Comments on: Academia and Sikh Tradition: Unique Opportunities Dr. Rahuldeep Singh Gill

By: harminder pal singh

harminder pal singh — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:17:35 +0000

congrats ! u r doing a wonderful job for sikhism..sikhs r proud of u.. i was wondering whether i cud find the translation of bhai gurdas’kabits on line?
cud u guide?

By: Emeritus Professor Harbans Lal

Emeritus Professor Harbans Lal — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:50:32 +0000

I read with keen interest your article and admire your goals and vision. None can disagree with those. I also appreciate your work on Bhai Gurdas which is a difficult and a long path for which you had to travel to India and learn the difficult language employed in Bhai Gurdas verse. You should be congratulated for those efforts. As you mention that such studies like yours will enable the community to achieve its objectives. However that may happen only when the results of your study are freely disseminated. I assume that it has been a year since you completed your study. When do you estimate that it will be available to Sikh congregations and rest of the academic community? I noticed that portions of your presented at Sikh conferences are still not available for distribution. I like to encourage you to disseminate the result of your work at your earliest convenience to benefit the community that you so well described in your article. Thanks again for an inspiring article.

By: Rahuldeep Singh Gill

Rahuldeep Singh Gill — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:34:38 +0000

Dear Anne Ji and Kirpal Singh Ji,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It is absolutely true that the Sikh tradition has a warm, hospitable tradition in terms of welcoming newcomers. That tradition goes back all the way to our founder, Guru Baba Nanak himself.

It is sad to hear that you have found barriers in acceptance from certain segments of the Panth. Reading the old texts, it is clear that no such barriers ought to exist if we are to live according to the core principles and foundational teachings of our tradition.

The Sikh tradition is one of the world’s truly global religions. Its members have made inroads into every one of the world’s corners, and Sikhs are meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century head on. I am hopeful for a future in which Sikhs are better educated in both the letter and spirit of the teachings they inherit, and choose to make the houses of the Guru open and welcoming places for all.

By: Kirpal Singh

Kirpal Singh — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:45:39 +0000

Your article emphasizes about education & involvement of Sikhs with eachother & their youngsters plus with non Punjabi people.Bhai Gurdas’writings clearly show widespread Sikh congregations in the South Asia during our Guru era but they gradually fizzled away beacuse of lack of contact & acceptance of eachother perhaps due to Punjabi Sikhs desire to dominate & control Sikh institutions for personal advantage instead of motivation to spread the religion as was the intention of our Gurus’.For example Guru Amar Das established “Manji”system to preach Sikhism for & wide while modern Sikhs claim that there is no need to seek new converts which I believe is completely wrong. We fail to welcome new seekers in our Gurdwaras & social circles while we claim “human race as one” which clearly has been the teaching of Gurus’ but not the practice of their Sikhs as indicated by Ms Ann Zemens in her message.I hope new generation of Sikhs will be more true to our Guru’ teachings.

By: Ann Zemens

Ann Zemens — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:37:12 +0000

Professor:

I realize that your emphasis is on educating young Sikhs but have you given any thought to its spread to non-Punjabi persons?

I live near San Francisco and have visited the Gurdwara near here several times, also having read all the books on Sikhism available at the Graduate Theological Library in Berkeley. (I have MA from U of Chicago.) Yet I felt an almost unconscious barrier to the Pranth to accepting non-Punjabis in the Pranth.

Could you comment? Thank you.
Ann Zemens