Kamalla Rose Kaur has an insightful, yet provocative style. That is good because it catches the readers and holds them.

Many of her points are indeed excellent. Although religions are defined by their ideas that are meant to determine lifestyles, such ideas acquire life only through the people who follow them or at least profess to. This means that ideas become rooted to a piece of dirt or land, its people, music, language, cuisine and all the other facets of a culture. What happens then is that most religions become so intertwined to the cultures that nurture them that the two often become inseparable. Consequently, ideas that are meant to be universal often become diminished in practice to regional themes. This has been the fate of Sikhism that Kamalla Rose Kaur has highlighted.

Kamalla points out that we need to discover the pristine purity and power of Sikh teaching while separating it from many practices of Punjabi culture that have little to do with, and often are antithetical to, the clear doctrinal teachings of Sikhism. Many examples of such cultural corruption of Sikh teaching abound but two obvious ones are the place of women in Sikh society and the role of caste in Sikh life today. Rose points out the former quite effectively. I am not sure that I would agree with her blanket condemnation that there is "no effort by Sikh men to recruit Sikh women…" Efforts exist, though they may be both sporadic and meager.

Kamalla argues that "…I don't think any of us have generations of time to waste on gradual change…" I would argue that we have little choice but to persistently and determinedly work towards an evolution. And this evolution does not need to take over 200 years as in the time span between Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh. In keeping with the times, this evolution can progress at a faster rate and in it, I am convinced, the Sikhs in the Diaspora can be the significant agents for change.

I would have to disagree with many of the assertions in JaiDev Kohli's submission. Throughout the lives of all the Gurus - from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh - one message has been clear: Temporal and Spiritual concerns are not to be sundered but integrated such that spiritual insight provides the underpinnings for an honest worldly life. Guru Nanak's life itself demonstrates it, as does the life of all other Gurus. Guru Hargobind's actions merely further elaborated this principle in what we term the doctrine of Miri-Piri. One needs the unchanging principles of a spiritual existence to manage the changing issues that come to you from living a purposeful life.

From JaiDev Kohli's posting I would wonder why did Guru Gobind Singh need the Khalsa. Perhaps he forgets that Guru Gobind Singh had already fought many battles prior to the Vaisakhi of 1699. Where does he think was the need of amrit? Is he implying that now that national armies exist and the country is nominally independent, Khalsa should be disbanded. Khalsa was created out of spiritual need and a spiritual process started by Guru Nanak and not just as a militant arm of Sikhs, Hindus or anyone else.

I agree with Kohli that there is more to being a Sikh than wearing long hair. I don't think anyone will disagree that Sikhism requires a lifestyle where the external and internal realities are integrated and merged. There is plenty of hypocrisy in our practices, as there is in the practice of most people in most religions. This is cause for concern, not complacency. In an integrated life that Sikhism recommends, the so-called symbols of Sikhism then become considerably more - they become articles of faith.

I.J. Singh
New York University
April 5, 2001

Dr. Inder Jit Singh is Professor & Co-ordinator in Anatomy, New York University. Among other publications, he is the author of two books: 'Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias' and 'The Sikhs Way: A Pilgrims Progress'.

I.J. Singh is on the editorial advisory board of 'The Sikh Review', Calcutta and 'The Encyclopedia of Sikhism', Punjabi University, Patiala.