An engaging inquiry
Roopinder Singh

Being and Becoming a Sikh
by I.J. Singh. The Centennial Foundation, Toronto, Canada. Pages 175.

A thought-provoking look at the Sikh faith and its adherents, this is a book that addresses various contemporary issues that the Sikhs face. The author is best described by a title of a chapter: A Sikh au Courant. Indeed, Inder is both, informed on current affairs; and also fully familiar and knowledgeable (about Sikhism) which is the dictionary definition of the term.

At some point in the book Inder Jit Singh, says that he is not a scholar of Sikhism. Technically, he is correct, since he is actually Professor and Coordinator of Anatomy at New York University, New York, USA, but he is one person who can hold forth on almost anything, be it Henry James or obtuse concepts of religion and philosophy. Also, he expresses himself with a remarkable clarity and brevity, two qualities that leave their mark on this book.

There is a strong biographical note in Becoming a Sikh—A Work in Progress. Inder discusses how he came to the USA 43 years ago. Even though he was born a Sikh and like most of the Sikhs, acquired the religion through osmosis, he also lived a considerable part of his life in a non-Sikh milieu in the USA. This made him study the faith and devote himself to becoming a Sikh. "Can the process of becoming a Sikh ever finish? Can one say that one knows all there is to know and nothing new remains? I can safely say no. The word "Sikh" says it all. Derivatively, it means a student. How can a student’s lot ever be done?"

Nice conversational language that expresses profound thought, which is such a refreshing change. No wonder, Inder is one of the most widely read columnists for such Websites as sikhee.com, where some of these ideas have been explored.

A Sikh au Courant explores the ideas of modernity, and wonders how modernity is being equated with shorn hair that many youngsters now opt for. His narration of two personal incidents makes the account rather poignant, and for the record, this is a person who is not "modern" in the convoluted sense of the term, but is rather one who spans cultures and social strata with rare aplomb.

Inder loves traditional music, and also appreciates the effect that reciting paath in a modern manner has on you. Australia-based musician Dya Singh’s recitations have a tremendous following among the young, and the US-based Snatam Kaur Khalsa’s solo album Shanti is now in the semi-finals for a Grammy. Both have trained in the classical mode and gone on to explore their own styles. One might add here that this is surely to be encouraged, no matter what "purists" may have to say, and they always have something to find fault with, anyway.

His definition of fundamentalists as those who believe in the basics of a faith or anything else for that matter, rather than fanatics, with whom the term has been equated recently, is provocative and his condemnation of fanatics in various garbs forthright. His discussion of fundamentalism, secularism and fanaticism is thought-provoking; since his canvas covers practices in various nations, and across a number of faiths. He also comes forth aggressively against "cramming the Sikhs into any narrow pigeonhole," like quam. Few would argue with Inder’s rationale on the need for reasserting the role of an active sangat, which looks beyond merely electing some management committees, in running of various religious institutions.

The turban has come under attack, in some cases literally, since 9/11. It has never been easy to wear the distinctive symbols of religion, but the author sees them as a uniform. "When I see a Sikh wearing the articles of his faith, I see a person in the uniform of his discipline`85 I know that behind the uniform lie intensive training and discipline, a rigorous code of conduct and an oath that speaks of duty above all else. I also know that not all soldiers will live up to the expectations, just as not all priests, nuns, physicians or Sikhs will."

The author’s salute to religious tolerance is beautiful as it takes us down historical avenues to the recent days when a neighbouring church in New York offered its facilities to the Sikhs after a prominent gurdwara burnt down. At the same time, he also examines the killings in 1984 and the lessons to be learnt from 9/11, both of which were watershed events for the Sikhs worldwide. The chapter Some Things to Think About, like many others, is likely not only to raise many hackles, but also provoke thought.

This book is not something that I read from cover to cover in a hurry. I savoured each chapter, ruminated about it and then went on to pick some other gem.

Inder is also the author of Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias and The Sikhs Way: A Pilgrims Progress. It is interesting to note that the book has been published by The Centennial Foundation, which was established in 1997 to commemorate the centenary of Sikh settlement in Canada. The issues raised in it might have originally been thought of as those that have a direct bearing on the Sikh diaspora, but English-reading younger generations in India too will surely find that many of the issues that bedevil them have been discussed, without the kind of off-putting verbosity and pomposity that so dominates the books of this genre.

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