir conscience and enjoy their spiritual life. She was criticalof the negative tone in sending out the DVD Obsessionthat only reinforced prejudice. She also added that the USConstitution is the only document that comes closest toSharia law - even more than the constitutions of Muslimcountries.

I shared the Sikh perspective starting with my ownexperience growing up in the years preceding Indianindependence in Delhi. In the run up to the final negotiationsfor the post British set up the parties that the Britishrecognized were Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. So even asthe divide was clearly emerging along religious lines, I asa young activist who was finishing school and soon goingto college - younger than the College students in the audience- joined protest marches without ever thinking of myselfas a Sikh or a minority. The idealist fervor got a bit ofbeating during the partition when we had shifted to Lahoreand thanked God for our safe return to Delhi, even thoughbarely with our clothes on.

As I grew up and understood my faith teachings Icould sense what was guiding my motivations. Gurus hadtaught us that inaction is not a choice and we must staysocially engaged and take responsibility for ourselves, ourfamilies and spare some for the needy. They also gave usthe awareness that freedom is a God given gift and thatthe divine light within each of us brings recognition of the

Multi-Faith Perspective on Faith & Politics 91


confluence of sublime and mundane, political and spiritual,within us and therefore our thought and vision must besupportive of common good, not me first.

I also said that the word politics perhaps occurs onlyonce in SGGS where the Guru says - matta masoorat awarsianapp jan ko kichh neh aayeo - that your slave knows of noplans, politics or clever ways [M V, p. 498]. The true believernot only seeks the love of the lotus feet of the Lord butis willing to give his life in the cause of justice. So whileSikhs do talk politics and they love doing it, Sikh worshipservices are devoid of political commentary [at least here].

Most of the audience interest after the end of the forumwas about us because many of them had heard about usfor the first time. That was encouraging and every suchencounter has helped because as I found almost three orfour of the students who had attended my lecture on Sikhismrecently brought some of their friends to meet with meand ask more questions.

A new religion faculty who speaks some Hindi wantedto learn more on Sikhism so he could teach it himself andeven wanted to learn reading Gurmukhi and Hindi. Ipromised all help and offered encouragement because gettingthe faculty interested, with some curiosity generated amongthe students, could indeed get introductory teaching ofSikhism built into the syllabi and thus have some continuity- all at no cost at all to the Sikh community!

* A summary note prepared after the Meet.

Beckoning Eco-Sikh Initiative*

One of the most challenging problems confronting humanityat this juncture of our history is the rapid degradation ofthe environment and its so far not fully understood adverseeffects on the quality of life that we humans as a race havecome to appreciate and aspire to. The natural resourcesthat we have known to support life and its continuity forbillions of years past now no more seem to be the samesecure, safe nurtures as they used to be.

Gurbani tells us that the temple of Akal Purkh is thisvery world – har mandar eho jagat hai – that we live in. Godgave us the humans, some extra merits – manas ko prabhdeiyi vadiayi – and even as other beings have their ownplace and purpose in the Divine scheme – jetai jee likhi sirkaar – they also serve the purposes of humans – awar jauniteri panihaari. On us thus rested the burden for care of thiscreated world that God so lovingly created, continues tonurture, provide for and love.

True to some dire warnings by the scientific community,in recent years we have experienced raging Katrina,Tsunamis, violent climatic changes, earth quakes et al as ifthe tired and over burdened dhaul – the mythical bullrepresenting the critical natural balance – is struggling toregain its poise, so necessary for the natural order to continuein harmony. This is even as we experience pollution levelsand diseases never known before affecting our pursuit ofpeaceful enjoyment of comforts we thought we had created.

Witnessing all this, a realization seems emerging that amore secure and sustainable world will require a significantshift in values that are driving our collective life styles and


social habits. We have to draw upon our spiritual roots toseek guidance from the wisdom of Gurus, Savants andSages to understand these developments and developconstructive initiatives to help, even if in some small ways,to retrieve the situation.

Some faith groups have taken a head start in this effortand have, by getting the congregations actively involved,succeeded in significantly enhancing their abilities to influencepublic policy formulation as well as implementation. We asa community have not been a part of such conversationsbecause of our institutional weaknesses thus far.

Sikhs have traditionally been known to be so muchcloser and empathetic to nature and our theology teachesus to be respectful of creation and interdependencies inthe created world, yet we have watched this growing debateas if we were not concerned. I am thankful that at last EcoSikh have given a lead to our involvement in this vitalarea. Celebration of 14th March as the Sikh EnvironmentDay is a step in the right direction.

It is creditworthy that that Eco Sikh have got the highestseat of Sikh Temporal Authority, Sri Akal Takht to give thisinitiative their support and blessings. That should auger well.

While appreciative of the mission of Eco Sikh, I wouldlike to take this opportunity to share some thoughts forconsideration. Firstly, even as we begin to celebrate theSikh Environment Day on March 14th we should for a start,begin with some symbolic ecological changes that woefullyare missing in our contemporary religious life. We have novegetation or green cover around the best of our Gurdwaras.We generate a great amount of waste, mostly un-recycle-able plastic or synthetic materials, our settings are notenergy efficient, our langar waste goes to garbage dumpsrather than compost pits. So even as we sing and listen to,so reverentially the praises of mother earth, the resourcefor all our nurturing, our sacred trust we should askourselves if we are playing out our dharma in the timecycle of day and night?

Also as we encourage Gurdwaras to join in to furtherthis mission, let us leave the specifics of the program and

their scheduling to the local teams. Let us help and guide.Let us organize to offer them training facilities and othertools and aids. This will facilitate institutionalizing thecelebratory day with programs and projects tailored tolocal needs and resources as well as seasonal variables.

We should also try and create a resource center thatcould offer advisories on suggested Sikh positions onecological matters and related legislative issues that maycome up for discussion or get taken up for advocacies sothat local Sikh groups can make constructive contributions.

Let us also remember that designating a celebratoryday is taking on a huge and continuing responsibility. Successwill breed success and create pride in the community in itscontinued and demonstrated commitment to – sarbat kaabhalaa – the common good. We would therefore be welladvised to take on projects that create some impact andhave demonstrable results. Fortunately opportunities forsuch initiatives are plentiful – especially in India and evenmore so in Punjab. Eminent examples are the commendablework done by Baba Sewa Singh in tree planting, BabaBalbir Singh Sinchewal in cleaning up of the Kali Bein nadiand Pingalwara Trust in promoting organic farming.

To me our more likely initial focus should be to getour religious leadership to encourage in catalyzing improvedagricultural practices, potable water resource management,recycling and effective waste management – in other wordstrying and create small rural communities that are a littlemore earth friendly. The lead for catalyzing such change willhave to come with the support of various extension agencieswith the Gurdwaras playing a spiritually bonding role.

Possibly some pilot projects could be taken by the AkalAcademy. PAU in collaboration with Sikh studies programsin various universities could be persuaded to developpractical models for reconstructing ecology of Punjab villagesthat could become a lead example for similar failed intensivefarming, unplanned development situations. For this EcoSikh may have to limit to a facilitator role leaving themajor controls or priorities to lead groups.

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The ongoing works of Babas are very important tocontinue to transform the country side and get lay peopleinvolved. In fact more such scattered projects should beencouraged because it will set the ground for projects likealternate energy sources, infrastructural changes, neweragricultural practices etc that may be promoted by theuniversities.

Sikhs with their spirit of seva are capable of changingthe very contours of community life as they did in thecanal colonies in Lyallpur area, in the Doabas and Malwa,in Ganganagar and Terai and even in far off MadhyaPradesh, sunshine state of California and Canadian forests.

A re-transformed Punjab will be a beacon and visiblesymbol of the Sikh spiritual inspiration whose changinghues of sky, rain, clouds, cool breeze, budding flowers,trees, woods, animals prancing in the wild, chirping birds,breaking dawn, the early morning feeling of expectancy –will again reach the inner depth of one’s being transportingone to a state of ecstatic wonderment – vismad - and onenesswith God’s creation, closer to a deep, uplifting spiritualexperience, giving witness to the Guru’s celebratory odes:

• bhini rainariye chamkan tare – twinkling stars of a mellowevening

• mori run jhun laiya, bhenai sawan aaiya- see, my friend,the peacock dancing, the pitter-patter of rain; for sawan[the rainy season so welcome in tropics] is here

• chiri chahki, poh phutti, wagan bohut tarang –the birdsare singing, the dawn is breaking and [my] heart isfilled with joyous expectation

• sun samadh, anhat te naad – in the silence of spheres,the floating sound of celestial music.

Let us go for it. Go, Go, Eco Sikh!

* [The above statement was written for the EcoSikh website in responseto the February 18, 2011 request by Dr. Rajwant Singh.]

‘Kudrat’: The Concept of Nature in Gurbani

Apinai aap sajio apinai rachio nauDuyi kudrat sajiai kar asan ditha chau

Data karta aap tun tus deveh kareh pasauTun janoi sabhsai de laiseh jind kavau

[Asa di Var M I, pauri 1]

Nanak’s composition Asa di Var is sung in congregations,usually in the early hours of the morning. It explains howthe raw nature of man, his egoism and hypocrisy tends tofrustrate the pursuit of the divine by man. The initial partof the composition explains that God, self created Himselfand then created Naam, His formless, material-less Reality.He then created nature, installed Himself as Naam in thismanifest creation and looked, in delight, at it.

Sache tere khand, sache brahmandSache tere loa sache akar

Sache tere karne sarab bicharSacha tera amar sacha diban

Sacha tera hukam sacha phurmansacha tera karam sacha neesansachi teri kudrat sache patshah

[Asa di Var Slok M I, 2]

Nanak believes that this creation, the nature that wesee, is real. Real are the worlds, the galaxies and theuniverses. Real is the phenomenon of nature. Real is Yoursovereignty and real the orderliness You have created thisuniverse that works in Your will and as ordained by You.

The creation, real, orderly operating in God’s will isdiverse with infinite variety:


Kai kot pankhi sarp upaye, Kai kot pathar birkh nipjayeKai kot pawan pani baisantar, Kai kot des bhoo mandal

Kai kot sasiyer soor nakhatar,Kai kot dev danav inder sir chhattar

Sagal smigri apney soot dhareyNank jis jis bhave tis tis nistarey

[Gauri Sukhmani, M V, 3.10]

There are millions of birds, reptiles, plants, mountains;deities, demons, rulers; ever so many countries, continents,planets, suns, moons, galaxies of stars; variety of solids,liquids, gases, energy – all organized in Your divine way.And You liberate any that Thou will.

God not only creates. He gives away the creation tothe created. He does not keep back anything exploring allpossibilities of creation - Vada data til na tamaye [M I, p.5],and uninhibitedly, spontaneously expands Himself in thecreation, kudrat - vigse veparvah [M I, p.2]

Kudrat does not exhaust all the potentialities of theCreator. Man can only wonder and marvel at the attributesof the Creator looking at the creation and its working. Forsure - Karte ki mit kaya janey kiya - how much of the Creatorcan the created know?

Thus in Nanak’s teaching one conceives of God throughHis kudrat, creation and His creative power. Creation,even though it does not have any absolute or independentbasis apart from the Creator, is eternal as God’s manifestationand witness of His power. The relation is one of extension,an emanation - Nanak sach datar sinakhat kudrati [Majh M IVp.141]

So even as man cannot fully comprehend God’s designhe must understand that God, the true Giver, is revealedonly through His creation. This creation is much morethan means for sustenance of life and enjoyment of worldlypleasures. It is God’s sign of recognition, His visiblemanifestation and its care and respect is the way to getcloser to His lotus feet.

[Written for the online magazine of Inter-religious Eco Justice Network,2002]

‘Kudrat’: The Concept of Nature in Gurbani 99

Cultivating Print Media

In the spring of 2001, the Board of Connecticut Council forInterfaith Understanding invited the Editorial Board ofHartford Courant, the oldest continuously publishednewspaper in the world, for an exchange of views oncoverage of religion and religion related news in the Paper.The discussion was wide ranging but the subject of thealmost absence of Sikhs in the columns of the Paper didnot come up. Towards the close when we were munchingon some snacks, I walked up to the Chief Editor and sharedmy concerns with him. He said that the subject had nevercome up and assured me that he would ask the new ReligionEditor being appointed to get in touch with me.

A few days later newly appointed Frances Grandy Taylorcalled me. She had had no exposure to Sikhs or Sikhi. Isuggested we could meet at our place for lunch when wecould also show her our prayer room, play some of ourspiritual music and talk about how and what the HartfordCourant could do for coverage of a miniscule, almostinvisibly quiet, non-news-making, minority. We had a goodlunch, thanks to Veena, and a very productive session.Frances was receptive to my suggestion for her to come tothe Gurdwara and join the Sangat, our congregation forprayer service on a Sunday, her day off.

I talked to the Gurdwara President. He wanted her tocome in on Guru Nanak’s birthday, months away. I howeverbrought her to the Gurdwara on Sunday, July 2, 2001 alongwith us and introduced her to Bhai Sahib in view of

continued sullenness on part of the President shrouded inthe comment ‘where is the hurry?’

A few weeks later, the 911 terror strike hit. Sikhssuddenly realized how very vulnerable they had become.The media were very busy and the religion desk waspossibly the busiest. Requests by Sikhs for coverage wentunheeded. A few days later I called Frances and sheresponded to my request. I arranged for her to meet a fewof us, get their input on her story and did a couple ofquick and very sensitively empathetic stories on Sikhs.This co-operation continued in the coming years.

Almost a year later, the Gurdwara had a new President.We talked and I invited Frances to the Gurdwara to meetthe sangat and management. This time around, I took acouple of minutes to introduce her and share the followingthoughts relating to Sikhs and their need for developingrelations with the media.

‘Frances is not a stranger to the Sikh community. I hadbrought her to the Gurdwara Sahib on Jul 2, 2001, shownher around and introduced her to Bhai Sahib. Our intentionthen was that she should come back, join us in a diwan,talk to various people and do a story on us. Howeverbefore that could happen, 9/11 intervened and we becamea target of anger by some elements in the mainstreambecause of association of the visible symbols of our faithobservance with the images of Al Qaeda leadership.

In that environment Frances undertook to do a storyon our identity issues. I facilitated her coming togetherwith Manjit ji who had a son in School and another atUConn in Storrs. Frances’s article appeared on Oct. 12 andis a witness to her understanding and empathy with theissues then confronting us. She shared with me the positiveexperience she had with all she met. She also felt that Sujitwas ‘terrific.’

As far as I understand Frances would like to meet witha cross section of our community, the leadership, bhai sahib,ragis, men, women and children and develop a continuing

Cultivating Print Media 101


relationship with the Sikhs in Connecticut. I do believethat she has the support of the Editorial Board of HartfordCourant in this endeavor.

Our media coverage has apparently been judged bythe criteria applied to other news items. Exciting storiesare those with compelling political or public interest orcases reporting violence, crime, protests, litigation etc. Ourbenign presence has not created any waves in the publicinterest domain. We have stayed below the media radarscreen so much so that even the dynamics of our growthand spread in Connecticut and the emergence of our religiousand cultural activities did not invoke any perceptible interestin the media.

My conviction is that our faith tradition, houses ofworship and celebrations; our responses to contemporaryissues; our fears, hopes, aspirations; our accomplishments,failures and frustrations; our art, literature, language andculture; issues relating to our youth, women and the elderlyetc. all have the potential of providing interesting andinformative human interest stories. I do hope that Francesand her colleagues will find what is interesting andinstructive and share it with their readership

Our role should be to bring the events, happeningsand story ideas to their notice. So let us start by gettingto know one another better. Let us also rejoice at themoments we have been able to spend together in Guru’spresence.

I am greatly appreciative of Frances joining us in prayertoday and taking time to meet with us on her day off. Ihope the experience of participating in this diwan will giveher valuable insights into our worship tradition and theassociated ceremonies, rituals and symbols. Surely therewill be a lot of questions that would need answering andseveral issues where some in-depth clarifications may berequired. That among other things will be part of ourcontinuing dialogue. I am sure Frances will find all of uswilling and eager to promote better understanding about

our faith and our individual as well as corporate lives asSikh Connecticutians.

In the end let me also thank Bajwa Sahib and the sangatfor their support.

Cultivating Print Media 103

A Presentation of Sikh SacredMusic

A cross section of Sikh devotees in Connecticut has cometogether this afternoon to present a sacred hymn from theSikh scripture Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The presentation isled by Ragis - musicians trained in kirtan parampara or themusical tradition associated with the Sikh singing of thesacred. Members of Sangat will lend support and join in asmay sometimes be practiced in a congregational setting.

The Sikh sacred music tradition started with Guru Nanak,the founder of the faith. Guru Nanak and the successorGurus were all well versed in music and sang of celestialmusic pervading the cosmos. They commended kirtan asthe highest expression of devotion to the Divine and gaveit the position of centrality in Sikh worship.

The Sikh Gurus composed a large volume of devotionalwritings in poetic form; set to music in the Scripture. Thewords used are from several Indian languages and dialectscurrent in the Guru’s times. The language has a uniquelylyrical quality. The choice of words and imagery is fromlife and bounteous nature. This unique union of poetryand music makes their compositions - Gurbani - a divinemelody created out of rhyme, rhythm and imagery.

Verses only from Sikh scriptural literature can be sungin kirtan. Words should be correctly and clearly spoken;music should be soft and facilitate creation of ambience toenhance receptivity to the message. Clearly the message isintended to have precedence over music.

