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SIKH
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SIKH , a member of the Sikh See also:religion in See also:India (see See also:SIKHISM). The word Sikh literally means " learner," " See also:disciple," and was the name given by the first guru Nanak to his followers. The Sikhs are divided into two classes, Sahijdhari and Kesadhari. The former were so named from living at ease and the latter from wearing See also:long See also:hair. Both obey the See also:general injunctions of the Sikh gurus, but the Sahijdhari Sikhs have not accepted the pahul or See also:baptism of Guru Govind Singh, and do not See also:wear the distinguishing habiliments of the Kesadhari, who are the baptized Sikhs, also called Singhs or lions. Their distinguishing habiliments are long hair See also:wound See also:round a small See also:dagger and bearing a See also:comb inserted in it, a See also:steel See also:bracelet and See also:short drawers. Neither the Sahijdhari nor the Kesadhari Sikhs may See also:smoke See also:tobacco or drink See also:wine. The See also:prohibition of wine is, however, generally disregarded except by very orthodox Sikhs. In the See also:census of 1901, the number of Sikhs in the See also:Punjab and See also:North-Western Provinces was returned as 2,130,987, showing an increase of 13.9°/o in the See also:decade; but these figures are not altogether reliable owing to the difficulty of distinguishing the Sahijdhari from the Kesadhari Sikhs and both from the See also:Hindus. A See also:man is not See also:born a Singh, but becomes so by baptism, the See also:water of which is called amrit or See also:nectar. It is possible that one See also:brother may be a See also:Hindu, while another is a true Sikh. The Sikhs are principally See also:drawn from the Arora, Jat and Ramgarhia tribes, but any one may become a Sikh by accepting the Sikh baptism. The Aroras are generally merchants or See also:petty dealers. The See also:Jats are agriculturists variously described as Scythian immigrants and as descendants of Rajputs who immigrated to the Punjab from central India. They are of a tougher fibre than the Aroras; sturdy and self-reliant, slow to speak but See also:quick to strike. The Ramgarhias are principally See also:mechanics. To the temperament of the Jat, the Arora and the Ramgarhia Sikh add the stimulus of a militant religion. The Sikh is a fighting man, and his best qualities are shown in the See also:army, which is his natural profession. See also:Hardy, brave and slow-witted, obedient to discipline, attached to his See also:officers, he makes the finest soldier of the See also:East. In victory he retains his steadiness, and in defeat he will See also:die at his See also:post rather than yield. In See also:peace See also:time he shows a decided fondness for See also:money, and will go whereverit is to be earned. There are some 30,000 Sikhs in the See also:Indian army, and the See also:sect is cherished by the military authorities, who insist on all recruits taking the pahul or Sikh baptism. Many Sikhs are also to be found in the native regiments of east and central See also:Africa and of See also:Hyderabad in the See also:Deccan, and they compose a See also:great See also:part of the See also:police force in the treaty ports of See also:China. (M. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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