Preface Of The Book 'Hand Book On Sikhism' By Surinder Singh Johar 

The Sikhs constitute only 2 per cent of India's total popu­lation-a mere 2 crores in a population of 100 crores. Most of them live in the State of Punjab. After India's Independence, they not only spread to different parts of the country but also settled all over the world. Wherever they have gone, they have made a name for themselves in different vocations by sheer grit and hard work. They are industrious and are a highly enterprising lot. A large number of Sikhs have made a mark in as diverse fields as industry, farming, transport and the armed forces.

Sikhism is a comparatively a young religion, for its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469. No doubt, there had been in India, before Nanak, several religious reformers who had done commendable work to rid religion of its pitfalls and had en­riched literature in many ways but most of them considered life futile and did not give much thought to build up a new social order. They aimed mainly at emancipation from priestcraft. They gave themselves up to the contemplation of future life in the hope of approaching bliss, rather than called upon their fellow-creatures to throw aside every social as well as regligious trammel, and to raise a new people free from the debasing corruption and degradation of centuries. It was Guru Nanak who perceived the true principles of religion and social reform, and laid those broad foundations which enabled his successors to preach his tenets both in letter and spirit.

Guru Nanak laid the foundation of Sikhism. He thought of God as the Supreme Being who was Universal, all Powerful and Truthful. He believed that Truth was greater than all the religious rites and ceremonies one performed. The other Gurus only preached Guru Nanak's teachings and made his thinking the basis of all their utterances.