Thus sitting together as one in the holy presence of therevealed Word and contemplating in harmony on the Divineis one way for the Sikhs to commune with the Lord.

This is the year of celebration of 400th anniversary ofthe first installation of the Sikh scripture at Golden Temple,Amritsar. The hymn being presented eulogizes the revealedWord - Dhur ki bani aayee, Tin sagli chint mitai - God’s wordhas been revealed to relieve anxiety and suffering of oneand all.

The lead Ragi performing the Kirtan will be Bhai MohinderSingh of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Southington, CT.A cross section of devotees will join in the presentation.Those in audience are welcome to join in.

A Presentation of Sikh Sacred Music 105

A Soulful Celebration of the Sacred*

Saturday Nov. 4, 2006 witnessed a soulful celebration ofthe sacred from various faith traditions at the Miller Chapel,Lebanon Valley College, Anneville, PA. This beautiful eventwas put together by Reverend Paul Fullmer Chaplain atthe College to share the oneness of the sacred in the diversityof faiths and traditions. What was witnessed was an arrayof manners in which sacred may be celebrated in variousfaiths as also how the mundane may interface with thesublime in our search to connect with the divine.

The tone for the evening was set by Paul Fullmer whenhe remarked in his welcome address how the communicationrevolution is making a difference to the way we live ourlives, connect with one another and the possibilities it opensto connect so much more easily with the diverse, the otheramong us. Paula Reimers had a similar message of openingour hearts to one another as children of God in her openingprayer followed by its reinforcement in the Mslim call forprayer, the Azan, by Kaleem Bhatti and Imam I M Kauser.

Imam Kauser made an impassioned plea forunderstanding the principles of Islam. Quoting extensivelyfrom the holy Quran he said that Islam is a religion ofpeace. The word Islam itself means peace. It is unfortunatethat some Muslims have been misled into committing actsof terror resulting in loss of civilian lives. Such acts are notcommended in Islam and he hoped that the moderate opinionand voice of reason will prevail.

The next presentation was a change from the serious toaesthetic. John Protopapas gave an excellent Sitar recital.

His nimble finger movements reverberated the sitar stringsto produce an enchanting, sonorous melody. No wonderthis North Indian string instrument never fails to inspireif in the hands of an accomplished performer.

Shruthie Amin and Disha Joshi dressed in beautifultraditional attire performed a temple dance as an offeringof prayer to the Deity. The dance mode indeed inspiredsurrender to the divine as an aesthetic expression of humanspiritual yearning. Recitation of hymns from sacred Hindutexts by Mahua Bhattacharya and Jeff Long embellishedthe sublime message from the Hindu tradition. SoulQuest,an interpretive dance of the sacred in the Buddhist traditionby Andrea Minick Rudolph was a delight. Her gazelle likeentry on the stage, her concentration, her movements inharmony with the music were like watching a waft ofbreeze trying to merge with the power that gave it life.

Susan Leviton then enchanted the audience with a varietyof Yiddish songs expressive of spiritual yearning and longingfor social justice. With her extremely well trained voiceand her engaging style she had the listeners spell boundas she went from song to song, at times breaking it in themiddle to explain the meaning. Believe me it seemed hardlynecessary – the rendering conveyed the essence.

Paul Fullmer is indeed a fortunate man. Becky, his wife,with their daughter Juliana who is still to celebrate herfirst birthday, presented Alegria, with music by Salvador.It was a wonder that Juliana while no doubt enjoying hermother’s brisk dance movements never forgot her role topick up the color sashes in what to me were momentswhen I had my heart in my mouth. The dance Shelter bythe LVC college group Praise Him with Dance was verywell choreographed and drew much appreciative applause.

The last few items of the evening were presented bylittle known Sikhs making their first appearance at theCollege. Their opening presentation of Sikh sacred musicwas a hymn from their scripture extolling the unity ofman. It was accompanied by live music played by theperforming group – violin, flute, keyboard, harmonium

A Soulful Celebration of the Sacred 107

and tabla – set to a tranquil tune, led by Nina Grewal.Then two of their Tabla performers, Neil and Taj, who are9 & 11 held the audience spellbound by their alternatingplaying of this unique percussion drum set ending with acrescendo played jointly. Yet another flavor of the youngSikh talent was the reading of a poem by Nirmal Singh –the poem is written by his grand daughter, who is 15, andher first collection of poems is expected to be publishedlater this year. The finale was brought by Shruthie Aminand Disha Joshi presenting a Sikh folk dance set to lightmusic.

All in all a great evening, inspiring, full of variety anda great way to celebrate diversity and promoteunderstanding.

* [Our presentation took about 20 minutes including my short introductory comments.]

A Soulful Celebration of the Sacred 109

Area Sikhs Mark Special Anniversary*

By Poornima Apte

At a particularly trying time in history for Sikhs in theUnited States, Nirmal Singh says the central message ofthe 400-year-old Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture ofthe Sikh faith, could not be more relevant today.

“Na hum Hindu, Na Musalman, Allah, Ram ke humpind pran,” Singh, chairman of the Sikh Forum of Connecticutquotes from the scripture. “We are not Hindu or Muslim,the supreme power created us as human beings.”

Sikhs the world over are celebrating the 400th anniversaryof the Guru Granth Sahib, marking the event with kirtans(hymns) and other devotional programs.

At the same time, Sikhs in the United States continueto be the targets of racial profiling, hate crimes andmisunderstanding, as they have since the Sept. 11 terroristattacks. Often, their turbans and beards have led people tomistake them for Middle Easterners.

Even the anniversary celebration has not been withoutcontroversy. When the chairman of the American regionchapter of the World Sikh Council was told he would haveto remove his kirpan before attending a White Houseceremony to honor the anniversary, the chapter declinedthe invitation. The 6-inch sword is one of the five articles offaith that all formally initiated Sikhs are required to be wear.

Dr. Tarunjit Singh, secretary general of the council, saidhe was particularly disturbed with the message the WhiteHouse was sending.

“At a time when we are being woven into the fabric ofAmerica, they have to accept us fully,” he said. “Here is aceremony to honor our faith, but we are being asked toleave the instruments of our faith at the door.”

Nirmal Singh, a Farmington, Conn., resident, was alsosaddened by the turn of events.

“It seems as if we have not even made a dent, even inthe very important political circles,” he said, “in spite ofthree or four years of very concerted efforts by the Sikhcommunity to try and create awareness about themselves.”

“If the White House does not have sensitivity to theissue, I think the problem unfortunately assumes a differentcolor,” Nirmal Singh added.

“Sikhs can keep on trying to create awareness aboutthemselves but unless there is a recognition in themainstream, you cannot force people to know and cannotforce them to remember.”

Speaking about the Guru Granth Sahib, Nirmal Singhsays that the way it has been edited and organized is veryfascinating. “It is all written in poetry,” he says. “Almostthe entire Granth is set to music.”

The Guru Granth Sahib is also readily accessible tolaypeople because the language is easy to understand.

“Sure the language has evolved since then,” Singh says,“but if you know some Hindi or Punjabi, it is relativelyeasy to understand.”

Singh appreciates that the text, written in Gurmukhi,might not be easily read by Sikh youth in the United States.

He says that in local gurdwaras, when shabads (hymns)from the Guru Granth Sahib are sung, English translationsof the original are often projected on a screen so peoplecan better understand the essence of the scriptures.

Karminder Singh, of Woburn, Mass., is director ofreligious affairs at the Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara inMedford, Mass.

The gurdwara is planning special events to honor the400th anniversary of the Guru Granth Sahib, with prayer

Area Sikhs Mark Special Anniversary 111


sessions most of the Labor Day weekend.Singh, a student of international law at Boston University,

says the event is truly a special one and a chance foreveryone to get together and celebrate.

“We have opened up our gurdwara,” Singh says. “Theevent itself is a call for Sikhs to understand their roots andit is also a call for multiculturalism and diversity.

“The Guru Granth Sahib contains text from Hindu andMuslim saints as well - this would be a nice occasion totalk about things that are going on the world.”

In Connecticut, similar programs are being hosted bythe gurdwara in Southington.

In recognition of the local Sikh community’s contributionsto the state, the Connecticut General Assembly issued anofficial citation marking the anniversary of the Guru GranthSahib.

In a statement to INDIA New England, Connecticut Lt.Gov. Kevin Sullivan said: “Following the tragic events ofSept. 11, I joined in a very public effort to show solidaritywith our Sikh community in the face of misdirected hatecrimes in Connecticut and other states.

“Now, in recognizing the 400th anniversary of the mostsacred Sikh scriptures, we send another message ofbrotherhood.”

* Published in India New England, Boston, Sept. 1, 2004 issue.

Thoughts Inspired by InterfaithInteractions in Pakistan

I visited Pakistan in Jan 2004 as one of a group of scholarsinvited by certain Institutions in Pakistan through the effortsof Dr Ibrahim Abu Rabi, Co Director, McDonald Centerfor Christian Muslim Understanding, Hartford Seminary,Hartford, CT. Others comprising the group were: Dr IanMarkham, Dean, Hartford Seminary; Dr Worth Loomis,Professor, Hartford Seminary & Dr [Mrs.] Louis Loomis;Dr Ralph E Ahlsberg & Mrs Beverly Ahlsberg; Colleen MKeyes, Academic Dean, Tunxis Community College; DrNorton Mezvinsky, Professor of History, CCSU; Dr Rogervan Zwaenberg, Managing Director, Pluto Press, UK & MsAnna Marsh and Dr Faris Kaya, Istanbul Foundation forScience & Culture, Turkey.

After a three day roundtable on ‘Islamic Revolution’with Dr Israr Ahmed, Quran Academy, Lahore, we all tooka day trip to Amritsar and visited the Golden Temple onthe Maghi day, Jan 13th. During the period at Lahore wealso had a session at the Iqbal Academy and a public meetingto share our thoughts and messages consequent to ourexchange of ideas. We left for Islamabad on the 14th wherewe were the guests of Institute of Policy Studies. AtIslamabad we also participated in a conference on ‘FaithPerspectives on Global Issues of Peace and Justice’ anddiscussions with the academics at Islamic Research Instituteand International Islamic University plus an inter faithmeeting at the Christian Study Center.


SOME OBSERVATIONS ON PAKISTANPakistanis generally are very clear about the origin of theirState in Islamist separatism and think it was the only rightand practical way to create a society where they couldpromote Islamic way of life. They think that historicallythis goal was not uniformly met even though Muslimsruled India for over seven hundred years. They considerseveral Muslim Kings did not act correctly in that theiractions were motivated by strong urge for personalapprobation, wealth and luxury - not for glory of Islam orIslamic way of life. Those like Akbar are cited as Hinduizedand Mohamed Tughlaq, Khilji, bin Kassem who tried torule by sharia are considered heroes.

In the same vein many mystic traditions are condemnedfor being influenced by Hindu practices. Pakistanis areconscious of their Hindu roots prior to their [more recent]conversion. They also recognize Gandhi’s [Hindu] politicalachievements and the efficacy in certain situations of hismethods of satyagraha. Overall with distance as well asrelative success of India as an economy and stable politythey have a grudging respect for the Hindus.

Pakistanis seem to be looking Westward to Arabs,Europe, US. They would like peace with India becausethey seem to see the futility of continued hostility and lowintensity conflict that is draining both. They would likeopen borders and exchanges so that their economy andquality of life can improve. How that may impact theirWestward slant is to be seen.

There is poverty but more hidden than seen in India.The elite are very affluent. There is hardly any purda inPakistan towns or villages. Women drive cars and scooters;work in the fields; are bus hostesses. Young college goinggirls are dressed in jeans or salwars. Restaurants are packedwith families eating late. The shops are open late and womenare out shopping – though my guess is male membersinvariably accompany them. You don’t however see manywomen walking alone or in groups except on college

campuses. The language spoken is Punjabi and Urdu mix –educated urbanites speak more Urdu. There are quite afew speaking Pahari, Kashmiri, and Afghani.

The minorities in Pakistan have certain constraintsassociated with an Islamic State though they haveexperienced a measure of physical safety over the years.This could be possibly because their numbers and activitiesare not threatening. The Ulema however distinguish betweenMazhab [just the faith] and Deen [faith plus the political,economic and social system sanctioned by the faith] andtheir view is that Deen in an Islamic state is Islam. Thetrade off for other faiths to live as only mazhabs is protectionby the State and adherents of the Deen.

IQBAL ACADEMYDuring our discussions at the Academy my thrust was thatIqbal in his earlier works had talked of Nanak and Budhaand sang of his love for an inclusive India. He also is apart of the long heritage including Sheikh Farid, Baba Nanak[and the Sikh Gurus], Bule Shah, Shah Hassan, Bhai VeerSingh and several others who grew up in this part of theworld. My suggestion was that recognizing the inclusivethemes in Iqbal’s writings the Academy should work onand bring out the continuum of rich, humane, inspiringand spiritually enhancing thought emerging from Punjabover the last millennium. There was a lot of interest in thesuggestion – Attiya Syed, the only women scholar we metand several others wanted to talk more about it duringthe dinner that followed.

NOSTALGIA FOR WHAT WASThe Pakistanis do have nostalgic feelings for what wasand do express them. We were asked to speak at a publicmeeting at the Quran Academy. The hall was packed.Women in the audience were segregated and ladies in ourgroup also joined them. The audience was mainly ofobservant Muslims. Israr Ahmed insisted I address in Punjabi

Thoughts Inspired by Interfaith Interactions in Pakistan 115


which I did and somehow received repeated applause.Colleen and other ladies from our group told me that theydid not understand what I was saying but the women folkwere very appreciative, nodding, gesticulating andapplauding at most of what I was saying. “What did yousay – what did you do to them?”

Nothing – I talked about my feelings of homecoming– a journey down the memory lane - and that we couldgive one another neighborly love and kind thoughts. Talkedof Baba Nanak, his gift of love, caring and sharing to allof us – his respect for all persuasions – our shared heritage,culture, language and a call to carry this message to all forthe world indeed is going through a very troubled period.

MEETING WITH INTER FAITH GROUPWe met with an interfaith group at Christian Study Centerin Rawal Pindi. The various functionaries of the center, ayoung Muslim activist, and a Hindu made presentations.No Sikh was present. Col Tressler who has been a Ministerfor Minority Affairs in the Musharaf Government waspresent and seemed to be guiding their deliberations. Tressleris around 65 and would have been a small boy in ’47. Hetold me he has a brother with the same initials living inAgra and that brother continues to be Hindu. I did notask him his story but my guess is that his family must havefragmented in ’47 and those staying back turned Christiansfor their safety. The Christian population in Pakistan isabout 3% of the total.

Some points relevant to our discussion that emerged inthe inter faith meeting were that:

• Certain problems faced by minorities are very reale.g. Hindus cannot cremate their dead in some placesbecause of objections to the smell of burning fleshby the local community. They also have not beenallowed to install idols in some of the Mandirsvandalized post Babri Masjid incident in India.

• Minorities are economically very weak especiallySikhs. The Christians, who were converted fromuntouchables mainly, have bettered their lot throughconversion but still are relatively disadvantaged.

• Sindhi Hindus tend to be in business and some arerelatively economically OK.

SIKH VISIBILITY IN PAKISTANWandering Pakistani bazaars, tourist spots, parks andrestaurants one may see many Arabs; few Westerners;crowds of locals but no Sikhs – not one. There is no Sikhmention or image on the TV. The Hindu presence is prettyvivid, though surely unintended, because of the imagesrelayed by Zee and Star TV channels. I believe there is aradio program in the mornings where some kirtan istransmitted followed by Sikh separatist talk. I have notlistened to their programs but I don’t think mainstreamPakistanis would be their target audience.

Sikhs are portrayed negatively in Pakistan History booksincluding by respected scholars like Dr Mahmood AhmadGhazi, one of our hosts, who was minister for ReligiousAffairs in Musharaf Government and is the Vice Presidentof International Islamic University. Even expensive touristypublications portray Sikh rule as having been oppressiveand unjust. Israr Ahmed also contented in his presentationthat Sikhs had badly persecuted Muslims in the 18th centuryand that Ranjit Singh had razed mosques and built Gurdwarasin their place burying Quran into the doorways. Duringour trip to Nankana Sahib Asif Hameed and his friendstold me that they were taught in School that Sikhs aretyrannical and were curious to know how Muslims wereportrayed in India.

The sense that I got is that Pakistani ulema and scholarsseem to display resentment for Sikhs in history possiblyfor the reason that Sikhs were the only Indians who wereable to dislodge the Mughal rule and establish their rule



instead. This is understandable for Sikh rise to power wasat the expense of Muslim domination and it was onlythrough creation of Pakistan that Muslims were able towrest back the kingdom lost to Sikhs short of two centuriesbefore.

The Sikh stereotype is not helpful either. Here is anincident that may explain what I mean. At Lahore we hadto cross the road from Iqbal Academy to Holiday Inn toget there for dinner. There was heavy traffic and we werepatiently waiting for a break in its flow to walk across. Itwas not going to happen – so I did what would work. Iraised my hand to stop oncoming vehicles and startedwalking across. Traffic stopped. I waved our entire groupto cross to the verge in middle of the road and then repeatedthe same thing across the verge. It worked and as wemoved on to the hotel Suheyl Umar, Director, Iqbal Academytugged at my sleeve and said if he could tell me a joke.Almost expecting what kind it would be I said yes, goahead. Suheil said that in Pakistan they say that if you aredriving and you see a Hindu crossing the road, just slowdown. He is not going to risk injury and will hasten acrossthe gap. If it is a Muslim stop because he will try a contestof will and you are better off stopping. But if it were aSikh - stop, put car in reverse and scoot for you don’twhat the hell he may do! Funny, yes; but it says a lot abouthow they see Sikhs – and my bravado may only haveconfirmed some other stereotypes!

