SIKH CULTURE
Sikhs have their own traditions of music, painting, and architecture. They have been greatly influenced by other cultures, religions and traditions, namely Hinduism and Islam, but they have also influenced others. Louis E. Fenech wrote in the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: Many of the arts often considered "Sikh" are also practiced by non-Sikh Indians who would most likely not consider these specifically "Sikh" arts. The only arts that can be considered distinctively Sikh are the recital and singing of the ragas (meters) of the Guru Granth and folk music performed by wandering minstrels known as dhadhis. There have been great Sikh painters such as Sobha Singh, litterateurs such as the Punjabi writers Vir Singh and Nanak Singh, and poets such as Amrita Pritam. [Source:Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992]
There are no forms of entertainment or recreation specifically associated with Sikhs, although they enjoy Punjabi games, folk songs, and dances. As a group Sikhs often physically fit and are among the more imposing of the peoples of India. In accordance with the Sikh martial tradition, sword-fighting is a popular activity among men. Sikhs also enjoy telling jokes about themselves. [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
The Sikhism founder Guru Nanak preached the brotherhood of humanity, a doctrine that modern Sikhs try to uphold. Sikhs try to avoid any kind of racial, gender, or ethnic discrimination. Consistent with this belief is the conviction that there are many paths to God, so Sikhs are famously tolerant of other religious beliefs. The Granth Sahib — the Sikh holy book — is likely the only major sacred scripture in the world that actually tries to teach members of other religions, including Christians and Muslims. It states, "Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran. Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu. Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. Guru Nanak said one who knows … God's will, knows the secrets of his Lord and Master." Another passage states, "By His power the Vedas and the Puraanas exist, and the Holy Scriptures of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions. By His power all deliberations exist." [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”]
Jeremy Page wrote in The Times, Ohe problem facing the Sikh community in India is that “young Sikh men are increasingly influenced by non-Sikh role models from India and the West. Patricia Uberoi, a professor of sociology at Delhi University, said that one of the main cultural influences on young Sikhs was the bhangra pop music that emerged in the British Punjabi community in the 1990s. Many of its stars are Sikh but do not wear the turban. But she said that the elders’ main fear was not westernisation, but that Sikhs in India — less than 2 per cent of the country’s population — would be swamped by the Hindu majority, from which they split five centuries ago. “If Sikh rituals are not followed properly, then what do they end up with but Hinduism again?” [Source: Jeremy Page, The Times, November 24, 2006]
Famous Sikhs
Famous Sikhs outside of the Sikh religion include Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014; Khushwant Singh, the scandalous intellectual; and Daler Mehndi, a popular singer. Sikhs have distinguished themselves in the Indian and British military. Of the 40 Victorian Crosses (the highest medals for battlefield valor given by the British) given to Indians, 21 were given to Sikhs. During festivals, Sikh soldiers like to put marigolds on the end of their swords.
Other Sikhs who have achieved high office in politics and government service include Swaran Singh, who was appointed to Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru's cabinet after Independence and served in various ministerial position in several Indian governments. Manmohan Singh was finance minister in the Union (central) government from 1991 to 1996, and Giani Zail Singh was president of India from 1982–87. General J. J. Singh, the former Indian Chief of Army Staff, was a Sikh.[Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
Bishen Singh Bedi, the Test (international) cricketer, and Balbir Singh, the Indian field hockey player, are just two of the many Sikhs who have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally in Indian sports. In the 2000s there were two Sikh players in the Indian national cricket team. In 2006, Monty Panesar, the England cricket star, became the first Sikh to play cricket for a country other than India. Sharan Art is a well-known director in the Punjabi film industry and producer of films such as "Galwakdi" and "Rabb Da Radio 2."
