In The Light Of The Political Realities Of India Today, This Is A Vital Book. It Is A Reminder Of What The Sikh Faith Stands For Peace, Communal Harmony And Social Justice.

Sri Darbar Sahib, (Golden Temple) is a living institution of the non dual Sikh worldview of the interconnective and inseparable coexistence of Miri-Piri, Temporal and Spiritual. Sri Harmandir Sahib (Piri) and Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Miri) manifest this belief. Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the immortal throne, has been and continues to be the consensual and authoritative institution for the Sikh Qaum or Worldwide Sikh community. It has enjoyed de facto Supremacy respected by many Authorities. However as the Sikhs are now a global People, it is increasingly becoming necessary for Sri Akal Takht Sahib to gain de jure sovereignty. This will enable the Global Sikh community to develop consensus and function independent of any political or legal shadow through Sri Akal Takht Sahib under its temporal supremacy. The benefits for Sikhs, India, South Asia and to some extent the world are enormous for peace, for development and as a place for new ideas to tackle global issues facing humanity and the earth. This book looks at the history, the necessity, the possibilities of Sri Akal Takht Sahib supremacy and establishing de jure position in international relations.

This volume describes Sikhism, the youngest member of the Indic religious traditions. It looks at the striking features of this tradition and describes its birth in the fifteenth century and its continual evolution between the sixteenth and late twentieth centuries into an independent formation often described as the “world’s fifth largest religion”. The volume explains how Sikhism arose at a time of religious and political ferment, a fact which left its mark on its interactions with other traditions, notably Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. The volume illustrates that Sikhism’s political aspirations may not have been fully met by the establishment of the nation state of India in 1947, as indicated by the demand by its adherents for greater autonomy which occasionally has spilled over into claims for independence. It pays attention to the fact that Sikhism is isomorphic with Buddhism and Jainism inasmuch as the demographically minority status of all of these religious traditions conceals the vast influence they have exerted on the Indian landscape. In addition the volume analyses the relationship between complex themes such as violence and mysticism, politics and religion, tradition and modernity, as they have manifested themselves in the historical evolution of the Sikh community. It provides a useful introduction to the lives of its founders, their philosophical and ethical teachings and to Sikh responses and interactions with the world’s major religious traditions in an increasingly pluralistic world.

The Sikh Gurus had a unique place amongst the spiritual leaders, precepters, reformers and saints of India. Their teachings have universal appeal and hold good in all the ages and at all times. The impact of their teachings cannot he easily fathomed. Spiritually and ethically they have influenced the life, thinking and conduct of millions.

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies innovatively combines the ways in which scholars from fields as diverse as philosophy, psychology, religious studies, literary studies, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics have integrated the study of Sikhism within a wide range of critical and postcolonial perspectives on the nature of religion, violence, gender, ethno-nationalism, and revisionist historiography. A number of essays within this collection also provide a more practical dimension, written by artists and practitioners of the tradition. The handbook is divided into eight thematic sections that explore different 'expressions' of Sikhism. Historical, literary, ideological, institutional, and artistic expressions are considered in turn, followed by discussion of Sikhs in the Diaspora, and of caste and gender in the Panth. Each section begins with an essay by a prominent scholar in the field, providing an overview of the topic. Further essays provide detail and further treat the fluid, multivocal nature of both the Sikh past and the present. The handbook concludes with a section considering future directions in Sikh Studies.

In 1984 the Indian Government attacked the holiest shrine of the Sikhs in Amritsar, commonly known as the Golden Temple (Harmander Sahib) on the pre-text of flushing out terrorists. 30 years later this attack on the faith & nationhood of the Sikhs still brings up painful memories of murder, terrorism and genocide. In light of newly disclosed documents by the British Government, many questions remain unanswered for the Sikh community about the events prior to and after Operation Blue Star (the Indian Army s attack on the Sikh s holiest shrine in Amritsar). The aim of the book is to explore the events leading up to 1984 and to analyse the pursuit of truth, justice and liberty, for Sikhs in India and the diaspora. The book follows a narrative which is historical and topical, bringing current issues of Sikhs and Punjabi's into the discussion. There is also a focus on Sikhs in the diaspora and current Sikh agitations for justice.