Sikhism is one of the youngest and most widespread religions in the world. I’ve lived my whole life with the knowledge that I’m a born-follower of this religion, I am a Sikh.
From a young age I would accompany my mum to the Gurdwara (temple) either for religious programmes held by friends and family, for festivals such as Vaisakhi or Diwali, or simply just to sit next to her as she would listen to and join in with the calming prayers recited by a Gyani Ji (priest) in hopes that the echoing religious teachings might rub off on me a bit. But the truth is that I never understood exactly what the Gyani Ji was saying and still to this day I often find myself lacking in concentration and failing to understand the moral lessons that I’m supposed to have learnt through prayer recital.
From the ages of 8-12 years old I attended the local Punjabi school. It was run by members of the Gurdwara committee for a couple of hours on Saturdays and Sundays; I was a pupil there along with around 150 other kids from my hometown. It was there that I learnt how to read and write in Gurmukhi, the native script of my Sikh ancestors, a skill which I am proud to say that I still hold to this day and which I laud over my other Punjabi friends who weren’t fortunate enough to have been sent to Punjabi schools in their youths. Owing to the fact that the school was run by religious teachers, one would assume that we’d be educated about Sikhism and its teachings. However, this was very rarely the case. The school was much more focused on spreading the teachings of the Punjabi culture.
On one occasion we even had to go around the room declaring our castes (culturally constructed hierarchical groups based on social class) a matter which is notably frowned upon and disproved in the Holy Sikh Book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The caste system essentially encourages class discrimination, something that Sikhism has tried to eradicate in society since it was formed. The few things that I can remember learning about Sikhism at Punjabi school consisted of: basic prayers, memorising the order of the 10 Gurus and of course the 5Ks. I went on to learn such basic information and facts about my religion again during Religious Education lessons at secondary school.
It wasn’t until I reached my late teens that I realised that, in actuality, I knew very little about my religion. For someone who classified themselves as a Sikh, what did I know about Sikhism? If someone happened to ask me what Sikhs’ views on gay marriage were, or what Sikhs thought about divorce, I usually blagged my way through an obvious, generic answer. But it was rightly expected of me by my non-Sikh peers that I should know the answers to such questions about the religion that I had grown up with and I began to feel somewhat guilty for being so clueless!
My parents never really taught my sisters and I the basic principles of our religion or that we had to grow up to be religious one day. Religion in my house has always been a personal choice that only my mum observes through daily prayer recital. And I know that such a dynamic is common in many Sikh households.
Growing up, the only things that we were discouraged from doing in the name of religion consisted of: cutting our hair, eating meat and drinking alcohol. And till this day I’m still not sure if those things were drummed into us because Sikhism disapproves of such actions or simply because my mum did. And so due to this confusion we’ve each gone on to break all three of these rules, but without any major repercussions, seeing as my dad also regularly breaks them as well!
Now it’s not that I don’t believe in God, because I do. Me and Babaji have a special connection and I always remember to speak to Him in both the good times AND the bad, it’s just that I don’t necessarily feel the same strong connection with my religion. Whenever I decide to research Sikhism however, I do find the reassurance that it is the right religion for me and I’m glad to be a part of a faith that promotes equality, fairness and generosity. I guess what I’m trying to say is that being a Sikh is not something that’s been ingrained in me, it’s something that I have to make a conscious effort to learn about.
So why is it that I was never seriously instructed in the ways of being a good Sikh? The simple answer to that is because the majority of my family is Punjabi first and Sikh afterwards. And it would be hypocritical and even blasphemous for a Punjabi orientated family to preach the teachings of Sikhism.
Now you might think that typically one’s culture and religion are designed to work in harmony together and NOT be mutually exclusive. However, the fact is that my religion and culture contradict each other SO much that it is impossible for anyone to say that they are 50/50 Punjabi and Sikh.
To illustrate what I mean, here are four basic principles of Sikhism:
- Do not consume alcohol or tobacco.
- Do not eat the meat of sacrificial animals (basically avoid halal meat).
- Respect the equal rights of all regardless of rank, gender, caste, class, colour, or creed.
- Do not worship idols or give credence to auspicious dates, horoscopes, or astrology.
Now here are four common Punjabi cultural practices:
- Drinking alcohol.
- Eating meat (without checking if it could be halal).
- Endorsing and adhering to the caste-system.