I could discern a number of impressions about Sikhs –they are unpredictable; they are brave but will fight forothers; they caved in during 80’s; quality of their leadership;their scholarship? I also sensed that the common man takesSikhs to be merry go lucky, hail well met, eat drink enjoy,types with a monotheistic belief, brave though for what.One comment was that how come they know nothing aboutSikhi or Sikhs given that Sikhs are the fifth largest faith inthe world.

EXPERIENCE AT GURDWARAS IN PAKISTAN

Panja SahibA young Sikh boy comes and joins us and together we goto the langar where they give very nice fresh tea and askus to stay for langar. The bhai sahib started the eveningrehras recitation when I was in the langar – and I knewbecause I could hear it on the PA system. I am told thereare 4/5 families of Sikhs there. I did meet three men andthree kids – a girl and two boys. They seem to be fromNWFP and are obviously poor but are keeping the placewell. I was deeply touched meeting these people who aretaking care of this beautiful and very holy site for theSikhs. They are living a life of isolation. They look poorand possibly are poorer than they look. In spite of theirobvious deprivation the children have pleasing freshnessand seem contented even though their future may hold nopromise better than their parent’s lot.

Many thoughts race through my mind. How and whydoes God place us where we are? Should we not have aresponsibility to those who are giving their today so thatour children and their children can come here tomorrowthe same way as I am doing now. I feel humble; I feelselfish; I feel a betrayer; we have done nothing; we aredoing nothing for them. We have just forgotten about theseplaces and consigned them to our daily ardas – jina dharmaasthana taun sanoon vichhoreya geya hai unna di seva samal dadan baksho. Surely it is not our problem anymore. Wesupplicate for divine intervention; for till God grants usfree access and control over these holy sites we will keepmaking the rote supplication thousands of times a dayglobally. We will not look around and see how missionariesfrom other faiths keep on serving their Lord’s mission indeep jungles and deserts. We cannot emulate the examplesof Christian youth serving for charities in remote parts ofthe world as part of their project work. We say we struggledto free our Gurdwaras from the clutches of hereditarypriests but are willing to leave the same Gurdwaras to



these few families now. Why- because it is not safe; it isisolated; the places now have no revenue because thereare no devotees?

Nanakana SahibI return to Lahore and Asif Hameed, son of Israr Ahmedand Director, Multimedia at Quran Academy, and four ofhis compatriots take me to Nankana Sahib. Sitting in thefront I hear snatches of their conversation - Matin, who isfrom Nanakana, talking about the place to his colleagues.All the town’s land belongs to the Gurdwara leased freeto the citizenry. The Gurdwara has also given the farmlandto farmers without any rent. There have been some recentgas finds in the area and the people believe it is thebeneficence of Guru Nanak

We stop at the end of the main street at the fairlyimpressive Gurdwara entrance. We park on the side andwalk in to a nice garden. The Gurdwara is at the far endof the garden. We are met by the same kind of securityperson as at Panja Sahib and he takes down the informationand lets my companions go with me. In the meanwhile hemust have arranged, for the Bhai sahib shows up leadingus and explaining. I also notice all my companions werewearing white caps covering their heads – given by theGurdwara as I found out later.

The place is big; the sarovar is kept dry; the walls areclean, painted; the floors swept clean; the bath rooms cleanand working; the Parshad is there again. We see the sukhasan room and are taken to another wing where twoconcurrent akhand path are going on. I ask if this wascommon – oh yes through the year in response to requestsreceived when pilgrims visit or by mail. I do wonder thatonce again we who don’t live there have made so many ofthem into pathis to perform akhand paths for us.

There are about 40/50 families here. They don’t seemas deprived. I meet another bhai sahib coming in and thebhai sahib introduces him as the retired granthie. The place

has a Sikh school. In addition the local high school is namedafter Guru Nanak. The address is Nanakana Sahib andthey have not changed as has happened for several otherplaces.

A SECOND VISITI was in Pakistan again in 2006 among a group of Sikhscholars participating in International Conference on GuruNanak Heritage of Interfaith Understanding for Harmonyand Peace on February 18, 2006 held at the AmbassadorHotel of Lahore. Sikh and Muslim scholars madepresentations on contribution of Guru Nanak in bringingInterfaith Understanding, possibly the first of its kind everin Pakistan. Dr Zafar Cheema co-chaired the Conferenceand a couple of his students presented papers.

Pakistan also announced in 2007 a project for settingup a university named after Guru Nanak at NanakanaSahib. This could in course of time potentially effect severalfacets of Sikh-Muslim understanding. On both sides thehistorical memory has been at odds with the communitiescoming together. It is possible that the new setting mayencourage collaborative research that helps connectingseveral dots in Sikh history on how Sikhs interfaced withIslam and resolve layers of cobwebs surrounding it.

It may also possibly provide the opportunity for Sikhsto engage with a Semitic faith at a serious academic level.Pakistani scholars can read the original text of Guru GranthSahib in shahmukhi transliteration, understand and interpretit without intermediaries in the form of translators. Theircultural affinity also will help the process. My sense is thatPakistani scholarship will be in a different genre than theChristian scholars where we have had difficulties with thelikes of Trumpp and McLeod and writings of those likeMacauliffe have not attracted serious academic attention.

Pakistani scholars like Dr Zafar Cheema are alreadyencouraging research on Sikhism and are said to have closeto a dozen graduate students working towards their doctoral



degrees. I have shared the podium with one [and Zafar]and she showed a refreshing clarity in her understanding.This should spawn a different kind of literature on Sikhithat should help our standing among the world religions.

Then there is so much that relates to Punjab and Punjabisthat could get a different kind of re-look at a center of thiskind. Punjabi identity cannot be explained or defined bySikhs alone; nor can so much that the soil of that part ofthe world has given birth to be left unexplored because ofthe divide that has plagued the three religious communities.It certainly is no coincidence that several of the Hinduscriptures were written in Madra desha; Sufi silsilasblossomed in these parts with Farid, Bulle Shah, ShahHussain and the like straddling the landscape and TheSikh Gurus gifted a totally new universal theology to helplift a society sinking under the weight of its owncontradictions. The extent of spiritual reservoir in that partof the world and its contribution to humanity has to beunraveled and brought out for all to know.

I thus see tremendous opportunities. I also think thatPakistanis may not have much difficulty in finding interestedscholars - at least not as much as we may. And that iswhere we must focus!

WHAT SHOULD WE DOSikhs have a shared history, a shared language, and sharedtraits with Pakistanis. The land that gave birth to GuruNanak was also the laboratory where he perfected theSikh thought. Thus Pakistan will always be important forSikhs and given this linkage Sikhs must develop a uniqueapproach to handle their relationship with that countryand its people so that they can look to a future where theycan celebrate the shared heritage in spite of boundariesseparating them. This way they can assure some amity inthe region and more importantly take care of their holysites and the small Sikh population in Pakistan

It is also important to realize that even across the

boundary line that Radcliffe devised the Sikhs will alwayshave to deal with Pakistani Muslims with their worldviewand their perception of the Sikhs. In their long-term interestas neighbors Sikhs must make an attempt to understandthe Pakistani common man’s view of the Sikhs. For this theview of the Ulema and Maulvis will also have to beunderstood. The historians and social scientists are alsoimportant – politicians less so.

We also need to think about Pakistani Sikhs who mayend up as potential mahants who depend on the service ofGurdwaras for their economic needs. It is therefore of theutmost importance that Pakistani Sikhs should be helpedto get education, go into professions or businesses and begood competitive citizens of their country.

Tourism, especially the Sikh tourism can soon becomea fairly significant business in Pakistan. With someimprovement in security situation the NRI tourist inflowto the Sikh holy sites and historical places in Pakistan cansee an upsurge. It also can grow as addendum to theirvisits to the home country. Making small beginnings, tourand travel related service agencies with local Sikhs aspartners can be set up – this may be easier to accomplishfor NRI entrepreneurs.

Our focus should include improving the state of Sikhheritage in Pakistan. The effects of strained relations withPakistan and turmoil in Muslim world have most tellinglyimpacted Sikhs. Punjab is the only Indian state neighboringPakistan that has suffered the most when tensions led toor brought the two sides close to war; has been deniedeconomic development for fear of proximity.

The Sikh decision to stay with India and not acceptJinnah’s offer was probably the better course given theSikh situation. But the Pakistani Muslim neighborly presenceand its influence cannot be wished away. In the Sikh futurethe Muslim world will mainly be Pakistan and the Muslimopinion that may impact them the most could be the Pakistaniorientation.


South Asians AffirmingTogetherness and HarmonySAATH

OBJECTIVEThe objective of this effort is to promote coming togetherof members of South Asian community in CT in their chosenareas of interest through communication and socialnetworking. The network would only act as a resource tofacilitate connecting those with shared interests and will,by itself, not have any other activist agenda or objective.It would provide a loose and informal communicationplatform to serve the interests of various groups andparticipants within the bounds of stated objective. There isno expected, intended or implied identity of interests orlike-mindedness among those associated with the networkbesides subscribing to the Objective and Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles

• The Network will be guided by the egalitarianprinciples of equality, openness, fraternity,togetherness and shared human values to promoteharmony, empathy and understanding in ourcorporate social lives while pursuing our choseninterests.

• All activities of the network, its related groups andaffiliates, will be in accordance with all applicableFederal, State and Local laws.

• The network will not be used as a platform topromote an activity or organization that is meant tofund, teach, or further bigotry, hatred, religious orideological extremism, war, or violence.

[Through the initiative of Azam Saeed and some otherlike-minded persons from India and Pakistan, we formeda group named SAATH – together – to promote amitybetween the peoples from and of the two countries. I wasasked to frame the objectives and guiding principles forthe Group A commandable initiative which like many high-minded initiatives did not go very far!]

South Asians Affirming Togetherness and Harmony SAATH 125

Vandalization of Sikh Billboard:PA State Human RelationsCommission Inter Agency TaskForce for Civil Tensions

I wish to thank the Pennsylvania State Human RelationsCommission for their speedy response to convene thismeeting of the Inter Agency Task Force for Civil Tensionsto consider the unfortunate incident of defacing andvandalizing, on or about Sep 23, 2006, of a Billboard thathad been placed by the World Sikh Syndicate, a mid stateSikh group along Rte. 78 [N] between exits 15 & 16.

My sincere thanks also to Chair and Members of theCommission as also representatives of various Agenciesfor their interest and for taking time out to attend thishearing. I am also deeply appreciative of the support ofPennsylvania Interfaith Alliance for their support to theSikh community and for Chairman Rabbi Carl Choper tobring this matter to the notice of the Commission.

I also thank Ms Mickey Singh, a Sikh activist, who withthe help of her fellow members in the Unity Group filedthe initial report on the incident with the Commission.

A FEW WORDS ON SIKHSI seek your indulgence for a few moments to say something about Sikhs and Sikhism. Sikh faith founded in Indiaby Guru Nanak in 15th century has over 22 million adherentsworldwide. Around 500,000 of them live in the US scatteredacross the country. They have a history of over a hundred

years in the country with their initial immigration to CA.The first Sikh Gurdwara was established in Stockton around1912. A Sikh, Duleep Singh won election to the US Congressin 1956. Spoony Singh who set up the wax museum at LosAngeles was a Sikh and died only a couple of days ago atage 83. Sikhs have been productive citizens of the countryand possibly all precincts would endorse their record aslaw-abiding community.

Sikhs are a monotheistic faith believing in a loving,sustaining God who takes care of and provides for all thecreation. All humans are children of the same God, equalin His eyes and this life is their unique opportunity tomerge with the Divine. Spiritual ascent has to be pursuedliving our normal lives, doing our daily chores, facing realproblems without recourse to celibacy, withdrawal, denialor austerities. The persuasion is to work hard even asone’s mind is prayerfully attuned to the Divine; takeresponsibility for self and family and share some with theneedy. Quest for liberation then is not personal but in asense collective – made possible when Divine grace descends.

The Sikh scripture has an interfaith character. It containsnot only the compositions of Sikh Gurus but also the writingsof holy persons who were practicing Hindus, Muslim Sufis,and Shudhra saints. The faith accepts multiplicity of pathsto connect with the Supreme Reality. No body is deniedaccess to Sikh Gurdwaras or other institutions for being anon-Sikh. Sikhs therefore tend to be respectful of otherfaiths, are gregarious by nature and would invariably befound to be helpful in a difficult situation even at personalrisk. I would not claim that all can or do live by theseprecepts but most try.

THE INCIDENTMy understanding is that a picture of the defaced billboardshowing the tell tale marks of attempted arson and hategraffiti written on it was attached to the email sent byRabbi Carl Choper, Chairperson, Pennsylvania InterfaithAlliance to the Commission. I hope the Members of the

Vandalization of Sikh Billboard 127


Task Force and Commissioners have had a chance to lookat that picture.

This picture shows the Billboard to have an image ofa Sikh male and the following message:

SIKHISMFREEDOM EQUALITY JUSTICE

ONE GOD

The graffiti written on the billboard consist of a bunchof cryptic hate phrases using four letter profanities directedat Arabs [and Allah] and the words Jesus Saves. It is clearthat the Billboard was misperceived to be associated withMuslim terrorism as opposed to its intent to bring clarityon Sikh identity.

I ask you to ponder at the fact that the sign was placedat a pretty high elevation along a busy highway andtherefore it would have taken quite some determinationand effort on the part of the writer of graffiti to get upthere and pen the message – a sure indicator of the depthand intensity of negative emotions felt by the individual.This recognition calls for a sober assessment of the possiblenegative potential that such emotions could have as flashpoint for more egregious disruption in another situation.

MEDIA RESPONSEConsidering that there was no violence or loss of life theresponse of TV stations was encouraging. My approach toFox, CBS and NBC received quick response. Fox crew cameover and interviewed me on 26th afternoon and their reportappeared in the nightly 10 O’clock news. CBS and NBCassigned their crews and would have likely filmed theirinterviews on the 27th but by then the Billboard had beentaken down and that seemed to dampen their interesteven though I did furnish them the picture you have seen.

Shivinder Singh Athwal told me that channel 69 TVhad also covered the incident in their news in Allentownarea.

I also spoke with a Radio station listed in the yellowpages who told me this subject may best be handled by

Brian Wade, a TV and Radio host and that he would askhim to get in touch with me. Brian did that and I wasguest at his one-hour radio program on Oct 12th. He islikely to cover the incident on his TV 49 show also in thecoming days.

Patriot News was very co-operative in covering theincident. I sent in my op-ed piece to the Editor, copied toMary Warner on Sep 29th. Mary took interest and I connectedher with Shivinder Athwal to get information. Her reportsaying that ‘Sikhs have sometimes been harassed since theterrorist attacks in 2001 because some people confuse theSikh turban with the one worn by Osama Bin Laden’ cameout on Oct 4th.

My op-ed piece was published on Oct 9th – with PatriotNews adding in a file sketch of an early Sikh immigrantcirca 1916 wearing his turban and neatly sported facialhair. This was a thoughtful embellishment by the Newspaper.

The paper also published letters to the Editor by RevCynthia Maria, Interfaith Center of Greater Harrisburg,Middletown and by Rev John Lamb, Pastor, Our SaviorLutheran Church, Harrisburg. The letters expresseddisapproval of the incident and expressed empathy andsolidarity with the Sikh community in their right to livehere in our nation without harassment.

Omer Bin Abdullah Editor, Islamic Horizons Magazineevinced interest and got in touch with me through MaryWarner. I also understand from Shivinder Athwal thatReading Eagle had published a report on the incident soonafter its occurrence.

INTER FAITH GROUPS RESPONSEI was to speak on Sikhism at the meeting of PennsylvaniaInterfaith Alliance [PIA] on Sep 26th when I took theopportunity to apprise them of the incident. The meetingwas unanimous in condemning the incident and asked RabbiCarl Choper, Chair PIA to take follow up action. RabbiChoper sent out his thought provoking and powerful messageon Oct 4th saying “Ever since September 11, 2001 many



Sikhs have experienced discrimination and harassment - -- When I saw this picture it immediately occurred to methat it was not only an attack upon the Sikh community.On a basic level it is an attack upon the whole idea of amulticultural society - - - I am sending this out to you foryour information and possible action. In particular, sinceChristianity is the dominant tradition in our society andbecause Christianity was invoked in this instance in suchan ugly fashion, I would hope Christian communities mightfind a way to tell the world how offensive this is.”

The letter evoked considerable response and messagesof support were received from Joan Broadfield, Peace &Justice Coordinator, PYM, Ron Edins, David Weisberg,Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of GreaterHarrisburg, Brooks Mountcastle” [email protected],“Diana Henne” <[email protected]> and Jeffery D.Roman Assistant Regional Director Anti-Defamation League.

We are thankful to all of the above and several otherswho have expressed their distress in person at thisunfortunate incident to me and several other Sikhs.

