Practical Sikhism: A User's Guide

Why this book?I have a nephew who was born in India but raised in the U.S. His parents are devoted Sikhs. As he was growing up, his parents would ask him to go to the Gurdwara or Sikh worship service in a Sikh person’s home. Being an obedient son, he gladly went to the Gurdwara. Since he could not read or understand Punjabi, he did not know what was going on in the Sikh worship service or the Kirtan. I have been directly involved in the planning, organizing, and conducting of the Sikh worship services in the homes of Sikhs in Alabama since 1978. I also have been singing Kirtan at the Sikh worship services since 1986. One day, my nephew came to me and said, “though, he goes to the Sikh worship service, he has no idea and does not understand what the hell we do there.” He further said that “since you have a good knowledge of the Punjabi language and Sikh religion, you could put together some information for the Sikh youths who do not know the Punjabi language and have no knowledge of Sikh religion.” My children have also expressed similar reaction about going to the Gurdwara and not understanding the Kirtan and worship service. At first I was cool and reluctant to take on this project. But he and my children kept on insisting and would ask me if I am making any progress on it. Finally, I started writing this book in the summer of 2016. The Sikhs are deeply devoted to their faith and they want this devotion to be developed in their children and grandchildren. Sikhism originated in Punjab, but many Sikhs have migrated to other parts of the world. As a result, there are thousands and thousands (if not a million) of Sikh youths and men and women who are born and raised outside India. Practically, all of these Sikhs do not know or understand the Punjabi language, but most of the Sikh writings and their worship services are carried out in the Punjabi language. This book is also for them. Furthermore, all these Sikhs live in Christian or Muslim environments, and these two religions are very hostile to other religions. This book is also written in such a way that Sikh people can stay steadfast in their faith in these two environments.This year (2019) is the 100 year anniversary of the massacre by British troops on April 13, (Basakhi day) 1919, in Jalianwala Bagh, near the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The massacre by the British troops accelerated the freedom movement of India from the British. The completion of this book in 2019 is the perfect tribute to all those who died in the massacre.