Harbhajan Singh is one of the Sikhs in the Indian cricket team, normally wears a turban but in 2006 he found himself at the centre of the controversy over turban wearing when he appeared with his hair down in a liquor advertisement. According to The Times: Hundreds of Sikhs marched through Amritsar and even burnt his effigy in protest, forcing him eventually to give in to elders’ demands for an apology. [Source: Jeremy Page, The Times, November 24, 2006]
Sikh Folklore and Literature
In part because Sikhism is a relatively were religion (it was founded in the 15th century) it lacks rich mythology and legends that other South Asian religions, particularly Hinduism, have. However, a body of sakhis (stories) has grown up recounting the supposed miracles performed by the gurus. The 'Hundred Stories' (Sau Sakhi) is a collection of prophecies ascribed to Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikh heroes are the gurus who died for their beliefs. Sikhs also identify with Punjabi culture and share in its folklore and traditions. [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009 *]
Pashaura Singh wrote in the“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”:“A rich literary tradition began in the early Sikh community with the writing of the Guru's hymns in the Gurmukhi script. The principal source of Sikh devotional literature is, of course, the Adi Granth, which may be seen as the main inspiration behind the poetic works of Bhai Gurdas and other Sikh writers. The janam-sakhis, which represent the first Punjabi prose form, belong to a second category of devotional literature. [Source: Pashaura Singh, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, Thomson Gale, 2006]
In addition to their own sacred literature, Sikhs have made important contributions to modern Punjabi literature. Sikh writers include Vir Singh, Nanak Singh, and, more recently, the poets Purana Singh, Amrita Pritam, and Prabjhot Kaur. Khushwant Singh, a noted author and journalist, has devoted much of his life to the study of Sikh culture. [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
Sikh Art and Crafts
There is no really distinct Sikh school of painting, Sikh artists have been part of the Pahari, Kangra, and other painting traditions that have flourished in northwestern India. A Sikh tradition of portrait painting distinguished itself briefly in the 19th century under the patronage of. Sikh architecture, as seen in the gurdwaras, represents a fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles, developed in a unique Sikh manner. Gurdwaras often feature paintings or murals of the two gurus who were martyred by the Muslims. [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009 *]
Sikhs are known for their expertise in various arts and crafts, including hand embroidery on cloth, known as Phulkari. The Rumala offered to the gurdwara during a birth ceremony is a piece of brocade or silk embroidered with religious symbols and lettering. The Rumala offered to the gurdwara during a birth ceremony is a piece of brocade or silk embroidered with religious symbols and lettering. The Rumala offered to the gurdwara during a birth ceremony is a piece of brocade or silk embroidered with religious symbols and lettering. It is used to decorate the Guru Granth Sahib. In Amritsar, ivory-carving is a popular tradition, with depictions of Hindu deities, Sikh portraits, and replicas of the Golden Temple being offered to visiting pilgrims. *\
Pashaura Singh wrote in the“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”:“Sikh artistic activities began with the illumination of the manuscripts of scriptural traditions in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The opening folio of the first canonical text of the Adi Granth (1604) was profusely decorated. Sikh scribes followed the Koranic tradition of illuminating the margins and the opening folios of the text. The earliest existing paintings of Guru Nanak go back to a janam-sakhi (birth narrative) of the mid-seventeenth century. Although the janam-sakhi genre of illustrations continued to evolve, it changed dramatically with the coming of the printing press to the Punjab in the nineteenth century. Sikh arts such as painting, carving, armour, brassware, jewelry, textiles, and architecture flourished under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who reigned from 1799 to 1839, and under other Sikh rulers. Murals and frescoes became popular at the time of the reign of Ranjit Singh. There are wall paintings of major events from Sikh history at the Darbar Sahib and at other historical gurdwaras. [Source: Pashaura Singh, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, Thomson Gale, 2006]
Sikh Hymns and Music
A good portion of the Adi Granth — another name for the Sikh holy book — is comprised of hymns that are sung at many occasions. The sacred music of the Sikhs is called kirtan, which means singing the praises of God in melody and rhythm. The gurus based their compositions on Indian classical music, combined with elements of popular Punjabi folk tunes. The emphasis is on vocal music, although the hymns are accompanied by drums, harmonium, and other musical instruments.[Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009]
The Sikh sacred hymns are written in Saint Bhasha, a language related to Hindi and Punjabi. Most of the Sikh gurus were excellent musicians, who composed songs that conveyed their message to the masses in the saints' own language, which combined variants of Punjabi with Hindi and Braj and also contained Arabic and Persian vocabulary. Written in Gurmukhi script, these songs are one of the main sources of early Punjabi language and literature, which also includes tales of veiled women and Hindu legends.