PUTTING THE PROBLEM IN CONTEXTSikhs did experience certain amount of prejudice even priorto 9/11. Following 9/11, Sikhs started experiencingheightened incidence of harassment, taunts, vandalisationof property and even some incidents of arson at Gurdwaras.A Sikh was shot dead in Phoenix, Arizona in a rage ofhatred against terrorists. Since then Sikhs seem to havebecome the main target of hate crimes.

On their part Sikhs have been trying to reach out tothe mainstream to correct the problem of mistaken identity.Thanks also to interventions by several groups, the lawenforcement agencies have become more sensitive to variousreligious and ethnic identities and Sikh experience abouttheir being profiled is possibly becoming less frequent.

Nonetheless the findings of a study by the Discriminationand National Security Initiative [DNSI], an affiliate of thePluralism Project at Harvard shows that five years after 9/

11 Sikhs continue to live in fear. Its report written by JuneHan infers that among the South Asian community, 15% ofHindus are concerned about their safety compared to 41%of Pakistani Muslims and 64% of Sikhs. As many as 83% ofSikh respondents said that they or some one they knewhad personally experienced a hate crime.

A Sikh group also conducted a survey in late 2005inDC area to gauge awareness about them in the mainstreamand came up with dismal feedback documented in a shortfilm titled “The Sikhs on the Street”. My own experienceat Lebanon Valley College on Oct 9th where I was invitedspeaker to their World Religions class bears it out. I askedthe students if any of them had had any awareness aboutSikhs or Sikhism. Their blank stare only corroborated theDC findings.

This leads one to conclude that there are limits to whatcan be accomplished through Sikh efforts at creatingawareness about themselves. Another inference is that suchincidents have introduced unmerited tensions andinsecurities in the lives of average Sikhs.

Looking back it would seem that post 9/11 securityagencies and media gravitated to a blur and caricaturecreated imagery that was not demoralizing like the imagesof the crumbling twin towers and yet reminded people ofthe present and imminent danger that we faced. Somepoliticians also made comments against persons with towelsaround their heads. The stereotype therefore seems to havecome about through a set of circumstantial factors playingout in the public domain and the media.

Even though this happened at the time unbeknown ofits potential to endanger safety of person and property ofthe Sikh population, experience over the course of last fiveyears leaves no doubt that this stereotype indeed is creatingsuch a problem.

ACTION CHOICESI submit that to address the underlying causes we considertaking several steps within the ambit of promoting our



pluralistic societal structure. I will therefore attempt to lista few choices to get the ball rolling.

While Sikhs, notwithstanding magnitude of the task,tardy results and occasional eruption of hate incidents shouldpersevere with their outreach efforts they should work inconcert with interfaith groups, other voluntary agencies,churches to be more effective.

Some initiatives by the Commission and Agenciesrepresented here might help in some of the followingdisseminative measures that could help alleviate the situation:

• Schools are encouraged to draw reference to andclear this misconception when discussing topicsrelating to Sep 11, terrorism and the like. A packagelike ‘The Sikh Next Door (SND) Celebrating America’sDiversity in the Classroom’ a Standards-based socialstudies curriculum package for grades 6-12 couldhelp.

• Community Colleges and Colleges in State Universitiesbe likewise encouraged to include reference to Sikhsin their curricula; presently we may find that othersubjects apart, Sikhs are not even mentioned whenteaching World Religions class in most courseofferings.

• Sensitivity training of public service agenciesemployees, schoolteachers, academic andadministrative staff at Community Colleges and StateUniversities, healthcare services professionals andthe like.

• State and local Governments suggest adding referenceto Sikhs to the content for diversity training wheresuch training is advised.

• Most importantly media, especially TV, be persuadedto help correct the unwitting misperception thisstereotype is causing by voluntary, appropriate andcontinuing measures.

Sikhs Can’t Do it Alone

The killing of six innocent worshippers at Oak CreekGurdwara in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is indeed sad andunfortunate, but violent expression of hate and prejudicethat this kind of incident may represent, was not unexpected,at least to Sikh activists like me who have spent the lastseveral years—especially since September 11—in trying toreach out to the mainstream to remove misconceptionsabout Sikhs and their mistaken identity.

Readers may recall an incident about defacing of abillboard that a Sikh group had put up on Route 78, closeto Bethel, PA. The display carried a message of peace andamity and the image of a Sikh male with his characteristicsymbol of religious observance – the unshorn facial hairand a turban covering the unshorn hair on his head. Thedefacing graffiti was a message of hate against Muslims,obviously confusing Sikhs to be a part of that faith group.

Of course Sikhs are not Muslims, but Sikhs may notdistance themselves from anybody just so as to ensuretheir own safety or for fear of being subjected to hatecrimes because of mistaken identity. That is un-Sikh. ASikh would much rather stand shoulder to shoulder on theside of what is right and be one with those who work forpeace and societal harmony.

Nonetheless, Sikhs in the United States are not manyand are dispersed. They do not make waves and so do nothit the headlines. They have had a history of over a hundredyears in this great country and have been productive citizensinvolved in its corporate social and political life. In fact the


first-ever Asian U.S. Congressman was a Sikh: Duleep SinghSaund in the late 1950s. The first Sikh Gurdwara came upin Stockton, CA around one hundred years back. You meetSikhs in all walks of life – some are well-to-do, somestruggling, but none begging or committing antisocialactivities, at least in the U.S.

Why then should Sikhs be the victims of the highestincidence of hate crimes? There seems only one plausibleexplanation. To a lay American, the visible identity of Sikhsmay seem very similar to the images of Islamist terrorists,so often used in the media, more so to give a face to theperpetrators of the abominable 9/11 attacks.

Now this is an unfortunate coincidence. Those whoactually committed the 9/11 attacks did not look like Sikhs– they made themselves look more like average youngAmericans. If Sikhs had anything to hide why would theychoose to stand out in the crowd? Significantly the Sikhturban is intended as a statement of religious observance.The religion encourages that the followers try and make adifference to the society by working for the good of oneand all and to treat none as inimical or the other!

I had pleaded when the billboard incident was discussedin these columns, and I offer my humble plea again. Hardas Sikhs may try, they cannot remove the misgivings thatthe mistaken identity images have unintentionally, yet sofirmly, implanted in American minds. The U.S.administration at the time also turned a blind eye to thepossibility of consequences of this stereotype for Sikhs, inspite of feeble Sikh voices that spoke up.

Sikhs can’t do it alone. We will continue to do what wecan but we need help of the media and others who havethe ability to reach out to the mainstream America to removeany misconceptions that continue to persist!

[The above appeared as op-ed piece in Patriot News.]

Sanghvi’s Free Speech Defence

I am rather astounded at the analysis on ‘Free Speech &Sardarji Jokes’ by Vir Sanghvi in Hindustan Times. Heseems to have built a case for saving the freedom of speechin a liberal society – an objective that most right thinkingpeople will not dispute. His examples and line of argumentunfortunately are not only fallacious, ill-founded but mayalso tend to display an underlying malicious intent.

Civil societies enjoy and encourage humor andconversations in good humor. Humor indeed is an elixir tolife. At the same time civil societies are becoming increasinglyaware that to preserve their social fabric the citizenry mustlearn to become sensitive to the need to voluntarily moderateuse of several terms and innuendos that had over timecome to be seen as giving offence to a segment of thesociety by promoting or reinforcing a negative or hurtfulstereotype; conveying a sense of pejorative; tending tocause a slur; or to associate a group with a stigma.

I will give a few examples. Americans no more refer toBlacks as ‘niggers’; nor are the head coverings referred toas rags or towels. Instead the terms used are skullcap,yalmuca, hijab, turban etc. and are not made fun of. Kidsare taught in schools and workers are given sensitivitytraining in work places to learn and respect diversity, whichis characterized, by not only cultural, religious or linguisticdifferential features but also differential responses to manywords and phrases.

For Vir Sanghvi to suggest that those who do not likewhat anybody says or does even though it may be a slur


or pejorative should not see or read it is not only thoughtlessbut also even dangerous. Unspoken resentments will breeddeep grouses, continued sense of hurt and reinforce negativehistorical memories already strongly influencing our receivedattitudes or impressions of the other.

I have included jokes about Sikhs in my writing. Ithink being able to laugh at ourselves shows strength andmaturity of a community as also of an individual. WhatPritish Nandy has done is to imply very effectively thatthe mere mention of the word ‘sardar ji’ inspires instantuncontrolled mirth. Obviously what is being conveyed isthat the word has the power to conjure some very funnyimages in the mind of the listener through a communallyshared associative process. It is not a joke but clear creationand reinforcing of a negative, buffoonish stereotype. It isstigmatic. It adds another dimension to negatively profilethe intended target group.

It is possible that Pritish was only daft and did notmean any ill will but I certainly view Sanghvi’s moralizingmisinformed, devoid of serious deliberation and hopefullynot motivated.

PART III:INTERFAITH PRAYERS/ADDRESSES

Interfaith Prayer for Victims ofSep. 11

Ik Onkaar Sat NaamThere is but one God, true is His name

Hey Akal Purakh, Sache Patshah, the eternal, timeless,our true Lord.

Ghalle aaye Nanaka, sade hee uth jayesayeth Nanak, we come into this world when Thou

wishes and depart as it pleases TheeThis day we come to You in grief to pray for thevictims of the tragedy of September 11.They were

innocent They were simple, ordinary folks who got upon a beautiful Tuesday morning to do the simple andmundane things that all must do to keep their bodiesand souls together and to provide for their families.Little did they or any of us know that hatred was

going to strike its ugly hand the way it did. Wahiguru,help our

man satokh sarb ji dayaminds be at peace and full of piety for all

You preached to us that religion is not somethingunrelated to our societal behavior. You placed truthfulliving above everything. You wanted us to strive for

socialization of the spiritual on the one hand andspiritualization of the social on the other so that ourreligious precepts become our way of life. Guide us

now, so that


bhai kahu ko dait neh, na bhai manat aanwe do not cause fear to others nor be fearful of anyjis man maaney, abhiman na tanko, hinsa lok visarey

(for) those who love You are not vain and do not inflictviolence on others

ham apradhee sad bhulte tum bakshanhaare(yet)we are guilty of straying again and again and You

are ever forgivingThere is so much unrest in this world. Let not us, allYour children, lose trust in one another, lose faith in

our common destiny. Help us, guide us so that we can,imbued in Your love, continue to work for peace and

justice for all. Pray,

jagat jalanda raakh laiye apni kirpa dharshower Your kind mercy and save this burning world

Nanak nam chardi kalaa, tere bhane sarbat da bhalaNanak, may God’s name, may the human spirit forever

triumph, and in Thy will, may peace and prosperitycome to one and all.

[The quotes in italics are from Guru Granth Sahib, theholy Sikh scripture; the annotations convey the broadmeaning.]

Sep. 14, 2001 was declared the National Day of Prayer and a memorialprayer service, attended by the President, was held in WashingtonDC. The above interfaith prayer for victims was held in Hartford, CT,by CCIU, attended by Governor John Rowland and Archbishop A JCronin among thousands of others.

Closing Prayer CCIU Meeting

Ik onkaar sat naam

There is but one God, true is His name

Hey Akal Purakh, our eternal Lord,

We come to you again in prayer in these difficult times:

Even after 200 years of scientific, technological andindustrial development, the world still has more poor

than ever before,

So much of humanity is still suffering under unjust,corrupt, tyrannical and self- righteous regimes,

Even as life’s comforts for many are better thananything experienced by Man ever before, the deep

purpose in life is still eluding most of us,

The young everywhere are increasingly disenchanted,alienated with what they see, hear and watch being

done,

In spite of instant global communications, the veil ofignorance, prejudice and ill will lingers on,

We all see and recognize that now more than everbefore, our future is linked together, yet the boundariescreated by us - communities, faiths, ethnicity’s, nations,

states - deeply inhibit and divide us,

In this world that we live in today, nothing is local;nothing is anybody else’s problem - whatever happens

anywhere can have repercussions anywhere else.


So help us, guide us on this day of Gandhi’s birth whofought for freedom and liberty, so that we can conduct

ourselves in this new emerging world as individuals,peoples, leaders, governments to bring peace, justice,

prosperity for the sarbat - one and all - as Nanak alwayspreached and prayed.

[This is the text of the closing Prayer I offered, almost extempore, atthe urging of my colleague Dr Shyamala Raman at the end of a CCIUmeeting at Hartford Seminary.]

Prayer for Remembrance

I bring you the respectful greetings of my fellow Sikhsin Connecticut

Ek onkar satgur parsadThere is but one Lord, reached through His own grace

Hey akal purkh sache patshahOur eternal, true Lord

We come to You together in prayer in remembrance ofthe thousands of innocent lives lost and so much

suffering, anxiety, sadness that millions more have livedthrough since the horror of September 11. We also

honor the heroism of those who put their lives at riskso that others may live and the dedication of those

who worked to bring succor and relief to the suffering,weary and distraught. Let us also not forget to

remember those like Balbir Singh Sodhi who becameinnocent victims of misplaced rage.

The world is witnessing so much unrest and conflict.Poverty, ignorance, absence of opportunity are

pervasive. The increasingly open world instead ofhelping encourage shared values is encountering

increased polarization. The very structure of civilsociety emerging out of centuries of tortured humanhistory that held out hope and promise of an era ofrelative peace and stability seems shaken. The wide

spread feelings of hurt, anxiety, injustice and mistrustare complicating our ability to comprehend the strange

hazards of transition to the unfolding global society.


Pray, guide us so that we can, in consonance with thetimes, move constructively forward – for, as Nanak

said, the test of Your devotees is to create harmony inthe times they live in.

waqt pachhane so banda hoeWe pray let our fear not be excessive, let our hurt notguide our responses. Help all those who can influence

the direction of events that may have historicalsignificance realize that their sacred trust is to reduce

human suffering and promote peace and tranquility. Letus not forget Nanak’s persuasion that balance and

stability in the world is the product of righteousnessand compassion.

Dhaul dharma daya ka pootWe seem to be at cross roads. Divided, give us the

wisdom to understand that we have a common destiny.All of us, good as well as bad, are but Your children

and beseech You to show us the way, lead us

Prabh ji khasmana kar piyareBurey bhale hum thharey

Unto a world where the just and modest rule

Eh hoa halemi raj jioWaheguru, let it be Your pleasure to heed our prayer to

shower Your mercy on the entire world

Kirpa kar kai suno prabh sabh jag mehn varsai mehnand as always we invoke - sarbat da bhala - Your

blessing for the well being of one and all.

[The quotes in italics are from Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikhscripture. The annotations convey the broad meaning.]

The Sikh Message of Peace andBrotherhood

HARTFORD PRAYER BREAKFAST – 2002wahi guru ji ka khalsa wahi guru ji ki fateh

(Nirmal)

We want to present to you a vision for peace, harmonyand brotherhood by recalling an incident from Sikhhistory followed by reciting a hymn from the Sikh

scripture, Guru Granth Sahib.(Sirtaj)

Go back to 1705. The place is Anandpur and Sikhs areinvested frequently by the Imperial army. As the weary

sun is going down after a day of skirmishes, in thelengthening shadows of a hot summer evening, witness

an old Sikh, Kanhaiya ministering sips of water andtending the wounded of both sides. Envision the samescene another day when the wounded lay in the midst

of fallen leaves or fields wet with rain.(Nirmal)

The Sikhs upset, ask Guru Gobind Singh to stopKanhaiya from comforting the enemy. The Guru sayslet’s call him and ask him Why? Brought before the

Guru, he humbly says Lord you told us

Manas ki jat sabh ekay pehchanborecognize ye all human race as one

When I go tending the wounded and I look at themI see your image in each of them. If you pervade in all,

I see only you and no enemy.(Sirtaj)

The hymn we are reciting is a composition by BhaktRavi Daas, who as an untouchable, was even denied theright to worship but had a vision of a habitat of peace

and harmony where pain and suffering did notconstrain human life and endeavor.

(Nirmal)

The hymn is in Raag Gauree Gwaarayree (p.345)bey gam pura sehr ko nau

The name of that place is ‘land sans griefThere is no suffering, no anxiety,

no hardships, no levies,none causing fear, blemish or failure of others. ||1||

(Sirtaj)

That marvelous place, where my home is now,Is of ever lasting peace and safety, my friends.

||1||Pause||orderly and stable, overseen by God,populace all equal, none high or low,

living in this place always well spoken,body in comfort, mind contented. ||2||

(Nirmal)

People stroll about where they likenone blocking their way to the Lord’s abode

Says Ravi Daas, shoe-maker blessed,bound in friendship are all who live here. ||3||2||

(Both)

We pray for the dawn when God awakens our worldto this vision of peace and harmony and close, as

always, by praying for the well being of one and all –nanak nam chardhi kala tere bhane sarbat da bhala.

Wahi guru ji ka khalsa wahi guru ji ki fateh

(The theme given for the Sikh prayer was Peace & Brotherhood. Thisprayer was offered jointly by Nirmal Singh and Ms Sirtaj D Singh.Text by Nirmal Singh.)

The Sikh Message of Peace and Brotherhood 147

The Sikh Prayer for Peace inOur Country

HARTFORD PRAYER BREAKFAST–2003wahi guru ji ka khalsa wahi guru ji ki fateh

[NS]Hey akal purkh sache patshah

Our eternal, true LordWe come together in prayer at a time when we, the

people, are in the midst of an ongoing conflict with noforeseeable end in sight. During these uncertain times,feelings of anxiety and insecurity permeate throughout

our lives. Our prayer is to seek God’s blessings forcontinued peace and harmony in our country.