- Believing in superstitions.
Now do you see how impossible it is to be a Punjabi Sikh, when the two labels promote such opposing practices!
A true practicing Sikh’s life does not evolve around the poisons, pleasures, superficiality or man-made hierarchical structures that Punjabi culture conversely PROMOTES. I’ve grown up seeing my dad, uncles and cousins get together for drinking sessions with plates of meat in front of them, nonchalantly referring to people of lower castes, acting anything but Sikh, but this has always been the norm in my family. Therefore it’s not abnormal that I have a greater awareness of my cultural identity than of my religious one.
Whilst Sikhism is something that I have to make a conscious effort to learn about, being Punjabi seems to be something that naturally runs through my veins. Living in a household where my mum and dad speak Punjabi 75% of the time and the fact that the majority of my dad’s side are native Punjabi speakers, means that I’m constantly immersed in a rough, slang-filled version of the language and also have the capacity to understand and speak it myself… well to a certain degree!
Maybe I’m also more inclined to have an interest in the Punjabi side of my identity because of the fact that I’ve ventured to India countless times with my family, and hope to continue making trips in the future. Having visited numerous cities within Punjab including: Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Phagwara, I have to say that I always feel at home in the well-known Northern Indian state. Spending a day eating sugarcanes, walking around our stretches of fields, watching peacocks lark about on top of flat roofs, annihilating a plate of fat greasy aloo proteh and home-made dhehi, sipping a glass of lassi and lying on the open rooftop of our ancestral house on a strong wicker manja is my version of heaven!
I love finding out where different people’s ancestral villages reside in relation to mine and whose kotti (villa) is whose in the pind (village). Moreover I’m always excited to have the opportunity to mix with my dad’s brothers’ families who live out there and always find that I learn so much about our family AND our culture, every time I make a trip there.
Punjabi hospitality is renowned throughout India and I’m proud to say that both my parents brought back this positive cultural trait from their homeland when they arrived in the UK and successfully incorporated it into our household. Punjabi humour and dry sarcasm are also renowned and I can state with certainty that I have inherited the quick-witted replies and bottomless imagination that generations of my family are known to have possessed. I am also ever fascinated with my family’s farming background and vast accumulation of fields and crops.
And for those reasons I’m proud to be a Punjabi because it’s such a rich and vivacious culture!
I guess the moral of this story is that I’m probably someone who can be classified as 90% Punjabi and 10% Sikh. However, it’s possible that these figures will change during the course of my life.
Furthermore, just because I wasn’t taught much about Sikhism growing up, doesn’t mean that I can’t venture out and discover my religion for myself. Because Sikhism is not a religion that I want to distance myself from or trade in for a better religion, it’s one that I’ve always yearned to feel connected with as I know that deep down it’s the one best suited to me. I always feel an immense wave of calmness and tranquillity whenever I go to the Gurdwara and I could never give up that feeling. So it looks like the internet and Sikhism-related iPhone apps will forever be my wise old teachers!
As long as I have an unwavering faith in God, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine. And maintaining respect and love for my colourful culture is in no way a BAD thing. In fact I consider myself fortunate to have grown up with a strong awareness of my cultural background and roots, because in this day and age not many people are in tune with their religion OR culture, so I guess I’m lucky in that sense. But rest-assured, learning more about Sikhi is on my checklist. 🙂
Just A Small Town Girl... 
Very interesting post. I battled with some of these questions myself growing up as a Sikh in the UK and then in Canada.
Thanks for stopping by Indy 🙂 I think that a lot of youngsters from South Asian backgrounds suffer from such confusion with regards to their religious identities these days…with the massive influence of Bhangra music and the fads of drinking alcohol and eating meat, most youths do find it easier to connect to their punjabi roots.
I totally relate to this, being a Sikh in Thailand. We do have issues understanding the depth of our religion, because it was never forced upon us. Totally agree: I’m a Punjabi first~ Loved the way u have portrayed it!
Thanks for your comment Kiran 🙂 I’m glad you could relate to the post!
