• Khalsa
• Sikhism

Sikh

The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit word shishya which means disciple or student. In the Punjabi language the word Sikh also means to learn. So a Sikh is a disciple of the Ten Gurus and a follower of the teaching the many Hindu and Muslim saints whose teaching are incorporated in the Sikhism's holy book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS).

Table of contents

1 The Khalsa 2 General Disposition 3 Sikhs and Punjabis 4 Sikh Names 4.1 Male names 4.2 Female names 5 Prescribed daily Practises of a Sikh 6 See also

The Khalsa

General Disposition

As a consequence of the above, even today gallantry and machoism are much appreciate values in Sikh cultures. It is not uncommon to see tall, well-built Sikh youths driving open (roofless) Jeeps, SUV's or bigger, macho motorbikes such as Royal Enfield's Bullet. Despite their small percentange in Indian population, Sikhs have regularly figured in national Indian sports squads (especially field hockey and athletics, the traditional dances and sports of Punjab almost always manifest flowing energy or physical strength.

Precisely for this prevalence of machismo, Sikh culture is clearly male dominated and women play, as in myriad other cultures, only a secondry role in society.

Sikhs and Punjabis

Since Sikhism originated in the region of Punjab, most Sikhs trace their roots to that region (though in recent times, with the spread both of Sikhism and Sikhs, one might encounter Sikhs belonging to other geographical locations across the world). So more often than not, a Sikh might also be identified as a Punjabi, although one should not be confused with the other. Consequently, and also because the Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi, the script of the Punjabi language, most Sikhs are able to speak, read or write the language, or are at least familiar with it.

Sikh Names

A Sikh man almost always bears the second name of Singh, which means 'lion', and a Sikh woman can be identified with a second name of Kaur (Though the name Kaur is an exclusively Sikh name, Singh is quite often encountered in Hindu names as well). Additionally, except only a very few cases, the same first names as used for men are used for women. In other words, though one may not be able to tell the gender of Sikh person from his/her first name, the second name of Singh or Kaur makes the distinction completely clear. Moreover, the said first names usually end with common suffixes such as: inder, jeet, preet, pal, meet, deep, mail, bir, want etc. Even the prefixes of the first names aren't too much varied. The commonest of prefixes are: Gur, Har, Man, Bal,Dal, Kul, Jas etc. The various combinations of these prefixes and suffix make up Sikh first names.

Keeping above in mind, a few examples of Sikh names might be:

Male names

So, though it might be easy to indentify a Sikh by his/her name, people with "non-Sikh" names can be Sikhs too.

Prescribed daily Practises of a Sikh

The following is the daily routine to be followed by a practising Sikh. These are of course not mandatory to be a Sikh but rather an ideal:

1. To rise early in the morning.
2. To have a shower or bath or as a minimum to wash face, hands & feet.
3. To meditate on God and recite the Banis of the Guru - Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib and 3 other banis. If possible to attend Gurdwara (Sikh Temple); to listen to Kirtan whenever possible.
4. To perform Aardas, have breakfast and attend to the family needs.
5. To attend work, training, or study, etc and perform Kirit Karni.
6. Finish your daily work, school or college and return home to see to your family duties.
7. In the evening recite or listen to the Rehras Sahib.
8. After Aardas, to have the evening meal and engage in recreational, charitable, social tasks.
9. Before bed to recite or listen to the Kirtan Sohila.

• Sikhism
• Sikhism Primary Beliefs & Principles;
• The holy book of Sikhs Guru Granth Sahib
• The index at Sikh Sites.