There are 5,894 hymns in all, arranged according to the musical measure in which they are sung. An interesting feature of this literature is that 937 songs and poems are by well-known bhakti saints who were not members of the lineage of Sikh gurus, including the North Indian saint Kabir and five Muslim devotees. In the Guru Granth Sahib , God is called by all the Hindu names and by Allah as well. From its beginnings, then, Sikhism was an inclusive faith that attempted to encompass and enrich other Indian religious traditions. [Source: Library of Congress]
Pashaura Singh wrote in the“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”:“Sikhism is the only world religion in which the founder was a musician who preached his message primarily through song and music, and it is thus a forceful example of the combination of religion and music. Indeed, sacred music is at the heart of the Sikh devotional experience. Guru Nanak and the succeeding Gurus laid great emphasis on ragas that would produce a balancing effect on the minds of both listeners and performers. Further, Guru Arjan created a theological and musical coherence in the very structure of the Adi Granth when he placed both classical and folk traditions side by side in the final sequence. [Source: Pashaura Singh, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, Thomson Gale, 2006]
The key organizing principle of the Sikh scripture is based upon a welldefined system of 31 classical ragas, along with an equal number of regional varieties. The Adi Granth presents a combination of lyrical and rational elements and is far more complex than any simple explanation or description. It should be added that understanding the ragas of the Adi Granth and their organization solely in terms of the modern North Indian musical tradition is inadequate. Modern North Indian music is unlikely to go back to traditions before Tansen (died in 1586), the most famous musician in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, and it is probably traceable only to the eighteenth or nineteenth century. In fact, scholars of music have taken a keen interest in examining the influence of both the Adi Granth raga system and of treatises of the time on modern North Indian musical traditions, since the former seems to be crucial in understanding the latter.
Bhangra
Sikhs like to dance and produce Punjabi Bhangra music. Bhangra is a funky, beat-driven style of Punjabi folk dance music. Popular in India and Pakistan and among South Asians in Britain and the United States, it combines traditional Punjabi drum-and-percussion music of field workers with Western dance music "in every-shifting East-West hybrids.” It is know for driving, danceable rhythms, ecstatic singing and goofy keyboard riffs.
Traditional bhangra music is performed at harvest festivals called “bisakh”. The name of the music is derived from the word “bhang”—Punjabi for hemp or marijuana—the crop that was often being harvested. The chanting lyrics are meant to entertain fields works and keep their mind off their work. It often incorporates humorous references to wives and mother-in-laws. Bhangra dancing is very popular and performed during the Baisakhi festival in the Punjab. It is performed by men and is very robust and energetic. Drummers playing “dholak” drums usually play at the center of the dancers.
The rhythm for the music is intended to match the movement of a reaper with a scythe. It is provided by a “dhol”, a large barrel drum found in many places in western Asia. It is struck with a stick for the basic rhythm on one side. Complicated cross rhythms are played with the hand on the other side and embellished with rhythms from tablas and dholak drums. Dances were developed to accompany the music.
Around 200 years ago, bhangra became a popular form of entertainment. The “dhol” was replaced by the “dlolak”, which is quieter and better suited for playing more complex rhythms. Other instruments such as the “alghoza” (duct flute), “thumbi” (one-stringed fiddle), Indian harmonium, santoori were added.
Bhangra and Gidda Folk Dances
The Punjabi folk dances, gidda and bhangra, are popular performances during Sikh celebrations. With the migration of Sikh communities to the West, Bhangra folk dance as well as music has become popular with young music lovers in Britain, Europe, and North America. The modern form of bhangra combines North Indian folk music with a kaleidoscope of contemporary styles, including reggae and Western pop. [Source: Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]
Louis E. Fenech, wrote in the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: “Bhangra is traditionally performed by a group of men. It dates back to the fourteenth century, originating in West Punjab (now a part of Pakistan). But in modern times bhangra has become extremely popular with both Sikh men and women. Dressed in bright colors, the group dances in an elemental rhythm to the beat of a large drum, and everybody joins in songs celebrating Punjabi village life.
