While older generations have traditionally been used to reading the Sikh scriptures and books about Sikhism in Gurmukhi and Punjabi, newer generations are more comfortable with English. The Internet remains mainly an English medium. Even though other non-English languages have made some inroads in this regard, the technology does not easily facilitate the use of Gurmukhi characters. There are no web browser or email standards for the transmission and viewing of Gurmukhi characters. This has for the most part meant that the majority of information on the Internet and the email discussions being carried out are being done so in English. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is available in Gurmukhi on the Internet but little else in the way of material about the religion in Gurmukhi script has made it online. By contrast there are plenty of books on Sikhism in English on the Internet.

Whereas older generations have traditionally defined a 'good Sikh' as one who follows the traditions and rituals with unquestioning faith, for younger generations this is not enough. They are not willing to follow the traditional devotional approach with its emphasis on rituals and less on philosophy. The Internet is being used by Sikhs to dig deeper into their religion. The new generations of Diaspora Sikhs if they express any interest in the religion are interested more in knowing 'why'. They are not willing to accept Sikhism based on the 'no questions' traditional approach, which has been passed down for generations. They are more sophisticated than previous generations have ever been in this regard or were ever allowed to be and want to know about the mechanisms of the religion, how it's philosophy compares with other faiths, how relevant the religion is today and where the religion stands on contemporary social issues.

The newer generation of Sikhs has evolved a more analytic approach that differs considerably from the devotional approach of previous generations. As most of the material on the Internet has been written by their own contemporaries it also follows this quantifiable and analytic approach in it's presentation and content. One can do key-word searches of the Guru Granth Sahib online, look at the writings classified by author and look at various aspects of Sikh theology by subject matter. This analytic approach previously only the domain of scholars is eagerly being adopted by the newer generations as they surf the net and email each other. It is a true peer-to-peer use of the technology, where they are more interested in learning about their religion online, looking at content developed by their own peers in different parts of the world. They are learning more about the religion than what they have ever learned traditionally from their families or at the Gurdwara. Topics which would be considered 'taboo' such as homosexuality, sex and gender equality are being discussedy on the Internet as Sikhs seek to understand their religion and where it and they fit in into the bigger picture of life and society.

After reading and having online discussion about highly 'technical' aspects of the religion on the Internet when they start asking their parents questions, in many cases they are not getting answers that make sense to them. Their parents and the older generations were raised in that traditional devotional approach in which emphasis was placed on the proper etiquette, prayers and rituals of the religion and less on understanding the underlying philosophical mechanisms. This has been the approach for hundreds of years, but it does not seem to be one that makes the most sense to the younger Sikhs of the Internet age. They seek to understand first and then develop a sense of respect, love and devotion, rather than the other way around.

The oral tradition, used for hundreds of years to pass on stories and parables about the religion is slowly being lost. The new generation is not as interested in hearing stories from their elders or at the Gurdwara, of Guru Nanak performing miracles such as stopping a boulder with his bare hands. There is not that same sense of wonderment that older generations have when hearing such stories. They feel that 'miracles' are not enough of a justification or validation of the religion and need more. The younger generations are much more sophisticated and would rather spend their time on the Internet taking a more hard and analytic approach to finding information and learning than the 'soft', and what they consider simplistic, approach of the traditional oral tradition. Whereas Baba Nanak causing Mecca to move when his feet were moved by the Qazi seems to hold a greater sense of wonderment and validation of the greatness of Sikhism and the power of the Gurus for the older generations, the younger generations are more likely to go to the Internet and look at a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between Sikhism and Islam or do a keyword search of the Guru Granth Sahib to read contextual references to Mecca.

Sandeep Singh (Brar) is an Internet technologist and developer of the widely acclaimed website www.sikhs.org.