Introduction To 'Sikh Forms And Symbols' By Mohinder Singh

The issue of preserving hair and other Sikh symbols became a matter of serious concern when in 1926₁ a Sikh friend from the United States addressed a letter to the Sikh intelligentsia in India, Punjabi translation of which was published in the popular Sikh daify Akali te Pardesi of 20 October 1926. In the letter the young friend explained his dilemma that as a devout Sikh he was not prepared to resolve the controversy by discarding his religious symbols as most of the Sikh pioneers had done while staying abroad. At the same time he was unable to find coherent reasons in support of the traditional symbols in an alien and hostile atmosphere. He prayed that the thinking Sikh minds should help him get out of the impasse. Gyani Sher Singh took the initiative of circulating the English version of the letter to some eminent Sikh scholars of that time to get their opinions.

Relevance of Sikh symbols, especially the turban, is being questioned time and again by the host societies in UK, Canada and USA. On the Calgary-based group of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) veterans filed a suit in a Federal Court challenging the constitutionality of changing the dress code regulations in the force that allowed Sikh officers to wear turbans instead of Sten ton hats, A few years later a Califomia school principal questioned the Sikh students' right to wear the kirpa.n. However, in both the cases the Sikhs got the right to wear turbans and kirpa.ns as a result of peaceful legal battles and support of the Sikh societies and non-Sikh friends and sympathisers.

This volume contains authoritative essays in support of Sikh symbols by eminent scholars.

About The Author Of 'Sikh Forms And Symbols'

Mohlnder Singh is currently Director of the National Institute of Punjab Studies, Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, New Delhi. Earlier he taught history at Punjabi University, Patiala and the University of Delhi before joining as Director of Guru Nanak Foundation in 1982. Dr. Singh is the author of The Akali Movement(Macmillan, 1978), The Golden Temple (Hong Kong, 1992) and several other works on Sikh history and religion. His research papers have been published in several Indian and foreign journals. Dr. Singh is on the Advisory Boards and Executive Committees of several national and international organizations.