[AKD]

Claiming responsibility for our actions and workinghard for our futures form the bedrock of this greatnation. We beseech You, oh Lord, to accord us the

wisdom to be guided by our better judgment, so thatwe may collectively seek the righteous path.

Deh shiva bar mohe shubh karman te kabhoon neh taroon

Give us wisdom; guide us to treat the interests of thecommunity above our own. Bless us with the power to

respect our many faiths, for they are only differentpaths to the same Lord.

[NS]

Help us to maintain the amity and cordiality in oursocial interaction. Motivate us to make our discoursecivil and well mannered. Keep us respectful of one

another and let our choice of words not hurt those whowe may not agree with.

Gand preeti mithe bol

Every day of our life brings forth new experiences – ofjoy and sorrow; of success and failure; of hope and

despair; exhilarating and exhausting. Help us be open toone another and share our tensions, fears and anxieties.By speaking and listening to others we discover that alot of what we experience is universal. As Nanak says,for long as we are in this world let us say some and

listen some.Jab lag duniya rahiey nanak kich suniye kich kahiye

[AKD]

In a culture of ‘me first’ let us not forget the poor andunder privileged. Most of them may find it difficult toget out of cycle of deprivation in spite of their earnest

efforts. In times of crises, national disasters, andeconomic downturns, the needy suffer the most. Helpus to help them. The divine blessings descend where

the lowly are cared forJithey neech samalian tithey nadar teri bakshish

You have blessed us with a beautiful and bountifulland. You have blessed us with the will to work hard

and attempt the impossible. You have blessed us tobecome a beacon, an impetus for other nations to

further their goals and the lives of their people. Eventhough we have so much to be proud of, grant us asense of humility, for modesty and righteousness are

the qualities of those who are blessed with true wealth.saram dharam doey nanaka jo dhan palley paaye

[NS]

The Sikh Prayer for Peace in Our Country 149

We seek peace and harmony in this beloved land ofours. We make mistakes, but we are all Your children

and beseech You to show us the way; lead us.Prabh ji khasmana kar piyare

Burey bhale hum thharey

Let our civil society be secure, rooted in absoluteequality, liberty, and justice and our country be

empathetic, understanding of allEh hoa halemi raj jio

We pray for the dawn when God awakens our land toour shared vision of peace and harmony through our

prayers for all.[Both]

nanak nam chardhi kala tere bhane sarbat da bhala.

Wahi guru ji ka khalsa wahi guru ji ki fateh

The theme given for Sikh prayer was ‘peace in our country’. Thisprayer was written and offered jointly by Nirmal Singh [NS] and DrAmarjit Kaur Dargan [AKD] at the annual Hartford Prayer Breakfast,Hartford, CT.

The Sikh Prayer for Peace in Our Country 151

Sikh Prayer for Remembrance,Peace & Harmony

Ek onkar sat namThere is but one God; true is His name

Hey akal purkh sache patshahOur eternal, true Lord

We have gathered again to pray for peace and harmonyin the highly troubled world we are living in today andin remembrance of thousands of innocent lives lost this

day three years back.This also is the year of the 400th anniversary ofinstallation of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh

scripture. The Granth brings a message of prayer,sharing, caring, love, compassion, equality, justice, peaceand harmony to all mankind. It reminds us that the one

God is the God of us all. We are all His children andHis door is open to all of us whatever our persuasion

or circumstance. True religiosity consists in living aprayerful life and performing good deeds –

Sagal dharma mehn sresht dharma,har ko nam jap nirmal karam.

The path commended is to be a productive, responsiblemember of society; provide through honest work forself and family and give some to help others in need.We are told that God communicates with us through

infinite love and it is through unbounded love that wecan connect with Him –

Nirmal Singh of Farmington, a Sikh, offers a prayer at aservice at the Emanuel Synagogue Sunday afternoon markingthe third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The service was

sponsored by the Connecticut Council for InterreligiousUnderstanding.

Sikh Prayer for Remembrance, Peace & Harmony 153


Jin prem kio tin hee prabh paiyo.This world we live in is God’s visible manifestation and

everything created by Him has a purpose. Man has aspecial role but God is happy with what He has createdand He joyfully tends and cares for it. He has createddiversity, change, an array of options and given us the

ability to pick and choose. In His court we will bejudged by choices we make. Learning to live in His willand creating harmony in the times we live in is the true

test of a devotee–Waqt vicharey so banda hoey.

In this paradigm of piety equality, peace, justice,harmony, poise, balance and mutual accommodation are

important building blocks. The ideal society has beenvariously described as – halemi raj – governance through

modesty and compassion and – be gam pura- land sansgrief where society is supportive and people do not

cause one another to suffer.Guru Nanak in his compositions recognized the ills thatpervaded the society of his times. He was a witness tothe horrible suffering inflicted on the hapless civilians,men, women and children caught in the cross fire of

the struggle for supremacy by the strong and powerful.He was deeply troubled by the plight, for centuries of

the lower castes and women. His anguish at thesuffering of the innocent was so deep that he even

chided God that “Did Thou feel no compassion for theircries of pain?”

Aiti mar payee kurlaney tain ki dard neh aaya

We heard those cries in our midst three years back. Wecontinue to hear them in so many places across the

globe today. So much of this strife is in the name of orfor the protection of tradition and values. Each sidecalls the other evil and all invoke God to their side.Men have forgotten that God created us as humans,

not, as Nanak said centuries earlier, as Hindus orMuslims - our body and soul but belongs to the One –

call him Allah, call him RamNeh ham hindu neh musalman, allah ram ke pind pran

Let us then in our moment of reflection remember theseand several other pearls of wisdom that have come tous through the prophets, sages and savants. We cannot

change the world and our influence may indeed belimited but it is not beyond our power to keep trying

to make men of reason to assert their belief in theeternal truths and basic tenets of virtuous living. For

ourselves at our level let us accept one another. Let usrecognize that there can be several paths to the same

destination. Let us learn to care and share; to love andto pray that God, in His beneficence, showers His

mercy and blessings on one and all –Nanak nam chardi kala, tere bhane sarbat da bhala.

Thank you all for joining in our prayerWahiguru ji ka khalsa wahiguru ji ki fateh.

Sikh Prayer for Remembrance, Peace & Harmony 155

Spirituality Beyond Religions

THE SIKH PRAYEREk onkar satgur parsad

There is but one God reached through the grace ofTrue Guru

Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture brings a messageof prayer, sharing, caring, love, compassion, equality,

justice, peace and harmony to all mankind. It remindsus that the one God is the God of us all. We are all

His children and His door is open to all of us whateverour persuasion or circumstance.

The path Gurus commended is to be a productive,responsible member of society, provide through honestwork for self and family and give some to help othersin need. We are told that God communicates with us

through infinite love and it is through unbounded lovethat we can connect with Him –

Jin prem kio tin hee prabh paiyo.

Guru Nanak in his compositions recognized the ills thatpervaded the society of his times. He was a witness tothe horrible suffering inflicted on the hapless civilians,men, women and children caught in the cross fire of

the struggle for supremacy by the strong and powerful.He was deeply troubled by the plight, for centuries of

the lower castes and women. His anguish at thesuffering of the innocent was so deep that he even

chided God that “Did Thou feel no compassion for theircries of pain?”

Aiti mar payee kurlaney tain ki dard neh aayaWe continue to hear those cries in so many places

across the globe today. So much of this strife is in thename of or for the protection of tradition and values.Each side calls the other evil and all invoke God to

their side. Men have forgotten that God created us ashumans, not, as Nanak said centuries earlier, as Hindusor Muslims - our body and soul but belongs to the One

– call him Allah, call him RamNeh ham hindu neh musalman, allah ram ke pind pran

Let us then in our moment of reflection remember theseand several other pearls of wisdom that have come tous through the prophets, sages and savants beckoning

us to explore the shared human destiny beyondreligious divides. We cannot change the world and our

influence may indeed be limited but it is not beyondour power to keep trying to make men of reason to

assert their belief in the eternal truths and basic tenetsof virtuous living. For ourselves at our level let us

accept one another. Let us recognize that there can beseveral paths to the same destination. Let us learn tocare and share, to love and to pray that God, in Hisbeneficence, showers His mercy and blessings on one

and allNanak nam chardi kala, tere bhane sarbat da bhala.

This prayer was offered jointly by me, my wife, Veenaand Jessie Kaur from Australia, at the opening session

of the International Conference on the theme of‘Spirituality Beyond Religions’ convened by International

Center for Cultural Studies www.iccsus.org andInternational Conference and Gathering of the Elders at

Jaipur, India, in 2007.

Spirituality Beyond Religions 157

Sikh Interfaith Prayer: PA Senate

Ek onkar satnamThere is but One God, true is His name

We pray to the One God who created this universewith all its colorful diversity, ranng as we call it. Wepray to the One God under whose divine ordinance,

hukam, this universe abides. We pray to sabhnaa jiaan kaaik daataa, the One God who provides for and sustains

all this creation.Pray give us the understanding that this world is a

dharamsaal, an arena for righteous living. Much of whatpeople can accomplish in life happens through their own

ghaal, their endeavor. We pray for kirpa, Thy divinemercy to enable us all to be prayerful, enable us all to

provide for our families, enable us all to share withthose in need and enable us all not to shy away fromdoing what is right. That truly is the righteous way.

Help us nurture a society where we all live as afraternity with none feeling excluded or treated as astranger; where we say some and listen some; wherewe bring harmony, peace, caring and sharing to our

corporate communal lives and help each and every oneof us to grow, develop and contribute towards the

common good.We pray for this sangat, this Assembly. Heavy is your

responsibility and difficult are the choices you have tomake as leaders of the people. We pray for you

individually and collectively to be blessed with thewisdom to conduct your business today and every day

in service of and for the well being of the citizens ofthis Commonwealth.

We close this prayer as always seeking, terai bhaanaisarbat ka bhalla, Thy will to be the well being of one and

all in the world.Wahiguru ji ka khalsa wahiguru ji ki fateh

* * *[Offering this prayer would not have been a major

event except for the fact that this was the first time in thehistory of PA that the State Senate invited a Sikh to performguest Chaplaincy. They had in fact never invited nonChristians to offer an opening prayer and it was only inthe recent past they extended the invitation to a JewishRabbi, a Unitarian Pastor and then a white AmericanBuddhist Monk to offer the prayer.

We owe it to the activism of a fellow interfaith groupof non-believers led by Carl H Silverman who had beencampaigning for inclusiveness and had asked me some timeback if I would be willing to offer a Sikh prayer, if Senateseemed inclined, and I gladly agreed, thus co opting withtheir project.

At my request, the Senate administration blocked 15seats in the visitor’s gallery for seating members of thelocal Sikh community who may like to attend.

Sikhs have done this in some other States. Even thoughthe expectation is that the prayer offered should be nonsectarian, interfaith invocation, what we say evokes interestbecause not much is known about our beliefs and becauseof our visible identity.

Mary Warner, Religion/Values Reporter, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, asked me a couple of questions regardingthe prayer in the Senate:

• What were you aiming for in this prayer?• What principles guided your composition of it?• How does it compare to a prayer you’d give in a

Sikh service?

Sikh Interfaith Prayer: PA Senate 159


My answer was that ‘this prayer is very different fromthe way a traditional invocation would be offered in aSikh service. When offering in the Sikh setting, there arecertain phrases and cites that are invariably included. Forexample we start with remembering God and then rememberthe names of the ten Gurus and finally acknowledge theliving Guru, the Granth and after remembering someinspiring events and episodes from Sikh experience, weseek God’s blessings for the purpose/project, for guidancein day to day living, for the gift of prayerfulness and thewell being of one and all in the world.’

I went on to say that ‘Sikh teachings are very universaland I have tried to structure this prayer around itsuniversality like:

• One God, who is God of all, not sectarian or SikhDeity

• The aspect about righteous living is again universalthough the paradigm may vary - I picked a fewpoints that I felt were germane

• Societal concerns likewise are shared concerns; againlimited to my understanding and prioritization

• Praying for guidance for the assembly is importantfor their work day is getting started and their workaffects us all

• the last line is seeking good of all, a shared universalsupplication by Sikhs at the closing of all their prayers

I also mentioned that ‘Almost all the sentences that Iused can be supported by cites from the Sikh scripturalliterature but I limited myself to just sprinkle a few wordshere and there to give a flavor to the listeners. My concernobviously was to try and offer an invocation that is universalin spirit and intent but can be traced back to its Sikhlinkage. I hope I have been able to do it.’

To reinforce I added ‘The Sikh message is very universalthough in a foreign tongue. The scripture also is a uniqueinterfaith anthology containing not only the compositions

of the Sikh Gurus but also of several Hindu, Muslim andShudhra saints of the time and Sikhs revere their teachingsequally.’

I closed with the hope that ‘I am treading the fine lineof offering an interfaith Sikh prayer in a reasonablyacceptable manner.’

Dr Harbans Lal, a veteran Sikh interfaith activist, wroteto me ‘I must congratulate you for coming up a truly Sikhinterfaith prayer. You understood that Sikh prayer isuniversal for multifaith platforms. Often I hear our peoplerepeating our community and gurdwara ardas as interfaithprayer on multifaith platforms. Thank you for taking alead. I think that you should post the text on internets soothers may take a hint.’

Carl Silverman wrote to Senator Pat Vance ‘After thewell-received invocation by Nirmal Singh of the Sikhcommunity, I would now like to request that you extendan invitation to another active participant in the InterfaithAlliance of Pennsylvania to perform an opening invocationfor the Senate ——.’ No response, since!

The video of the prayer has been placed by the SikhSociety of Harrisburg on the U Tube and can be accessedat the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_1Sv3rGZ8]

Sikh Interfaith Prayer: PA Senate 161

Bringing Faith, Meaning & Peaceto Life in a Multicultural World

EXAMPLES FROM INDIAIn the coming several days we would get to say and hearso much about the work and contribution of Said Nursi[1876-1960]. My friend Ibrahim has summed up that Nursi’s‘career and writings provide us with deep insights into —the predicament of the traditional class of ullama, the failureof Islamic reform movement of the 19th century to providean Islamic solution to the challenge of Westernization, —and state of religion in Kemalist Turkey — perhaps themost interesting part was his sustained intellectual andreligious challenge to the secularist and nationalist systembuilt by Kemal Ataturk.’

I want to share with you short snippets of the life,work and letters of three eminent contemporaries of theSaid from the Indian sub continent – a Sikh Bhai Vir Singh;a Hindu Mahatma Gandhi and a Muslim Allama MohammedIqbal – all who endeavored to bring back a sense of dignityto dispirited people, position them for their political futurein a changing world and reform their traditions from withinto meet these challenges. My purpose really is thus toencourage a broader look at the great work done by theSaid in the wider perspective of the experience andresponses to the challenges of change by various traditionsin their respective, though significantly similar, situations.

Bhai Vir Singh [1872-1957] was born into a family withstrong tradition in Sikh scholarship, both on his father and


his mother’s sides. This influence rubbed on his youthfulmind and in 1892 when he was barely twenty he becameactive in Singh Sabha movement for Sikh reform; publishedbooks for children in Punjabi and Urdu and startedtranslating Sheikh Saudi’s works ‘Gulistan’ and ‘Dabistan’;founded Khalsa College [then as school] and establishedWazir-e-Hind Press, the first at Amritsar. He founded theKhalsa Tract Society in 1894 to propagate Sikh culture andreligion. The Society distributed millions of tracts andpublications on various aspects of Sikh reform. In 1899 hestarted ‘Khalsa Samachar’, a weekly paper that soon becamethe organ for discussion and development of Sikh thoughtand aspirations and influenced the Sikh thinking for thenext half century. In 1900 he was associated in the formationof Chief Khalsa Diwan that took leading role in shapingSikh social, religious and political activities prior to themajor reforms in mid 1920’s. In 1908 he founded the SikhEducational Committee which spear headed the spread ofprimary and secondary education among Sikhs. As aphilanthropist, he established ‘Vidhva Ashram’ an institutionfor widows at Amritsar in 1912; a hospital at Taran Taranin 1915; an ‘ashram’ for the blind in 1935 and a freeHomeopathic Hospital in 1943 at Amritsar.

He grew up in age of ferment in Sikhs post their lossof Empire. The aristocracy had lost their sheen and Punjabiintellectual life was in decline. Sikhs had concerns abouttheir survival and definition of the boundaries of theirfaith in the face of growing need for modernization and tocontain Hindu attempts at appropriating Sikhism as part oftheir tradition by interweaving Hindu motifs into theessential Sikh teaching. His thrust was directed at redefiningSikhism.

Over the prior three centuries Sikh literary heritagehad grown in Braj because of the disturbed conditions inPunjab and continued patronage from the Sikh aristocracy.To reclaim this position he transformed the writing inPunjabi, prose, poetry, and gave it new rhythm, flow and

direction sensitive to expression of Sikh thought and alsocontemporary social and political challenges. He wrotealmost all his theological, scholarly and creative workexclusively in Punjabi. His novels include those on Sikhexperience in 18th century as models of courage, fortitudeand human dignity and others with numerous motifs ofsocial reform, moral teaching in pluralistic confrontationalsetting.. As a poet his concern seems to be more aestheticand he transformed the old measures of sorath, var, kabitand baint. His legacy is reflected in the vitality of theemerging Sikh identity and Sikh thought and burgeoningSikh literature in Punjabi.

