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he <strong>Sikh</strong> <strong>Bulletin</strong> cyq-vYYyswK 542 nwnkSwhI March-April 2010<br />
any religious affiliation or socio economic background<br />
to participate in all their ceremonies. Can there be a<br />
better testimony to the inclusive nature of this religion<br />
and its members?<br />
<strong>The</strong> paradox is the ninth Guru of the <strong>Sikh</strong>s, Guru Teg<br />
Bahadur Singh lay down his life to protect Hindus from<br />
religious persecution in this country and the Hindus<br />
turned against the <strong>Sikh</strong>s a few centuries later. What is<br />
not as well known is that during the numerous Hindu-<br />
Muslim communal riots this country has witnessed, the<br />
<strong>Sikh</strong>s have very often risked their lives to give shelter<br />
and protect their Islamic friends and neighbours. And<br />
now the Islamic terrorists are targeting them. A<br />
community that evolved to settle differences between<br />
two feuding religions now finds itself at the receiving<br />
end of the ire from both of them.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> gurus were mystics. <strong>The</strong>y preached affection<br />
and tolerance. <strong>The</strong> community has internalised it. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
are charitable, fun loving and gregarious. <strong>The</strong>y also<br />
have a unique quality other Indians don’t have. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
can laugh at themselves. Since we Indians are masters<br />
of subversion, we have used this commendable quality<br />
of theirs against them by evolving a set of jokes in bad<br />
taste against them. Little do we know the joke is on the<br />
rest of us.<br />
After all what is more heart warming in this country<br />
than meeting a little turbaned sardar burdened by his<br />
school bag and smiling at you in your child’s bus stop?<br />
*****<br />
LETTER TO THE EDITOR<br />
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa. Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fetah<br />
I just noticed in the <strong>Sikh</strong> <strong>Bulletin</strong> (Sep - Oct, 2009)<br />
about the passing of Dr. Beldev Singh Ji. It is indeed a<br />
shock to me and I am sure to the entire <strong>Sikh</strong><br />
community, at large, as we don't have Dr. Beldev Singh<br />
Ji with us who had the potential of making significantly<br />
more contributions to promoting the "true"<br />
interpretation of GuruBani to the <strong>Sikh</strong> community<br />
world wide.<br />
About a few weeks ago, one of my friends forwarded<br />
me an electronic copy of Nanakian Philosophy written<br />
by dear Beldev Ji. Although this work was completed<br />
in 2008, last week was the first time I had the chance to<br />
review it. It is an outstanding piece of work.<br />
As I have recently embarked on my personal mission<br />
to understand GuruBani, Dr. Beldev Singh Ji's work<br />
provided me a knowledge-base to launch from on my<br />
mission. Given his analytical and in-depth review and<br />
interpretation of GuruBani, I sent him an e-mail last<br />
week (attached) to have a dialogue with him on certain<br />
aspects of his presentation of the Nanakian<br />
philosophy. I was hoping he can be a great mentor as I<br />
work to understand and hopefully apply Guru's<br />
teachings in my personal life. I was hoping to hear<br />
from him and was thinking of contacing him by phone<br />
in a day or two. But now I know why I did not hear<br />
back from him. It is indeed sad we don't have him with<br />
us any more.<br />
I would like to take this moment to express my<br />
sympathy and condolences to his family and to the<br />
<strong>Sikh</strong> community on the passing of a great academic,<br />
intellectual and a "Gurmukh".<br />
Paramjit Singh Rana. e-mail: jeetrana@shaw.ca<br />
*****<br />
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