Being a person born and brought up in Punjab…I can totally see the relevance, even though i do not preach any religion in particular but i respect all of them, and having grown in a diverse-religious culture, with sikhism preached all around me, i can say it is one of the refined religion of the world 🙂
Very interesting.. I always insist that being a Punjabi and a Sikh are 2 different things.. And when people claim all Punjabi’s are Sikhs or Punjab for Sikhs, that is the biggest ignorance
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views guys 🙂
Thanks for your follow on my other blog…Enough is Enough and I am delighted to have found your blog, and to follow what I know will be really interesting for me. x
Thanks Stephanie 🙂
A very thoughtful reflection! ( from another very small town girl)
Thanks for stopping by fellow small towner 🙂
Wonderful work “Small Town Girl” I am glad for you Thanks a lot
Thanks for the follow – I really like this post. I definitely agree with your picture of heaven! It can be quite a conundrum reconciling being Punjabi and Sikh when Sikhism arose as a reaction against some of the hypocrisies and injustices inherent in Punjabi culture, especially regarding inequality and superstition. When I think about how enlightened and forward-looking Sikhism was at its inception, compared to the closed-mindedness in some parts of our community now, it can sometimes feel like we have regressed rather than moving forwards. For me, the important question for both Sikhs and Punjabis is how to distance ourselves from those aspects of our culture which illiberal and obsolete, whilst holding on to, promoting and sharing the aspects which are as valuable as they are timeless. From Punjabi culture, this includes (as you wrote) the generosity, hospitality, sense of family and community, humour, not to mention food, music, dance etc. From Sikh culture this is the unwavering belief in equality and social justice, commitment to charity etc. So, I think that once you strip Punjabi and Sikh culture down to their core values – the ones which really matter – they are by no means incompatible.
As you can probably tell, your post really got me thinking about this subject – I may write my own post on it at some point 🙂
Thanks for the follow on my blog as well. Enjoyed the blog. I always like to hear the stories of how people live out their faiths, not what they believe in. I think you’re struggle between culture and faith is one that is common to a lot of us. I know it has been for me, and forced me on a lifelong journey to discover the faith path that is true for me. Each writer looks for that subject, that theme he or she wants to write about. I think you have found yours with this blog. Not just writing for other Sikhs but writing to those of us who are not Sikhs about the faith you were not only born into, but also have chosen as your own. I could see a deal of fiction, both short stories and novels, as well as blogs and memoir being born out of this rich tradition that is yours. Again good blog. I would love to hear more.
Thanks so much for your comments! It’s humbling to know that my blog can be perceived as a means of getting people to think in-depth about topics that are interesting and relevant to me personally… I’m glad that you enjoyed the post and hope that I’ll continue to capture your attention with my writing 🙂
Really glad to read this post. However some of my elders have warned me against spreading the notion that meat is strictly prohibited as a lot of people can justifiably say it’s down to personal choice by looking at the Rehat Maryada, but even a lot of those who do eat meat don’t make sure it is jhatka meat (so many people in the UK will consume Halal meat without thinking twice about it even though we ARE strictly prohibited against it!). I’m actually vegetarian myself so my intention is not to turn this into a debate, put just to clarify what Akaal Thakat concluded.
But that aside this is a great post and I hope many more people read it. The lack of education about the actual Sikh dharma in the Gurughars themselves saddens me. You’re completely right, it should not be such a conscious effort.
Nice post. Being a Punjabi myself, It’s the first time that I have thought of the differences in the cultural and religious identities. Now I have some new fodder for my brain.
I really have enjoyed this, that I know very little in nothing about the Sikh religion has meant I have read with open eyes this piece. Now I know a little more so thank you for that. I am also impressed with how well you write and that for me is an attractive feature of your blog. I will visit again, hopefully soon.
Reblogged this on Gina Vergel.
Amazing post….I think a lot of people can relate to what you’ve written. I’ve recently started researching Sikhism and you’re absolutely right when you say it’s a conscious choice to learn about Sikhism where as the punjabi culture comes more naturally. (Small town girl in canada) 🙂
I enjoyed reading this and learning something about your Punjab and Sikh histories, as an outsider it’s a privilege to see a perspective like yours, so thanks for sharing. The thing that’s most appealing to me about your approach to your faith is how you are completely unburdened by it, and I think that fact makes it much more inviting and primed for exploration.
Thanks for the follow. I appreciate the sincerity and clarity of your writing and your perspective.
Interesting read. I went the opposite direction when I started questioning my faith and just have become a non-believer (I read Bhagat Singh’s essay “main naitik kyun han”). I had had too much of the hypocrisy of punjabi culture. I do appreciate the post as it does remind me of my own journey though we diverge there. Thanks for sharing.
