by Owen Cole
During 1993 there was some unrest in a district of Belgium to which Sikhs had gone to take part in harvesting as casual labourers. At times of high unemployment, there are always possibilities of non-whites being accused of job stealing. These often diminish when a group becomes established. Meanwhile Sikhs are sometimes deterred from migrating to areas where none has been previously.
Sikhs in North America
The work of Sant Harbhajan Singh Yogi has already been mentioned as well as the fact that the estimated number of Sikhs in North America varies incredibly. Apart from some Sikhs who migrated almost a century ago to the British Columbia region of Canada and to California in the USA, most American Sikhs settled there after the Second World War. They took with them the skills that new areas of the economy needed, such as ability in scientific research, medicine and technology. For the most part as much needed professionals, they have faced little discrimination in countries that are multicultural and pride themselves on being classless. The turban and uncut hair has caused some difficulties for Sikhs wishing to enter the US army, and in Canada in 1993 a branch of the British Colombia Legion prevented Sikh veterans entering a hall to join in Remembrance Day ceremonies because they were wearing turbans.
The impact of the dispersion will depend upon American Sikhs more than any other group. There are already several professorships and lectureships in Sikh studies held by Sikhs, and there are Sikhs who are alert to issues facing Sikhs in the modern world. Attitudes to the ethical challenges mentioned elsewhere (Chapter 10) are among these, as is the need for young Sikhs to be able to practise their religion through the medium of English. As yet, many Sikhs, even in the USA, are understandably holding on to the Punjabi language, arranged marriages and the keeping of the turban and uncut hair as preferred forms of defence against the alien and secular American culture, but others are trying to articulate a Sikhism which will be faithful to the message of the Gurus and capable of surviving and flourishing in the USA, and therefore the Western world, of the twenty-first century. Those American Sikhs whose children have married out appreciate the need for the non-Sikh partner and the children of the marriage to be able to feel comfortable within the Sikh faith. They see the need for translations of at least parts of the scriptures so that they can share the religion’s spirituality.
Why did Sikhs migrate?
There are many answers to this question and it would be interesting for you to discover some yourself by talking to Sikhs when you have got to know them well enough to discuss personal matters. It is also important for anyone with the opportunity to record interviews with them or their children while the chance offers itself. In 1983 I returned from a research visit to India intending to do just this, but was only back in time for the funeral of the man I wanted to interview, Leeds’ first Sikh. He was a Ramgharia, not a Bhatra, and came to the United Kingdom in 1938. When asked why he came, he replied that two men had returned to his village wearing gold watches and strange (Western) suits. When he asked his father where they had been he was told ‘England’. His response was if they could do it so could he, and out he set!
Besides this kind of individual answer there are some general ones:
Famine. Sometimes writers mention famines in the nineteenth century, which forced Punjabis to migrate in order to survive.
Membership of the British Indian army, which led to Sikhs literally discovering new horizons, and gave them secure pensions after their term of service. These were sufficient to keep them and their families, but not to establish businesses or landholdings. They returned to the countries in which they had been serving, where they knew gaps in employment existed.
Lack of opportunities at home. Farms or businesses may only be able to provide employment for a limited number of people, especially with mechanization. Surplus sons had to look elsewhere – and at the same time help the extended family to prosper from their earnings so that they could eventually find a niche when they returned home.
Lack of land. Most of Punjab had been cultivated by the late eighteenth century, when irrigation projects had become fully operational. Jats, especially, had to look elsewhere.
Prospects abroad, like those offered to the craftsmen who went to East Africa.
The affluence of Britain in the 1950s and opportunities which the British government and employers offered those willing to work unsociable hours. Advertisements informed Asians and people from the Caribbean of such work in textile mills and public transport.
Demands for professional skills in countries such as the USA or Indonesia, or the Gulf States. Though India can afford to employ most of its graduates nowadays, many relish the prospect of overseas experience.
Sikh rejection of the concepts of ritual purity and pollution which stopped some Hindus migrating.
WHY DID FAMILIES MOVE?
It will be remembered that the usual pattern of migration was for males to go abroad and send money back to the home to which they would eventually return.
The chance to bring wives and children to join migrants seems to have been caused by two factors. One was the prospect of greatly improved living standards compared with the best that India could offer, including education, climate and occupational opportunities for the next generation. The other was government policies. Fixed contracts do not lead to Sikhs trying to settle down with their families in Arab states. The choice of bringing dependants to Britain within a limited period early in the 1960s, or not at all, made Sikh men decide to stay in Britain and be joined by their families. On the other hand, changes in Australian laws in the 1970s enabled newly arrived professional Sikh men to bring their families to join them and make migration to that country relatively easy for Sikhs today.