Gandhi [1869-1948], was trained in England to be aBarrister. An early influence on him was when upon readingTolstoy he discovered to relate non-violence to social action.He had tremendous assets that make a successful leaderand he used them effectively to further the political objectiveshe held so dear and important.

He was a prolific writer. His prose was succinct and hecould articulate the inner yearning of a people under foreigndomination. He identified with the poor by his simplisticliving and adopting their visible symbols and connectedwith them through his strong sense of the spiritual andethical in the Indian tradition.

As a Hindu reformer Gandhi tried to reconstruct Hinduthought – his Discourses on Gita, 1927, represent consciouseffort to relate religious thought to urgent problems of theday; particularly in the face of the failures of revolutionarystruggles of 20’s. He cast the battle as between dharma andadharma; right and wrong; good and evil and asked peopleto make the right choices. He decried hypocrisy andsuperstition but did not give up on the ascetic in Hinduismand believed in chastity and self-mortification. He wantedHindus to decide for themselves and left alone to reformthemselves.

His main thrust was against foreign dominance andtherefore his work, responses and utterances received

Bringing Faith, Meaning & Peace to Life in a Multicultural World 165


tremendous coverage and analysis by insiders as well asoutsiders. His legacy of ‘swadeshi’, ‘satyagraha’, non-violence did not survive in practice even his own lifetime.He is hailed as the father of Nation by Indians.

The story of Iqbal [1877-1938] has its own rich features.He also received his higher education in Europe and wasan intellectual giant with a very sensitive mind and piousdisposition. As a man of letters, poet and scholar he achievedextraordinary heights. Over time his political thoughttransformed from an inclusive, democratic political structureto one that additionally envisaged constitutional protectionfor the rights, heritage and aspirations of Muslims. Thissoon became the inspiration for seeking a separate Muslimstate.

Iqbal became the impassioned voice, through his poeticimages, of spiritually despairing Muslims after their lossof Mughal Empire. He like Gandhi, Vir Singh and otherswas motivated to rid India of Imperialists domination andassert a voice for their tradition. He was well educatedand wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian but his significantprose writing was in English.

Iqbal wanted all people to know about all religionsand to recognize that changes in perspective were alwayshappening in all traditions. He delivered his Reconstructionof Religious Thought in Islam lectures in Madras in 1929; aperiod sensed as one of failure by Muslims too. He alsowanted the Muslims to be left to decide on the direction,priorities and pace of their reform. He wanted the Muslimsto approach problems of modernity with careful judgmentand insight. He wanted cultural autonomy for Muslimswithin the political plurality because he feared that aminority could easily retreat into sterile religiousconservatism.

Iqbal considered Nationalism the greater threat to thefuture of peaceful society – dying in the name of nationhoodwas as bad for citizens could be manipulated to hate citizensof other nations. Yet, he has been called the father of the

nation of Pakistan. He felt politics has its roots in thespiritual life of a man. Change could only come if men feltdeeply for and worked for. He wanted the Muslims tothink of their political and cultural future together forthen only the religion could survive and religious valuesblossom into action.

The contribution by all these three was very importantin the context of changes engulfing the world in early 20th

century and may provide interesting and instructive insightsinto the mission of the great Said.

[The above short presentation was made by me at theOpening Session of the “Bringing Faith, Meaning & Peaceto Life in a Multicultural World: the Risal-i Nur Approach”conference convened by the Istanbul Foundation for Science& Culture at Istanbul, Turkey from 3 to 6 Oct 2004. It wasindeed an honor to be called to speak immediately afterDr Thomas Michel who was representing the Vatican andwho also read out the message from the Pope at theconference.

The attendance at the conference was massive. Theinaugural session would have attracted around five thousandinside the huge auditorium and an equal number outsidewatching proceedings on giant TV screens. Almost 40 to 50%were women. I was the first Sikh, or possibly the firstperson from other than Semitic faiths, invited to participatein this their seventh bi-annual conference. I was overwhelmedby courtesies received and attention by TV and print media.The picture appearing in the book is from the front pageof Turkish newspaper Zaman the next day.

Over 75 papers were presented by Christian, Jew andMuslim scholars. The subject of my paper was “Contentmentfor Inner Peace and Harmony in Society: the Thought ofNursi & Sikh Gurus.”]

Bringing Faith, Meaning & Peace to Life in a Multicultural World 167

Shatter Not Any Dreams

The theme of this afternoon meet hosted by our Ahmediyafriends is Peace. I respect their deep sense of piety andadmire their quest for peace in a world that seems sointent on staying conflicted.

The Sikh Gurus also spoke intensely about the sufferingof the innocent caught in the midst of wars and invasions.They felt deeply for the weak, the vulnerable and theanguished woman waiting for the return of her husbandwho never did make it back because some arrow or bullethad his name written on it.

They also felt that the cause of most conflicts lay in thedegradation of our moral values and that God chooses topunish those who fall in their conduct. True, but then theyasked of the forgiving, kind and loving God ‘Did the wailsof the suffering innocent, who got caught in the cross firenot kindle compassion in Thine heart - Aiti maar paiyeekarlaanai tain kee dard neh ayyaa?

What can we do for peace? We can talk. Talking alwayshelps. At least as long as we are talking we will not kill ormaim somebody. But if we talk wrong we can hurt and ifthat hurt does not go away we can end up in worse fights.So let our talk be in love - sweet, gentle and reassuring -Mithat neevee naanakaa gun changyayan tat.

Let us also try and control our own exclusionarypropensities. Let us try and include and get included, moreinvolved where we live – with people around us. Let ustry and help these small circles of harmony expand, andgrow. These are the nuclei of Guru Arjan’s vision of halemi

raj – all inspired by a shared desire to catalyze little changesfor the better – within and around us.

Let us also remember and keep reminding the powerfulthat the real victory is in averting conflict, not in subduingthe enemy.

In a rambling conversation when representatives ofour hosts who graciously visited with me to invite me tothis evening, I mentioned about the itinerancy of varyinginterests that had characterized my life, they thought Ishould share that in some way. I agonized but could notthink how except to say that in every case God helped meto stop when I felt I was still doing good and move onbefore I could shatter the dream that I thought I wasliving.

Societal harmony too is like a fragile dream. It is soeasy to snap out of it. I have seen it happen – perhaps toooften. So cherish it. Tend it. Protect it and seek God’sdivine kirpa – mercy and grace – to guide how to keep itgoing. The old paradigms may not work – think afresh ofnew, simpler, direct ways that touch rather than teach. Doyour best. And if you can not change the world, do notworry. At least you did not shatter any dreams!

Remember too that people like me do get carried awayby inanities. Now that is not what is expected of an invitedspeaker but as the poet Ghalib said

– bak raha hoon janoon main kya kya kuchh, kuchh nehsamjhai khuda karai koee – I know not what insanities I amuttering in my passion. Pray God none can make head ortail of my raving!

[On Jun 19-21, 2008, Ahmediyas celebrated the centenary celebrationsof the Khilafat with around 10000 attending a well-organized three-day event at Harrisburg, PA. The above is the text of my shortpresentation at their interfaith session.]

Shatter Not Any Dreams 169

PART IV:MULTICULTURAL FESTIVITIES

Baisakhi & Sikhs

Let me first of all thank LVC and more specifically PaulFullmer, your College Chaplain for his untiring efforts tomake this event possible and work diligently to bring ittogether. I also want to thank my colleagues who havehelped in putting together our presentations this evening.You have already heard our youthful members sing aninvocation55 extolling the unity of the Divine reality,whatever be the names and labels that we may use per ourpersonal persuasions and beliefs. The message of Sikh Gurus,you would find, tends to be universal, transcending severaldifferences that divide us.

Let me now turn to Baisakhi. It is in fact a traditionalseasonal festival that has come to assume major significancein the Sikh faith. The month now known as Baisakh wasspelt Vaisakh in the Sikh scripture and is the second monthof the traditional Indian year; the first being month ofChayt. Coming in late spring to early summer, when thewinter crops come ready for harvesting, it is a heady timewith feelings of love, hope, and expressions of joy andthanksgiving pervading the air.

The festival traditionally was celebrated under differentnames and with different rituals in several regions of India- as Rongali Bihu in Assam, Naba Barsha in Bengal,Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala and Vaishakha inBihar and falls on the first day of solar month of Baisakhcorresponding to April 13/14. The corresponding datesunder the Julian calendar were March 29/30.


THAT TIME OF THE YEAR IN GRANTHThe Gurus also lauded the month of Baisakh in a metaphorof love divine. Says Nanak ‘Pleasant is the month of Baisakhas trees and bushes blossom forth with fresh leaves. Thesoul-bride yearns to see Hari at her door. Take pity on me- come home my dear Love and carry me across thistreacherous world-ocean. Absent You, there is no worth inme but if I am pleasing to You my worth is beyond estimation—— I know that You are not far away - for deep withinme I sense Your presence, Your divine abode. O Nanak,thus finding Prabhu in Baisakh, my consciousness is imbuedwith Shabad in total belief.’56

In a similar vein Guru Arjun says ‘Delightful is theseason of spring and pleasant are the months of Chayt andBaisaakh. I am united with Hari and my mind, body andbreath have blossomed forth. The eternal, unchanging Onehas come into my home as my husband Lord and myfriends, dwelling upon His lotus feet; I am transported toa state of sublime bliss. Great are the virtues of the beautiful,proficient, wise and all-knowing Govind. Having foundHim by great good fortune my pain is dispelled, my hopesfulfilled. Nanak submits prayerfully, having entered Yoursanctuary, gone is my fear of death.’57

BAISAKHI & SIKH HISTORYGuru Nanak was born in the month of Baisakh thoughtraditionally his birthday festivities are celebrated aboutsix months later. Baisakhi was a popular festival in thetime of Gurus and it was on the day of Baisakhi in 1567that Guru Amar Das first institutionalized it as the daywhen all Sikhs should gather at Goindwal for an annualcongregational fair; thus enabling them to meet with theGuru and also to encourage fraternity.

A hundred and thirty two years later, when Sikhs hadlived through almost a century of oppression and twoGuru martyrdoms, Guru Gobind Singh felt the need forregeneration of Sikhs and he called upon them to congregate

at Anandpur on March 30, 1699 for a historic Baisakhievent.

Congregation in place, the Guru spoke powerfully ofthe dangers that lurked to hurt the Panth. He knew fornot only was his own father Guru martyred but he hadbeen forced into several conflicts in the years preceding –by Hindu Rajas at Bhangani in 1685, Alif Khan at Nadaunin 1691 and Hussaini with an alliance of Hindu Rajas in1696.

Unsheathed sword in his grip, he asked anyoneprepared to lay down his life for the Guru to come forward.In the stillness that ensued, on his third call, hesitatinglyone Daya Ram came forward. The Guru took Daya Raminside a tent and reappeared alone with a bloodied swordasking for yet another volunteer. This was repeated fourtimes till a total of five Sikhs had followed the Guru intothe tent and not returned. The Guru broke the suspense alittle later and led all the five back on to the stage dressedalike in new robes to ceremoniously receive Pahul – thenewly devised initiation rite into the order of Khalsa. Thesefive he called panj pyarai, the elect five, a symbolicembodiment of the Guru himself and soon was on hisknees asking them to bless him with the Pahul. The Gurualso directed Sikhs to wear five K’s that give them theirvisible identity that you see here among us.

Baisakhi therefore is a very important date on Sikhcalendar. Sikhs celebrate the day as the day of creation ofthe Khalsa and the Sikh New Year. The Pahul ceremony isheld at many Gurdwaras. At several places sportingactivities are a part of festivities. So is nagar kirtan, a colorfulprocession taken out through city streets – you can see onein New York City on the coming 28th.

Several other Baisakhis also acquired historicalsignificance. During the turbulent period of 18th centurywhen Sikhs were faced with severe persecution Baisakhiwas again picked by them as one of the preferred occasionsto meet and discuss problems confronting the community.

Baisakhi & Sikhs 175


When Tara Singh of Van and his companions were killedin 1726, Sikhs met at Baisakhi and resolved to raidgovernment treasuries and arsenals and to chastise spiesand informers. Again on the Baisakhi in 1747 Sikhs decidedto build a fort at Amritsar that came to be known as RamRauni. On Baisakhi day in 1748 Sikhs met and decided ona major reorganization of various resistance groups underthe overall leadership of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. In March1765, on Baisakhi they resolved to occupy Lahore.

THE DANCE CONNECTIONIn the secular arena Baisakhi is associated with dancing tothe beat of a dhol; Bhangra and Gidda being the two populardance forms. Jhummar and Sami are the other folk dancesin the same genre. Significantly all these dance formsoriginated in the geographic area between the rivers Chenaband Ravi, now in Pakistan – the same area where Nanakwas born and spent his growing years. Chenab is linked tothe romantic like the favorite lyric ‘vag vag vai jhana dehapaneea, terai kandai te asskaan neh moja maaneeyan’ – flow,flow the waters of Chenab; the lovers have reveled onyour banks.

It is believed that traditionally farmers performedBhangra to ward off ruinous effects of evil spirits on theharvest. Bhangra is also associated with fertility rites. It isvigorous and vibrant and is performed in several stylesincluding Sialkoti, Sheikhupuri, Tribal, Malwa, Majha andHarrisburg Fusion that you will witness this evening.

Gidda is a popular folk dance of women. It is essentiallydanced in circles. Girls form rings and one of the dancerssits in the centre with a dholki providing the beat as girlstake turns to come forward and recite a verse with theothers picking up the refrain and joining in. I like its format– the part about women going round in circles. Betterthem than I – I have had my share of it!

The songs sometimes are mere teasers, at other timesthey tell a story and yet others give expression to various

feelings of love and longing. ‘mere kaag banerai te boleya’ –omen of lover’s coming in Jhummar and ‘dachi waleya morhmuhaar ve’ – imploring the camel riding lover to pull thereign to turn homeward in Sami are some examples inaddition to what you will hear later in performances.

I may clarify here that singing to the accompanimentof various musical instruments and percussion is an essentialpart of Sikh worship service but dancing or even rhythmichand clapping is not permitted. Gurus also introduced avariety of rhythmic measures including some of the mostcomplex known to Indian classical music when setting thescriptural compositions to music. For example in partal thebeat changes from stanza to stanza with the base rhythmof refrain as an anchor – reminiscent of some rigorousdance forms. All this is to enhance the possibility of one’sconscious to be able to connect with the sublime in theWord aided by rhyme and rhythm even as the body iskept in control so that the experience stays spiritual anddoes not stray into the physical. You can now figure outthe spacing of my intervention in this evening’s program!

About what is to follow – it is an inter-generationalmedley to get you a broad flavor. We will have a dholinterlude followed by dance performances by a group ofpre teens and then a teen group. Next we would presenta musical skit by two young ladies. We would thenencourage you all to join in dancing for a few minutes sothat you are well energized before we turn you over toour learned speaker for the evening!

I will continue to chirp in as we switch items and nowManpreet, let the dhol roll - - -!

PS: Paul Fullmer called me a few days before the eventand told me that LVC had invited one Dr Mandair for apresentation as part of an LVC colloquium on democracythe day of our event and requested us to consider if thetwo events could be combined which I thought would bewonderful.

I picked up Arvind from the Airport, took him to his

Baisakhi & Sikhs 177


rooms in LVC, talked some and met him again for a longishevening - our 1 hr cultural program, my above introductorytalk, dinner and then Arvind’s presentation. There wouldhave been about 50 of us from the Sikh community inCentral PA present at the function.

ENDNOTES:55. koee bolai raam raam koee khudhaae koee saevai guseeaa koee

alaahi kaaran karan kareem kirapaa dhhaar reheem koee naavaitheerathh koee haj jaae koee karai poojaa koee sir nivaae koeeparrai baedh koee kathaeb koee oudtai neel koee supaedh koeekehai thurak koee kehai hi(n)dhoo koee baashhai bhisath koeesuragi(n)dhoo kahu naanak jin hukam pashhaathaa prabh saahibkaa thin bhaedh jaathaa – Some address Him as Raam, someas Khudaa. Some serve Him as ‘Gusain’, others as ‘Allaah’.He is the Cause of causes, the generous Giver. He showersHis grace and mercy on all. Some bathe at sacred shrinesand some make pilgrimage to Mecca. Some performdevotional worship services, and some bow their heads inprayer. Some read the Vedas, and some the Kateb. Somewear blue robes and some wear white. Some call themselvesMuslim, and some call themselves Hindu. Some yearn forparadise and others long for heaven. Says Nanak, one whorealizes His Hukam, knows the secrets of his Master Prabhu.-Ramkali M V, p. 885

56. vaisaakh bhalaa saakhaa vaes karae || dhhan dhaekhai hardhuaar aavahu dhaeiaa karae || ghar aao piaarae dhuthar thaaraethudhh bin adt n molo || keemath koun karae thudhh bhaavaa(n)dhaekh dhikhaavai dtolo || dhoor n jaanaa a(n)thar maanaa harkaa mehal pashhaanaa || naanak vaisaakhee(n) prabh paavaisurath sabadh man maanaa – Tukhari M I, p. 1108

57. ruth saras basa(n)th maah chaeth vaisaakh sukh maas jeeo harjeeo naahu miliaa mouliaa man than saas jeeo ghar naahu nihachalanadh sakheeeae charan kamal prafuliaa su(n)dhar sugharr sujaanbaethaa gun govi(n)dh amuliaa vaddabhaag paaeiaa dhukhgavaaeiaa bhee pooran aas jeeo binava(n)th naanak saran thaereemittee jam kee thraas jeeo – Ramkali M V, Chhant, p. 927

Lohri: A Mid-Winter Celebration

In Punjab, the part of the world where I was born andspent my early years, the last day of the month Poh duringwhich winter solstice takes place is celebrated as a festivalcalled Lohri. It invariably falls on the 13th January, whenthe nights are long and at their coldest.