Naastik*
Absolutely fascinating! So if you come from the Punjab, are you LIKELY to be a Sikh? Or do Sikhs by and large come from another part of India? The contrasts you state are, as you said, cultural vs religious; so presumably it depends on how religious you are/are not as to which aspect is uppermost. In Australia we pretend to be a Christian country (LAUGH!); in fact we are nothing but materialistic modernists. I am quite delighted to read someone young’s personal views: it makes it all much more comprehensible. You should post more often, you wicked thing! [grin]
What fascinating oppositions!
A fascinating look into a world of which I know very little – neither being Punjabi nor Sikh. Great to read this 🙂
So interesting! I learned a lot from your post–thanks!
Highly interesting.
It is also important, these days, to look at both religion and customs in a critical light insofar as they conflict with scientific knowledge, common sense, and historical accuracy. Much of what is advocated in most religions boils down to mindless superstition or infantile concepts, and does not measure up towards giving any true understanding of a Supreme Being or the meaning and purpose of life.
I am so glad you explained your experience about Sikhism and the contrast to culture. It has expanded my knowledge and you have presented a clear picture! Thank you!
I found your article very interesting. I think it would be worth your while to learn more about the Sikh religion. I know nothing about it. And I would also be very interested to read a comparison of the Indian influences in your life compared to the influences of the Anglo culture in the UK.
Thank you – I learned so much from your post! I was privileged to travel to Kenya with a Sikh and learned some about her religion during the trip. But I learned much more from you here! I love how you wrote that you have “a special connection with God” and that you talk to Him all the time.
Thanks for drawing my attention. All was new for me in your post, with my Christian background, but on the other hand I recognize similar problems and attitude changes. Elementary education was for some centuries organized by the Church and scholarly content was mixed with religious formation. I wrote a paper about this aspect of early European education between ca. 1200-1500, Religious Content in Medieval School Handbooks and Readers, available online.
Culture vs Religion, this is a topic I thought about all the time while I was in India since, in the Hindu parts, there didn’t seem to be any difference. They would blindly practice rituals, yet turn around and harm their daughters, thinking they were still good Hindus since they had preformed the blind rituals they had been taught to do. The Sikhs on the other hand I connected with, since they promoted peace and equality which are two strong things I believed in. I ended up being taken in my multiple Sikh families who literally saved me from some horrible situations, and I have nothing but respect for the religion at this point. Thanks for addressing the roles of culture and religion for someone who is Sikh, yet culturally Indian (and where most people are Hindu) because it is so different!!
Such an amazing post! The lines of where culture starts and where religion start are often blurred considering its very easy to say that we are one or the other simply because we were born into the faith and have always done things they way they are. It’s great that you take the effort to research and look for the answers. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your cultural and religious views. I love reading about diverse cultures and religion that differs from my own. Something occurred to me as I was reading your blog. Perhaps as humans, regardless of our culture and religious beliefs, we all struggle with the tug between our spiritual values and those that are carnal in nature. I call myself a Christian, and yet time and time again I find myself falling short of Christian commandments and tenets.
Most fascinating, and to any without this knowledge, pleasant revelations.
Thank you for following and presenting me with the opportunity to discover your wonderful world! Eddie
Thanks for the follow! New to the blogosphere but loving it so far ☺️Good to see another small town East-Indian girl putting out great content!
Nice post.
Just remember whether christian, sikh, buddist etc, our bibles were written a long time ago – and now society has evolved more and more – not everything can be relevant now. But all we can do is try to apply some things – but most importantly conduct ourselves as good people on the whole – ie even if you eat meat and cut your hair, as long as you are good and don’t commit crime etc.
Everyone is different as individuals, and will take from religion differently to perhaps the person next to them.
Refer to the Christian bibles 10 commandments and you tell me how many people you know that are proclaimed Christians, are able to practice these consistently?
http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/the-ten-commandments/10-commandments-list/
And are they still good people?
I’ve broken number 2 (had idols when I was a teen, like most), constantly use “oh god!” Etc (hence broken no3), I’ve not kept Sundays holy in fact I’ve had to work sundays (broken no 4), I do not honor my father as I had to disown him as he was a very bad prrson but yes I honor my mum (half broken no 5!!), I have unintentionally stolen pens or realised I didn’t pay for something much later on (no 8), i have not always loved my neighbors for damn good reasons too (no 9) yet i have never done anything wrong by them either, and many a times like everyone else I’ve covet – yearned to have something like my friend etc – and perhaps later I’ve managed to buy it who knows? (No 10)
I’m clearly a terrible Christian and have no respect for my religion? No – that’s not true!