The future of Sikhs in the dispersion
It is, of course, impossible to make predictions in human affairs. Much depends on circumstances beyond the control of Sikhs. If racism makes them feel uneasy in a country like Britain, those of them who can, leave because they possess the skills that all countries need. Some will go to the emerging opportunities provided in the Pacific region. Britain could be left to poor whites and others who lack the ability to get up and go. One thing is certain: Sikhs will continue to use their energies, based on their philosophy of honest hard work, to advance themselves and the societies in which they settle. Whether more of them will leave India depends upon a resolution of the Punjab crisis and national stability as well as opportunities afforded abroad. One thing seems certain, the kind of mass migration, which resulted in about 150,000 Sikhs moving to Britain, is unlikely to be repeated anywhere.
Some disapora Sikhs have a vision of completing the Gurus’ work by taking their message to countries that they were not able to visit themselves. They see the purpose of migration not only in terms of self-fulfilment, but telling others about their religion. Sikhism, as has already been stated, is not a missionary religion, but Sikhs do regard Guru Nanak as a world teacher. This was the significance of the extensive journeys described in the Janamsakhis. They also take seriously the words at the end of the congregational prayer, Ardas.
Through Nanak may the glory of your Name increase and may the whole world be blessed by your grace.
One way of doing this is by making the scriptures available to non-Sikhs in their own languages. Jarnail Singh, a migrant now settled in Canada, has completed a French translation. There are several English translations but mostly the language is archaic, based on the Authorized Version of the Bible, or unhelpful because the attempt to translate poetry into poetry is scarcely ever satisfactory. A consortium of scholars produced a modern translation of the major hymns regularly used in congregational worship and personal devotion. The author of the translation entitled The name of my beloved, was Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh. The project was organized by the Sacred Literature Trust and published by HarperCollins in 1996.
Modern issues such as those mentioned in the chapter on ethics will be addressed by Sikhs outside India primarily.
Just as Chris
tianity is often captive to European culture, so Sikhism is restricted by its Punjabi ties. If Sikhism is to sever its links with Punjabi culture, it is the Sikhs beyond India who will enable it to do this. Those within Punjab may see no problem, in the same way that it is black Christians who have had to open the eyes of white Christians to their possible distortion of the Gospel. This said, however, the base of Sikhism in the foreseeable future, and perhaps for all time, will be Punjab.
Figure 16.1 Young Sikhs in Delhi growing up within their tradition. Nagar kirtan on the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh.
In 2003 the most expensive gurdwara in the world was opened in Southall, England. The cost is estimated at £13,000,000 but a figure of £24,000,000 has also been mentioned. The 1951 census gave only 330 members of the population as being born in new Commonwealth countries. Ten years later this had risen to 2,540. In 2001 the number of Sikhs in Ealing (of which Southall is a part) was 25,625 and in neighbouring Hounslow 18,265. (The 2001 census is the first since 1851 in which a question on religious adherence has been asked.)
Sikhs in Southall first met in a hall, hired on Sundays, for diwan, a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib being taken from a private house. Some 40 or 50 people attended the gathering for worship. In 1961 a house was purchased, and two rooms were converted for use as a gurdwara. In 1967 a dairy was bought which, in 1975, was expanded when the next-door building was obtained. Ten years later the land on which the new gurdwara now stands was bought in Park Avenue but the foundation stone was not laid until 1999. The purpose-built gurdwara is centrally heated, and has an underground car park and another for disabled persons. These are taken by lift to the main hall. Special attention has been given to the needs of disabled visitors, possibly for the first time in the history of gurdwara construction. The langar hall accommodates 2,000 people. There are also rooms for wedding receptions and for use as classrooms to meet the needs of extensive educational programmes. The palki sahib (the structure housing the Guru Granth Sahib), weighing 1,000 kg, was constructed in India and shipped to England.
The story of this new gurdwara is an expression of the maturation and confidence of Sikhs in one particular part of the diaspora. It can be mirrored in many other countries.
Sikh population
The number of Sikhs worldwide can only be estimated. Several websites provide information but figures vary widely from about 23 million to 39 million. Much depends on the method of computation used. Religious statistics gave the Sikh population of India as nineteen million. Most Sikhs live in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi but you can find them throughout India. It must always be remembered that religious statistics can depend very much on the question asked. To put a cross or tick in a box need not indicate observance or belief; rather it may denote cultural attachment.
In the countries of the diaspora there is similar uncertainty, especially regarding the USA. Some estimates give 1 million for the whole of North America, others for the United States alone. More reliable is the census total of 2001 for Canada, 147,000; for Australia, 12,000 in 1996; for New Zealand, 2,800 in 2001; and for the UK, 336,000. Malaysia has about 57,000 and Singapore 20,000. Latin America is said to have 9,000 and Europe, excluding the UK, a further 130,000, which seems overlarge. African numbers are very uncertain. We are left with the inclination to accept 25–30 million as the total of Sikhs worldwide.