The frosty winter weather intensifies, deepens longing– the metaphor captured beautifully by Guru Nanak: ‘pokhthukhaar parrai van thrin ras sokhai, aavath kee naahee man thanvasehi mukhae’ – [like] the fields wither and sap dries up intrees as the frost falls in Poh; my heart, body ache for You;Your name is on my lips - why have You not come?

The festival comes sort of mid way between the sowingsin October and harvesting in April -at a time when thefarmers are relatively free. May be it is some lingeringlonging or anxiety if the harvest will be good or just seekingsome diversion from the harsh weather people love thisfestival. Its origin is not clear though there are severallegends about it. One associates it to Lohri, sister to Holikawhose name is linked to Holi festival. A simpler explanationtraces Lohri to loh, the large iron plate traditionally usedfor baking chapattis for feasts.

The nightly festivities are held around a bonfire. Logsof wood piled together are lighted as family and friendsassemble around it. They go around the fire, throwingpopcorn, peanuts, rayveri [brittle sesame candy] and sweetsto stoke the flaming embers. Some may strike up a dhol[drum], its compelling rhythm breaking people into


spontaneous dancing. The day ends with a traditional feastof corn bread with a dish of mustard greens and dessertof rice cooked in fresh sugar cane juice – all laced withexotic spices and creamy butter. Not associated with anyfaith persuasion, Lohri especially celebrates the newlywedsand the new born – a tribute to coming together andcontinuity in life.

In the days preceding Lohri, boys go from house tohouse singing songs for contributions in cash and kind forthe bonfire. The lyrics from Punjabi folk lore, some eulogizinggallantry, reminiscent of Robin Hood, of Dulla Bhatti, aPunjabi Muslim highway robber of the 16th century arecommon. In villages, the girls would go in groups visitinghouseholds exchanging a variety of homemade sweets.

The day after Lohri is known as Maghi, another festiveday celebrating the start of the month known as Magh inPunjab. Magh is considered an auspicious month. Agh meanssin - Magh eradicates sin. Hindus light lamps with sesameoil as this is supposed to give prosperity and drive awayall sins. Bathing in any river on Maghi is important. It istraditional to eat kheer – akin to rice pudding – on thisday. Sikhs celebrate it as a three-day fair at Muktsar incommemoration of a heroic fight by forty Sikhs who laiddown their lives warding off attack by an imperial armyin pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh near the lake of Khidranain December 1705. These men earlier, during a prolongedsiege, had disowned and deserted the Guru but came backwhen shamed by their women folk. The Guru redeemedthe dying heroes by tearing their disclaimer and declaringthem muktas [liberated ones]. In time Khidrana came to beknown as Muktsar - the Pool of Liberation.

Guru Nanak had said about the month of Magh: maaghpuneeth bhaee theerathh anthar jaaniaa, saajan sehaj milae gungehi ank samaaniaa - in Maagh, I am cleansed and awarenessof His sacred abode within dawns on me. I meet my Belovedwith intuitive ease; grasp His glorious virtues, and mergein His Being.

For sure some inner transformation was witnessed atthe turn of this month around two centuries later at Khidrana!

Lohri is a festival of zeal and verve - feasts and foods- celebration and sharing – dance and music - in thankfulnessfor God’s provision but celebrated, if at all, in the privacyof their homes by Punjabis in the US. There may be amodest beginning to commemorate it. The East PennsylvaniaPunjabi Association is planning a celebration and informationabout the event is available at http://www.eppa.us.

Jan 2, 2011 [Written as a backgrounder for the printmedia]

Lohri: A Mid-Winter Celebration 181

Reminiscing Festivities:This Festive Season

Come this time of the year, as the days get shorter andnights colder, thankfully expectation of the coming festivalsbrings a sense of warmth and joy to all our hearts. We areSikhs from that far away land, India and my wife and Ihave spent more summers, and winters, there than here inthe US. We have been fortunate, during these last twentyplus years that we have been here, to have been made apart of several celebrations by our friends and neighbors.

I cannot ever forget my first Thanksgiving. I was thenliving the roving life of a management consultant - onassignment in Rochester, NY. The consulting firm that Iworked for allowed a day off on Thanksgiving but expectedus to work the Friday and if possible Saturday to make upfor the lost billing. My client asked me about my plans forthe holiday and I jokingly said I could work on the project– did I not love my work so much!

When my client joined me for breakfast at the hotelThanksgiving morning, something that he had always done,he said, ‘My wife and I would like you to join us for theholiday dinner – can I come and get you later to take youhome?’ Great, yes, thank you. It was a wonderful lateafternoon dinner – he, his wife, family and friends wereall so gracious and welcoming. My first Thanksgiving leftme thankful for their having introduced me to this lovelytradition and to make me a part of their warm and friendlygathering.

In the intervening years we developed friendships withseveral of our neighbors and others with whom we hadthe opportunity to come in some sort of continuing contact.We received hospitality and invited them to join us forsocial meals and on festive occasions – gatherings thatwere always so full of warmth, caring and sharing as if wehad found family away from family.

Yet every time we get into the holiday season I cannothelp thinking, somewhat nostalgically, about the way weused to celebrate festivals around this time when I wasgrowing up. The fun used to begin with Diwali when thehouse was lit up with candles and was overflowing withmithhai, those delectable sweet goodies that we all loved.Diwali heralds the start of winter in the culture I comefrom. The nip in the air and illuminations somehow seemedto go together.

Two weeks later, we would again light up homescelebrating the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founding Guruof Sikhs. We would all go to the Gurdwara, Sikh house ofworship, for joining the prayer services. Listening to thekirtan, the spiritual music so central to Sikh worship, bythe best exponents of this tradition, was always so inspiringand peace inducing. In between, we would go to help asvolunteers or partake of langar and then rejoin thecongregation.

The service over, we would, as a family, take a vantageposition to watch the start of nagar kirtan, the religiousprocession, that would meander its way through city streetsbefore it returned to the Gurdwara. This was always aspectacle with hymn singing groups, school bands, gatkagroups displaying their skills of Sikh martial arts, deckedup floats, the best at the end carrying the holy Sikh scripturelike a mobile sanctum sanctorum. And not to miss, stallsall along the way offering food and snacks to by standersand passersby.

Later in the evening we would light up candles, startingwith our little home chapel, and then decorating the premises

Reminiscing Festivities: This Festive Season 183


including the parapets, the pathways, the windows anddoors. All of us joined in doing this – we felt it was sortof offering our humble respect to the divine Guru. Andagain, we would some time go back to the Gurdwara towatch the fireworks display and then stay on to listen tokirtan darbar – an extended exposition of spiritual music ora kavi sammelan – a poetic symposium finishing around midnight.

So the festivals went. We liked joining in because itwas so celebratory and unbeknown to us we were learningsome little bits about our religious life. The prayer andjoyousness were so intermingled - woven together in adelicate web that kept us interested, engaged and involvedor at least it seemed so.

Celebration of Festivals is not quite the same in ourchosen new abode. We have a Gurdwara in CentralPennsylvania but that is forty five miles from where welive – a vast improvement over our earlier years in CTwhen we used to drive ninety nine miles, one way, toGurdwara in Milford, MASS. There are several otherconstraints that our new and dispersed community has tocope with. Our celebrations at the Gurdwara sort ofencapsulate most of what tradition has handed down buthave to evolve quite a bit to recapture the vibrancy andspontaneity that characterizes Sikh festivities.

What we do at homes can be quite varied. Some of usmay have elaborate celebrations while some may not havethe will, ability or resources. Sikhs are gregarious, love toshare and be socially engaged. In the post Sep. 11environment however they are struggling to correct themistaken identity perceptions linking them to Bin Ladenbecause of turbans they wear as part of religious observance.They know that the festivals provide a reason to get togetherwith not only family, co-believers and friends but alsowith the larger community but some of them may be loatheto take on more visible roles or even draw attention bylighting up homes when others around do not. I observed

similar discretion practiced by Christians in Pakistan forfear of being marked for attack.

Things have changed but memories romanticizing thefestivities in the days gone by linger on. Today we hear alltraditions complaining of alienation, dwindling attendancein the pews and growing sense of weariness that seems tosurround all our lives. I do wonder what the young willreally think of these festivals looking back when they aremy age. I am tempted to wager though that, if anything itwill be some similar sense of nostalgia!

[A version of this Article was published in Patriot News, Harrisburg,PA, on Thanksgiving, 2010]

Reminiscing Festivities: This Festive Season 185

Press Release – Vaisakhi Raat 2004

The Punjabi Cultural Society of Connecticut celebratedVaisakhi Raat 2004, an evening of cultural activities, to apacked hall at the Farmington High School Auditorium onSaturday, April 3rd. The festivities traditionally associatedwith the harvesting time are an integral part of Punjabiand Sikh cultural milieu.

Starting with delectable appetizers set the tone for theevening – a desire to have more - full but not satiated.That is part of the culture - yes food, especially if it isgood, makes up for a lot of other things. The organizersdid seem to recognize that and it speaks volumes for themknowing their clientele!

The opening village scene could have been an idyllicsetting of an afternoon in the plains of Punjab. The damselsout filling water at the well; some working the spinningwheel at home; others running errands and in their midstyoung spoilt males walking inanely looking at the joy thatGod had bestowed to a land of plenty. The colorful attires,the cheerful demeanors, the seemingly authentic stage settingwas nostalgic.

There were items by the toddlers, the teen groups andthe adults. While the elders were a delight to watch withtheir well choreographed and rehearsed presentations ofGidda by women and Bhangra by men, there would beother memories too that might abide. It was great watchinga young boy of six who confidently and with tremendousflourish and ease brought the finale to their item playing

at the dhol almost twice his size. Again the little five year-old girl who played the lead in her group danced with somuch grace and rhythm - a sheer delight.

There was also some singing; lots of anecdotes andjokes and an array of MCs - lots of them in the makingmade one feel secure that there is depth in the group toprovide continuity. They did explore some higher planes -recitation of some poems; one by a visiting Poet and anothera lovely rendering of Shiv Batalvi’s work.

The stage settings were beautiful though the changeover from an item to the next sometimes seemed to drag.The DJs job by no means ever easy seemed to have beenmore difficult for some reason for the person handling it.

The food was good but I did not ask those who broughtup the rear because those who got there first did not leavemuch for them. Now that is some compliment to heartyPunjabi appetite!

The organizers, Ritu Zazzaro, Minnie Randhawa, InderbirRandhawa, Hargurpreet Singh, Vapinder Singh and severalothers deserve congratulations.

Press Release – Vaisakhi Raat 2004 187

Press Release – Vaisakhi Raat 2004 189

GOING FORWARD

Going Forward: Sikh InterfaithEngagement

As we come to the close of the book, we will try and lookat some of the constraining realities that the Sikh interfaithactivists often encounter so that we are cognizant of these,are prepared for and make allowances for them and helpdevelop constructive involvement of Sikh institutions ininterfaith actions.

Our discussions so far would confirm that cordialitybetween various faith groups is now recognized as animportant imperative for maintenance of harmonious societalrelations. With tensions between the adherents of differentfaiths on the rise, emphasis on interfaith engagement isexpected to grow.

This engagement will need to be both pro-active andreactive. The purpose of proactive interfaith engagementwould be to try and create mutually accepting and respectingrelations between adherents of various faith groups. Thisobviously will be a continuous exercise. The methodologiesand processes used in proactive engagement will keepevolving as experience unfolds and the knowledge base ofthe participating groups develops.

The need for reactive interfaith engagement would beto supplement other State and societal efforts to defuse abreakdown or a serious threat of breakdown in societalrelations and to help in reconciliation, restoration, healing,and rehabilitation or relief efforts. The larger purpose would


be to try and help the creation of climate that arrests thepossibility of the cycle of violence continuing.

Most developed societies now factor in faith relatedissues and the likely effect on interfaith relations of theirproposed policies, programs and legislative measuresincluding in the formulation and conduct of foreign policy.Instances of references for judicial review of new laws areon the rise. The Governments also are beginning to involvefaith based organizations in the implementation of selecteddevelopmental programs. A variety of official and semi-official organizations have been created at State, Regionand local levels that address problems of discrimination,hate incidents and emerging social tensions.

Interfaith engagement is facilitated by local or regionalinterfaith groups by organizing inter-faith events andplanning interfaith actions at the local community level.There also are a variety of other groups and organizationsengaged in issues relating to civil liberties, human rights,affirmative action, environment, public health, educationet al that may have a strong faith interface and interfaithactivists benefit by developing links with them for mutualsupport.

It would be obvious that for such engagements to fructifythe lay interest in interfaith relations is important. Theinterfaith activity therefore has to be located in thecommunity and those representing faith groups should havethe ability to participate effectively and contribute to thedeliberations of the committees and also have links withtheir own faith community to secure their help and co-operation in interfaith actions.

It would be obvious that interfaith activity with itsextensive and increasingly ambitious set of objectives wouldneed budgetary support. We saw a mention in the reportby the Pluralism Project at Harvard that the availability offunds was the biggest constraint affecting all the interfaithgroups. The source of funds for most of the interfaithcommittees in Western Countries is small donations. Some

committees that are able to secure the help of a good grantwriter may succeed in obtaining grant money but instancesof these are small. The interfaith groups mostly operate onshoe-string budgets and their effectiveness depends upontheir base of individual or institutional supporters whomay collaborate on specific projects. The difficulties andproblems related to Sikh faith representation have receivedscant attention and we will review that position as we goforward.

SHARED PROBLEMS & DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTEREDA feature specific to faiths of Indian origin is that most ofthe giving goes to the houses of worship which continueto stay focused on providing religious services with littleinterest in societal issues or interfaith engagement. Theclerical persons are mostly brought over from India wherethe level of sensitization to the promotion of interfaithrelations may be even more elusive. Further while theindividual may be a good liturgical support, s/he is likelynot to be equipped to present Sikhi to others in the locallanguage and participate or intervene on complexcontemporary social or religious issues. The managementcommittees usually are busy with the administering workof the house of worship and have little time or interest ininterfaith engagement.

It’s common to find Ph. D.’s among the Clergy and theRabis. Even lay Christians and Jews participating in interfaithactions mostly have been through theological schools,seminaries or attended seminars, workshops, conferencesand conversations on religious/theological subjects. Eventhe Imams had fair to strong scholarly background. TheBahais and the Buddhists are represented by whiteAmericans, who, being faith adherents by choice, havegenerally a heightened level of awareness about the spiritualpath of their chosen faiths.

Thus while representatives for Christian and Jewishdenominations are mostly clerical staff of a faith



organization; Buddhists and Bahais representatives aremostly lay persons who may be associated with theircongregations and volunteering on their behalf; Muslimsare often represented by Imams, Hindus, Jainas or Sikhsinvariably are represented by volunteer lay persons withor without a link to the management of their house ofworship or organized availability of community support.

It would therefore seem that some of the above problemscould get resolved if Sikhs were represented by personsengaged in religious work as a vocation. But finding aSikh granthi, ragi or kathakaar, who has the knowledge,awareness, sensitivity and facility in terms of linguisticability and conceptual clarity to participate in these activitiescould turn out to be an exercise in futility except fewnotable exceptions.

In this setting, while the interfaith groups werewelcoming of all faith traditions, Sikhs mostly remainedunrepresented till a volunteer took some interest and offeredto get involved. This lacuna can and does cause manydifficulties. Firstly the person who may chose to get involvedin interfaith activity may not be close to the managingteam of the house of worship. Even with some links theperson may find it difficult to get community involvementand support for interfaith events. Since sharing of worshipexperience is an important part of building interfaithunderstanding and is best done at the Gurdwara, interfaithactivity always needs the help of Gurdwara. The volunteerrepresentative therefore should work to develop supportwithin the faith community.

The volunteer activist will find that there is a need towrite and offer prayers, make presentations on selectedthemes and even enthuse some from the community tojoin in the events. Well presented, easy to read qualitymaterial on Sikhs and Sikhi continues to be a problem andthe gap may have to be made up by other means likeaudio-visual displays, books, pictures, etal. A personallibrary and some selected artifacts or other articles relating

to the faith may help in improvisation. Making gifts ofbooks relating to the faith, participating in conferencesand interfaith festivities or multicultural events, travel etal is helpful but can take a lot of time, effort and be costly.It can be curtailed but reciprocity is appreciated as muchif not more in interfaith circles. Expenses on all of thesecan add to a tidy sum.

Difficulties experienced by Sikh interfaith activist arecompounded by the fact that the Sikh community is spreadout. There may be occasions when an interfaith group isable to visit the Gurdwara only on a week day. Coordinatingarrangements at the Gurdwara in such a situation couldturn out to be an uphill task especially if there is no residentGranthi – a none too rare situation in the Diaspora.