After many years I do not use alcohol or drugs anymore. Besides all the other bad things they bring these things destroy and inhibit the connection with the Creator. Thanks visit my blog.
So interesting, things which I didn’t know at all. Thanks for following my blog.
A very honest write. Still introspecting.
Really beautiful post. I sometimes teach a World Religions class at a nearby university and your post showed me aspects of the Sikh community “from the inside.” Sadly, all I have time for in this course each semester is just one day devoted to Sikhism. Your tradition is, however, a great one. …and I mean Punjabi, too! Thank you.
Thanks for following my blog. I will follow yous as well. Seeing how important religion is in different cultures is interesting. I just look at all the wars and violence it has caused. Everyone should just have the right to beleive what they want and care about others for who they are. beebeesworld
Oh. Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for this post. I thought Sikhs and Punjabis are pretty much the same. I am enlightened now. 🙂
Everyone is equal in the eyes of god. And religions were made for men not men were made for religion.
It dosent matter wheather it is a punjabi or true sikh or hindu or people from any other religion ,
They all are same. It is well said that ” aval allah noor upaya kudrat de appa bande ne, ek noor se sab jag upje
Kaun bhale kaun mande ne”. And babaji also said “nanak ke ghar kewal naam”.
So we should not differentiate people among religions.
hi small town girl,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Isn’t everyone a small town girl (in response to your post). Yes, we all have to make up our own mind when we leave our parents’s home. In my view religion is another way of passing on parents’ views and socializing your kids in it, and is not at all related to any kind of objective set of values. I would say, on the contrary. I lost any belief in God and religion at age 12 and although I think there is the communality and safety in numbers that people seek in religion, I have passed that up for more truthful thoughts and values. Just my views. Your article was a good attempt to get to the truth of your religion, well done. I enjoyed reading it.
Johanna
One must bear in mind that all religions have a very strong aspect of universalism, both in space and time. Since religions are fundamentally philosophies, they apple to people from multiple cultures and to multiple generations. This is quite clearly the case with Islam and Buddhism, where people with very different cultures adopted and took those religions forward.
Since Sikhism is overwhelmingly confined to Punjab due to historical reasons, its universalism is harder to see, but its is there nonetheless.
An interesting post.
To me, Punjabi culture is very rich and attractive and though I know very little about Sikhism, I have found the spirit of it very beautiful. I have seen the serene atmosphere of the gurdwaras, the way some feed travellers for free and I often listen to Ek Onkar, it is so soothing though I have no idea what it means 🙂
Love, Mehak
First, thank you for stopping by and choosing to sub, though I can’t imagine learning old guitar licks is something you are interested in….but.
When you say you are 90/10 percent, and that you presume it will change during the course of your life, you are most likely correct. With the internet, people are getting more information than ever, and it is helping rid the world of some of its less useful ideas and beliefs.
You wrote: “Ultimately however, I believe that as long as I have an unwavering faith in God, I’ll be fine.” My guess, is that you’ll be fine if and when you find yourself no longer needing to believe in a any god. Most of us start out believing the same things that were taught to our parents, and somewhere along the way, grow out of it.
The belief that we are all universally loved is inherent in our being because from the moment you are born, without knowing why, you are given food when hungry, bathed/clothed/warmed/cooled/loved, and it all happens without you knowing asking.
As you become aware of the people in your world, you learn that it is your parents and family that are providing the creature comforts and love, but they tell you, or the culture tells you that your feeling of being cared for by the universe wasn’t just your parents, it was a god who loves you.
The dogma continues as you age.
For some of us, we look at the number of gods that existed before yours, and ask why is it easy for you realize that all those other gods are fake, but yours is real?
And for many of us, the answer is simple, it’s the force we felt as babies, before we had words or were aware that it was actually family and hired help that provided the love and care. The universal connection wasn’t universal at all, it just happened to be the love of family, combined with the religious dogma that we retained as we grew.
Take the next step, and outgrow the religious dogma and belief in myth, just as you outgrow the idea of caste-systems, and welcome to the world as it truly is.