Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion based upon the concept of one God, stands proud for the sacrifices made by their gurus.
Sikhism is fifth-largest religion on earth, was founded in the Punjab and has more than 25 million followers, (Encyclopedia Britannica). The foundation of Sikhism was laid by first guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev , born in 1969 in Talwandi, now in Pakistan. He was contemporary of the then-Muslim ruler of India, Baber. Due to ideological differences, Baber put Nanak Dev in jail and punished him by sentencing him to operate flour mill manually.
Sikhism is based on the concept of one and only one god (extreme contrast with the concept of several gods as in Hinduism) and welfare of all, equal distribution of wealth, and participation of all. Acts of service and charity and expected. Followers learn to break free from the shackles of the cycle of births and deaths and merge with God.
This concept was practiced and propagated by the second through ninth gurus. Ninth guru Sri Guru Teg Bahadur was sacrificed in public by Muslim ruler Aurangjeb . Guru was asked to adopt Muslim religion, which he refused. His son Sri Guru Gobind Singh took over as tenth guru and formed a panth (1699), followers of which are modern days Sikhs (Sikhism is their way of life).
Sikhs take their inspirations from the sacrifices made by their gurus their family members in the hands of Muslim rulers and the cause for the large interest of the public. Guru Gobind Singh declared that after him there will be no other gurus, and that the holy collection of writings of gurus, would be edited and bound in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib , thus Granth Sahib is last and eternal guru for the Sikhs. Sikhs derive their inspirations from the Holy Scripture whose contents have descended from the sky (Eternity, words of one God)
Sikhs are found settled in every nook and corner of world, majority in U.S, U.K and Canada, where they occupy prestigious positions and responsibilities. In Canada, the Punjabi language of Sikhs is finding prominence and their population in the country numbers nearly 300,000 per 2001 census. The Premier of India, Dr. Singh, is a sikh.
Sikhs also wear must wear a dastaar or turban, which is worn as a symbol of their faith and dedication to the religion.
Sikhs view women completely equal to men and try to uphold no gender bias. Women participate in daily and religious routine in the same way as their counterparts. Discouraging women from any activity or position based on sex is against the principles of Sikhism.