One more question that a Sikh interfaith activist mayhave to wrestle with could be about the position to takeon controversial and fringe issues. There are a variety ofcontroversial issues that continuously keep on arising inmixed societies and get raised in interfaith forums foradvocacy. The proper course in these cases would be to goby the faith position if it is clear and well defined. Onissues arising out of beliefs and practices of Sikh fringegroups, my view has been that an interfaith activist shouldbe prepared to defend their beliefs and practices even if asa believing and practicing Sikh s/he does not consider theposition in keeping with mainstream Sikhi. Some of theissues may need in depth study and considerabledeliberation.

Several of the problems we have discussed can be moreeasily addressed if interfaith engagement as an activity issupported by the apex Sikh religious organizations like theAkal Takht and the SGPC and is part of their programsand projects. Fortunately the Jathedar of Akal Takht isknown to have participated in interfaith events but so farno comment has emerged from his office nor is any signof recognition of the need for interfaith engagement clearlyvisible. SGPC and DSGMC continue to be involved in a



variety of initiatives to render relief assistance to the victimsbelonging to all faiths due to various causes and also receivemany interfaith groups visiting the major Sikh shrines. Assuch they are engaged with adherents of other faiths on acontinuing basis. Yet again, their interface with interfaithorganizations can hardly be termed as active.

Sikh religious leaders in fact are likely to be intenselycommitted to well being of the entire community of manbecause that is the message they continually deliver fromthe pulpit while explicating readings from Gurbani andalso meticulously observe in the Gurdwaras. Yet it isintriguing that the apex religious leadership in Sikhs hasnot thought about the need of interfaith engagementnotwithstanding history of tension in relations with bothHindus and Muslims; nor is any such initiative known tohave been taken forward by any Hindu or Muslim religiousleader. May be the state of interfaith relations in India isnot yet ready for reconciliatory initiatives at the apex largelybecause of the highly religiously divisive nature of nationalpolitics, but at the grass roots level the response to peopleto people contact with Pakistan did at one time seem to beencouraging.

The irony is that the Sikh interfaith involvement goesback to the time of Gurus but contemporaneously it istaking place in a highly fragmented manner. This makesthe job of volunteer activists more difficult and its possiblegains made more elusive. The drift is because of the totaldisconnect of Sikh interfaith engagement with the apexSikh polity and religious leadership. Since Akal Takht hasactively endorsed Sikh environmental initiatives, initiatingactions to improve interfaith understanding would be anatural and much needed extension.

I am tempted to speculate that may be the existingatmosphere has the advantage of greater freedom for theactivist but the downside of continued disconnect wouldbe much higher for the community. The process can perhapsbe moved forward by presenting a credible outline of plan

on the subject to the political and religious leadership ofSikhs. Such an initiative should indeed be an appropriatefollow up to this book.

GOING FORWARDMy view has been veering round to small beginnings andaim for better interfaith understanding at the level of thecommunities we live in. This could bring us closer to greaterdegree of assurance of being able to control interreligiousstrife and limit disruption to the social fabric in ourcommunities. Such small successes may hopefully encourageand catalyze similar initiatives in other neighborhoods.

Community organizations at local level and evenindividuals can contribute a lot. We should welcome anyinitiatives, which enhance the level of awareness as well asclarity on thematic issues by different faith groups. Evenif their positions are different, a clearer understandingabout them would — as is seen elsewhere — lead toconfidence building.

There are other possibilities that can occur. In the eventof a conflagration if a substantial pool of those empatheticto societal harmony is present in the community, it is possiblethat the disruption may not become that virulent. Suchpersons of goodwill made critical difference in some localitiesduring the 1984 pogrom against Sikhs in Delhi. My premisehere is that interfaith engagement could help generate suchempathy.

Given the direction, in which the societies are evolving,initiatives for promoting inter-religious dialogue andunderstanding will arise at various levels and emerge fromvarious directions. Our institutions, especially communityorganizations and the academia could take lead in thisregard. However, for the movement to move beyond theelitist circles in metropolitan cities, it must enlarge andbroaden the possible range of participants in these activities.A start can be made by theme-based workshops, programs,conversations, discussion groups, retreats, etc. being



organized by community organizations within and acrossthe faith groups.

Given the environment in India, promotion of a greaterdegree of understanding between the faiths would certainlybe helpful to alleviate the highly vitiated inter-faithenvironment. We do not recognize to what extent, thedeeply pervasive ignorance about one another ’s faithtradition is responsible for creating and reinforcing prejudicesand breeding suspicion and speculation. As a pluralisticsociety with diverse faiths, languages, ethnicity and a historyof lack of tolerance leading to frequent eruptions of hateand conflict, we need to take focused as well as broad-based initiatives to promote understanding. The religiousleaderships as well as the media and academia can andshould play a constructive role in this.

Participation in these activities offers a great learningexperience and those who get involved come out the richer,learning not only about other faith traditions, but also alot more about their own. What is more, they felt able toexplain with conviction what possibly some had acceptedout of reverence and faith till then.

Sikhism has had an open and tolerant tradition. TheGurus took part in and encouraged dialogue. Sikh traditionof martyrdom and the supreme sacrifices made by theGurus and generation after generation of their followersfor the ideals of basic human dignity, equality and freedomteach us that the highest aspiration of faith is the creationof universal brotherhood - Aayi panthi sagal jamaati. Sikhsshould, in keeping with faith tenets and tradition, initiateprograms and projects which help bring the divided societycloser to Guru’s ideal of - Ek pita, ekas ke hum barak – us alltreating one another as children of one father. That wouldbe living Sikhi, promoting sarbat ka bhala and interfaithengagement in action!

Glossary

Bairagi Vaishnavite ascetics

Bhagats devotee, a holy person who leads others onto thepath of loving devotion to the divine

Derveshes Sufi Muslim Ascetic

Dharmic pertaining to dharma, of dharam

Farsi Persian language

Granthi main liturgical person in the Gurdwara

Gurdwara Sikh house of worship

Gutka a handy anthology of Sikh ritual prayers

Harmandar also known as the Golden Temple, Amritsar

Hartal observe strike or closure of business in solidaritywith a protest call

Hindwi bearing Indian influence

Jahan ka murda a colloquial phrase meaning that the dead arehota hai wahin pai buried where they belong implying that theghara jata hai remedy for an injustice must be sought where it

took place

Japji sahib composed by Guru Nanak, considered to providethe essence of Sikh spiritual thought

Jogis a colloquial term for the “yogi”

Katha religious discourse

Kathakaar person who offers religious discourses

Khalsa order of baptized Sikhs

Kirtan Sikh Spiritual Music


Krah parshad sacred pudding served after Sikh worship service

Lathis long sticks used for self defense against attack

Mandasas a piece of cloth wrapped around beard and tied atthe head in readiness to defend

Masi mother’s sister

Moulvi teacher of Islam

Mullahs Muslim clergy

Nimbu pani a lemon drink, also known as fresh lime

Panj pyaras the group of elect five in Sikh tradition

Qalandar Sufi Derveshes, also honorific for saint of highspirituality

Qazis Sharia Judge

Ragi musician who renders Sikh spiritual music

Raja chieftain, ruler

Saktas a Hindu sect worshipping female goddesses;believer in Shakti; powerful; non believer cynic

Sants a person who has achieved a state of spiritualenlightenment or mystical self-realization

Sarbat ka bhalla well being of one and all

Sarovar literally pool; term used for pools oftenincorporated in historical Sikh Gurdwaras

SGPC Shiromini Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee, apremier body for Gurdwara Management

DSGMC Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee

Akal Takht seat of Sikh Religious Authority; Jathedar, its personincharge

Sukhmani sahib a popular composition by Guru Arjan, also knownas the Psalm of Peace

Tabalchi the table player [percussionist] in kirtan

Index

Abdali, 42, 72Ahmediya, 17, 37, 168, 169Akal Takht, 94, 197, 198, 202Akbar, 48, 114Alliance of Civilizations, 31Alliance of Religions and

Conservation, 31Amar Das, Guru, 54, 174Anandpur Sahib, 41, 145, 175Annie Besant, 43Anti-Defamation League, the Sikh

Coalition, 33, 130Arjun Dev, Guru, 41, 52, 56, 174Aurangzeb, 41Australia, 11, 28, 33, 157

Baghel Singh, 42Bahai, 48, 195, 196Baisakhi, 17, 67, 173-176Balbir Singh Sinchewal, Baba, 95Balbir Singh Sodhi, 62, 143Banda Singh Bahadur, 41Bawa Jain, 49Beckett Center, 25Bhangra, 176, 186Brenna Horn, 49British, 42-44, 57, 62, 68, 70, 91Buddhism, 28, 38, 39, 47Buddhists, 27, 39, 195, 196

Canada, 11, 60Carl Choper, 126, 127, 129

Carl Silverman, 161Caste System, 38, 40Catholic-Mormon, 26Chenab, 176Chief Khalsa Diwan, 164Christian Study Center, 113, 116Christianity, 21, 29, 35, 42, 130Christian-Jewish, 25, 72, 73Christian-Muslim, 25Civil Rights, 16, 22, 30, 62Clergy and Laity Concerned, 22Cochin Jews, 42Congress, 42, 43, 44, 62, 127, 134Criticism of Interfaith Dialogue,

28Cultural, 8, 10-12, 17-18, 21, 31,

37, 45, 53, 56, 58, 60-61, 64, 74,82, 102, 121, 135, 157, 166-167,178, 186

Dalai Lama, 49Delhi, 41, 42, 48, 49, 57, 59, 60, 66,

68-72, 75, 91, 199Dharma, 46, 47, 51, 75, 94, 165Dharmic Traditions, 46, 47Dhol, 176, 177, 179, 187Diaspora, 11, 14, 61, 62, 197Discourses on Gita, 165Diwali, 183DSGMC, 197, 202Dulla Bhatti, 180


Eastern faiths, 29Eco-Sikh, 93Ecumenical issues, 26

Faris Kaya, Dr., 113Farmington, 72, 84, 89, 111, 153,

186Frances Grandy Taylor, 100Francis Xavier, 43

Gandhi, 43, 62, 114, 142, 165, 166Gidda, 176, 186Global Agenda for Dialogue

among Civilizations, 31Global Dharma Conference, 75Global War on Terror, 9, 25Goa, 42, 43, 50Gobind Singh, Guru, 41, 52, 67,

145, 174, 180Golden Temple, 52, 57, 59, 72, 86,

87, 105, 113, 201Granth Sahib, Sri Guru, 52, 69, 86,

104, 110-112, 121, 140, 144, 145,152, 156

Gujrat, 60, 75Gurbani, 14, 67-68, 93, 97, 104, 198Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar,

105, 111Gurdwaras, 11, 54, 56, 94, 95, 111,

117, 119, 123, 127, 130, 175, 198,202

Halemi Raj, 144, 151, 154Harbans Lal, Dr., 161Hargobind, Guru, 41, 86Hargurpreet Singh, 187Harrisburg Fusion, 176Hartford Courant, 14, 72, 74, 89,

100, 102Hartford Seminary, 10, 14, 15, 25,

75, 113, 142Hinduism, 28, 46, 47, 165Hindu-Muslim, 45, 48

Hindutva, 11, 47, 51Holi, 179Holika, 179Hyderabad, 58, 59

Ian Markham, Dr., 113Ibrahim Abu Rabi, Dr., 75, 113Imam Kauser, 106Inderbir Randhawa, 187India, 10, 11, 35, 37-39, 42-51, 57,

59, 61, 63, 64, 67, 68, 72, 73, 75,81, 95, 112, 114-117, 123, 125,126, 157, 163, 166, 173, 182, 195,198, 200

Indira Gandhi, 57, 59Indus Valley Civilization, 38, 50Institute for Peace, 34Inter Faith Network, 22Interfaith Dialogue, 17, 21, 23, 25-

30, 34, 35, 48, 49Interfaith Global Forum on the

Environment, 22Interfaith Movement in the US,

26Interfaith Seminaries, 27International Center for Religion

& Diplomacy, 33Iqbal Academy, 113, 115, 118Israr Ahmed, Dr., 15, 113, 115, 117,

120

Jaina, 37, 72Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, 176Jhummar, 176, 177Jordanus Catalani, 42Judaism and Islam, 21Judeo-Christian, 29

Kabir, Bhagat, 53, 65, 83Kashmiri Pandits, 41Kavi Sammelan, 184Kemal Ataturk, 163Khalsa, 41, 67, 145, 147, 148, 151,

155, 159, 175, 201

Khalsa Samachar, 164Kirtan, 14, 55, 104, 105, 117, 183,

201Kirtan Darbar, 184

Lahore, 15, 42, 69, 70, 91, 113, 118,120, 121, 176

Lebanon Valley College, 10, 90,106, 131

Levels of InterreligiousEngagement, 24

Lohri, 17, 179, 180, 181

Magh, 180Mahatma Gandhi, 163Mahua Bhattacharya, 107Mangalorean Catholics, 43Marriage Celebrant, 28Mary Warner, 129, 159Mickey Singh, 126Minnie Randhawa, 187Mistaken Identity, 12, 60, 130, 133,

134, 184Modes of dialogue, 22Mohammed Iqbal, 163Mohinder Singh, Bhai, 49, 105Mughal, 41, 42, 56, 117, 166Muktsar, 180Muslim League, 44Muslims, 8, 15, 17, 26, 27, 29, 37,

39, 41, 43, 45, 48, 56-59, 61, 64,68, 72-75, 86, 91, 106, 114, 115,117, 118, 123, 131, 133, 155, 157,166, 197, 198

Muzzarabad, 48

Nanak, Guru, 40, 49, 52-55, 76, 83,104-105, 120-122, 126, 154, 156,174, 179, 180, 183, 201

Nanakana Sahib, 120, 121National Sikh Campaign, 63New York, 74, 175Nina Grewal, 109

Non-Muslim, 40Non-violence, 165Norton Mezvinsky, 113Nostra Aetate, 22, 73

Oak Creek Gurdwara, 133

PA Senate, 13, 16, 158Pakistan, 11, 15, 35, 44, 58, 70, 75,

81, 86, 113-125, 167, 176, 185,198

Panja Sahib, 119, 120Parliament of the World's

Religions, 22, 33, 35Paul Fullmer, 106, 107, 173, 177Peace & Harmony, 29, 152Pingalwara Trust, 95Pluralism Project, 26, 35, 36, 130,

194Pogrom, 48, 57, 59, 72, 199Pontifical Council for Interfaith

Dialogue, 25Pope John Paul II, 26, 30Portuguese, 42, 43Punjab, 36, 42, 44, 46, 57, 95, 96,

115, 122, 164, 179, 180, 186Punjabi Cultural Society of

Connecticut, 186

Rabbi Joseph Ehrencrantz, 72Rajas, 41, 175Ram Das, Guru, 53Ranjit Singh, 42, 117Rawal Pindi, 69, 116Reconstruction of Religious

Thought in Islam, 166Religions for Peace, 32Religious Observances, 58, 61Religious Pluralism, 21Reverend Richard Griffis, 73Risal-i Nur, 167Ritu Zazzaro, 187Rochester, NY, 182

Index 205


Roger van Zwaenberg, Dr., 113Romana Bashir, 35

Saharanpur, 58, 59Sai Baba, 49, 51Said Nursi, 163Sami, 176, 177Sanatan Dharma, 46, 47Sangat, 54, 100-101, 103-104, 158Scarboro Missions, 24School of Interfaith Ministeries, a

Pennsylvania, 28Second Vatican Council, 25Semitic, 53, 64, 121, 167Senator Pat Vance, 161Seva, 55, 96Sewa Singh, Baba, 95SGPC, 197, 202Sikh activism, 64Sikh Educational Committee, 164Sikh Organizations, 64Sikh Relations, 56, 57Sikh Society of Harrisburg, 161Sikhi, 7, 11-13, 28, 41, 63, 68, 74,

100, 118, 122, 195-197, 200Sikhs, 7, 11-17, 27-28, 35, 37, 40-

42, 45-48, 52, 55-75, 84, 86-96,100-102, 105, 107, 110-112, 117-119, 121-123, 126, 127, 129-136,143, 145, 159-161, 164, 173-176,180, 182-184, 196, 198-201

Suheyl Umar, 118Supreme Court, 45Syriac Christianity, 42

Tara Singh of Van, 176Tegh Bahadur, Guru, 41, 86

Thanksgiving, 173, 182, 185The Sikh Next Door, 132Thomas the Apostle, 42Tipu Sultan, 43Tressler, Col., 116Tripartite Forum on Interfaith

Cooperation for Peace, 31Types of Inter-religious Dialogue,

24

UN, 22, 25, 30, 31, 32, 36UN Declaration for Promoting

Dialogue and MutualUnderstanding amongReligions and Civilizations, 31

United Nations, 9, 30, 31Universal Declaration on Cultural

Diversity, 31Upendra J Chivukula, 75

V D Savarkar, 47Vapinder Singh, 187Vasco da Gama, 42Vietnam War, 22Vir Sanghvi, 135Vir Singh, Bhai, 163, 166

World Council of Churches, 9, 22World Interfaith Harmony week,

32World Sikh Council, 110World's Parliament of Religions,

21, 22, 33

Zafar Cheema, Dr., 121Zaman, 167Zoroastrian, 37

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