What can be stated with certainty is that Sikhs have emigrated principally to the English-speaking countries and those that were formerly part of the British Empire, for reasons to do with culture and language.
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THINGS TO REMEMBER
Most Sikhs are economic migrants.
Close links are usually kept with Sikhs in the Punjab even in the third and fourth generations because of the strength and importance of the extended family.
Some Sikhs outside of India work to reinforce their Punjabi culture.
Some members of the diaspora take the view that in totally new circumstances old ways have to be discarded.
Unless they are under some perceived threat, e.g. racism, diaspora communities may become more individualistic than the main group in the homeland.
There can be a danger of economic migrants losing their distinct identities and becoming assimilated in cultures that are tolerant and secular.
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Taking it further
Further reading
AjitSingh, Charanjit K, The Wisdom of Sikhism (London: One World Books, 2001). An attractively illustrated and presented compilation.
The B40 Janam Sakhi, trans. W H McLeod (Amritsar: Guru Nanak University, 1980). The most convenient translation of a Janamsakhi into English.
Cole, W Owen and Sambhi, Piara Singh, A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism (London: Curzon Press, 1990). An extension of the glossary for anyone needing more detail.
—, Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study (London: Macmillan, 1993). Some readers may be interested in interfaith dialogue. This is the book for them.
—, The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press, 1995). A comprehensive account used by many university departments worldwide.
Hymns from Bhai Gurdas Gobind Singh Mansukhani (London: Sikh Missionary Society, 1988). Available from: 10 Featherstone Road, Southall, London, UB2 5AA. Many pamphlets on various aspects of Sikhism can be obtained from this source.
McLeod, Hew, Sikhism (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1997). An excellent survey by one of the world’s leading scholars.
McLeod W H (ed. and trans.), Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1990). The best available collection of the main Sikh writings.
Macauliffe, Max Arthur, The Sikh Religion, 6 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Various reprint editions are available.
Pams, John M, The Word of God is not Bound. (Centre for Christianity, 2009). A study of Christian-Sikh Interaction.
Randhir, G S, Sikh Shrines in India (New Delhi: Ministry of Information, 1990). A list of gurdwaras for any traveller going to India. Most guide books seem to miss out Sikh shrines.
Singh, Harbans, The Heritage of the Sikhs, 2nd edn (New Delhi: Monohar, 1994). A comprehensive and clear survey of Sikh history written by one of Sikhism’s most eminent scholars.
Singh Shan, Harnam, So Said Guru Arjan Dev (Government of Punjab, 2006).
Singh, Nikky Guninder Kaur, The Name of My Beloved (London: HarperCollins, 1996). A modern translation of the major hymns regularly used in congregational worship and personal devotion.
Singh, Patwant and Sekhon Kaur, Harinder, Garland around My Neck (Birmingham: DTF Publishers and Distributors, 2001). A fascinating account of the life and work of a famous twentieth-century exemplar of seva.
—, The Bhagats of the Guru Granth Sahib (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2003).
Stronge (ed.), Susan, The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms (London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999). The book of the Khalsa tercentenary exhibition. A fine study of an important period of Sikh art and history.
Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur, Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs. (Ashgate, 2005). A study of various groups that make up the Sikh community or are linked to it.
The following four titles are all part of a series of lavishly illustrated, informative books written by leading Sikh scholars. Published by UBS Publishers’ Distributors Ltd and the National Institute of Panjab Studies, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi, 110 001.
Neki, Jaswant Singh, Pilgrimage to Hemkunt (2002)
Singh, Mohinder, Anandpur: City of Bliss (2002).
—, The Golden Temple (2002).
Singh, Mohinder Singh and Singh, Rishi, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (2002).
Other books written by the author
Cole Sahib: The Story of a Multifaith Journey (Sussex Academic Press, 2009)
with Peggy Morgan Six religions in the Twentieth Century (Nelson Thornes, 2000)
Hinduism – An Introduction (Hodder Education, 2010)
Sikhism
on the internet
The author acknowledges the help of Dr. Joy Barrow in assembling this section. Websites come and go with considerable rapidity, and readers are advised to undertake their own searches.
www.sikhnet.com
www.sikhspirit.com
www.keertan.org
Glossary
adi first in the sense of primary; original
ahankar pride, one of the five evils
Akal Purukh the Being beyond time; God
akhand path continuous, uninterrupted reading of the Guru Granth Sahib
amrit nectar; mixture of sugar and water used at initiation
amrit pahul Sikh initiation ceremony
amritdhari one who has been initiated
amritpan karna another term for the initiation ceremony
Ardas the Sikh prayer
atman soul, self
avatar ‘descent’ or incarnation of a deity, usually a form of Vishnu
baba title given to a respected (often elderly) man
bani word, or speech; the material contained in the Guru Granth Sahib
baoli a well, with steps down to the water level
bhai sahib phrase often used to address or refer to a granthi