Gidda is choreographed by women in gentle and lithesome movement. Together they celebrate nature and its bountiful gifts through the seasons of spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, and winter. Amid sparkling agrarian scenes, gidda captures simple activities: how they milk cows, cook mustard seeds, do needlework, fan in the summer, buy glass bangles, churn milk in the morning, carry water in earthenware pitchers sturdily balanced on their heads, and help with plowing and harvesting.
Kabir — Poet Greatly Loved by Sikhs
Kabir (1398–1518) was a well-known Indian mystic poet and sant greatly revered by Sikh. A sant is a person esteemed as a "truth-exemplar" for their abnormal of "self, truth, and reality" in Indian religions. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in the Guru Granth Sahib — Sikism holy book — and other Sikh scriptures. These his poems are sung by Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims—especially Sufis. Born in Varanasi, India, he is known for being critical of organized religion and religions in general. He questioned what he regarded as meaningless and unethical practices of all religions, but primarily Hinduism and Islam. religions. He was threatened suring his lifetime, by both Hindus and Muslims for his views but after he died he was embraced by several Hindu and the Muslim theologians who said they were inspired by him. [Source: Wikipedia]
Kabir was born a Shudra (the lowest caste in Hindiusim) and therefore never had access to Sanskrit and was most probably an illiterate. He was born at a time when Hinduism and Muslim religion were criticized for being based superstitions and relying too much on rituals. As has been the tradition of Hinduism, when such doubts arise, new great saints are relealized, and this case, Sikhism was founded. [Source: Washington State University, Internet Archive, from Rutgers]
To Hindus Kabir was a Vaisnava — bhakta. To Muslim he was a pir — Muslim saint. To Sikhs he was a bhagat — a Holy Person who leads a life of spirituality and dedication to God. To his followers of Kabir (Kabir Panthis) was an avatar of the supreme Being. His ideas are in the form of small poems which are still popular and sung in India. The best thing about the poems is the simplicity. Many of his poems are purely devotional and teach humility. Thus person with little knowledge of Sikhism or Hinduism can understand them.
Kabir’s Poems
“On [God's] Omnipotence” by Kabir goes:
I have done nothing and nothing can I do,
this body is capable of nothing:
Whatever is done is the work of Hari,
It is He who made Kabir `Kabir'!
If I made the seven seas my ink
and the trees of the forest my pen,
If the whole expanse of earth were my paper,
still I could not write greatness of Ram!
Kabir, what good deed can you do,
if Ram comes not to your aid?
Since every branch you step upon
yields and gives way!
Nothing is [really] done [by you],
what has been done is not yours,
For if you had done anything,
there would be another creator.
[Source: “Kabir” by Vaudeville Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1974]
“On Death’ by Kabir goes:
Kabir, the lute is silent
for all its strings are broken:
What can the poor instrument do,
When the Player has departed?
Scorched by the forest fire,
standing, the tree cries aloud:
Let me not fall into the Blacksmith's hands,y
lest he burn me second time!
Kabir, the dear is lean,
despite the greenery round this pond:
For a single living being, there are many thousands of hunters,
how many times will he escape the arrows?
Man is but a doll made from five elements,
to whom a human's name is given..
We are but guest of four days,
yet we take up so much room! (14)
For More Kabir poems See Internet Archives web.archive.org and web.archive.org
“On the Guru's Greatness” by Kabir
What can I give in return,
so great is the Name of Ram?
What gift of mine could please the Guru?
The wish remains [unfulfilled] in my heart
There is no relative closer than the Satguru,
no bounty equal to spiritual awakening,
There is no greater Benefactor than Hari,
no community equal to that of Hari's devotees.
[Source: “Kabir” by Vaudeville Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1974]
If the Guru be blind
the disciple is born blind:
When the blind lead the blind
both fall into well!
I was drowning but I was saved
when the Guru's wave rose up;
I saw the vessel fall to pieces
and I myself jumped clear!
To find the Guru is a great boon:
without Him, you are lost,
As the moth attracted by the lamp's flame
falls into it in full knowledge!
Maya is the Lamp, man is the moth,
circling arround [the flame], he falls:
Says Kabir, thanks to the Guru's wisdom,
a few are saved.
Image Sources:
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated December 2023