Where All Religions Live in Harmony

Unity In Diversity
Members of same families practise different faiths here
Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service

Mangnar (Poonch), May 6
Till a few years ago, when the first-born child in a Hindu house in Mangnar happened to be a male, it was taken for granted that the child would be raised as a Sikh. Things have changed with the migration of Hindus from remote areas of the state, but it is still common to see one member of the family supporting a turban and another ‘vermilion tilak’. It is common to see brothers living together, but practising different faiths.

This rare lesson in secularism and religious tolerance becomes even more important considering that the area has a predominantly Muslim populace. “This may look odd to you, but for the locals it is common that among six brothers, two are Sikhs and four Hindu Pandits,” says Harbhajan Singh, a Poonch-based cloth merchant.

This small township on the outskirts of Poonch that has a population of about a thousand persons comprises about 80 per cent Hindus, little fewer than 20 per cent Sikhs and a handful of Muslims, though the neighbouring areas are predominantly Muslim.

Though Mangnar has a mandir, masjid and a gurdwara, all in close proximity, the Hindus and Sikhs don’t think twice before going either to the mandir or a mosque, says Parshotam Lal.

Rattling off the names of couples where the husband is a Sikh and wife a Hindu or vice versa, Ramesh Kumar says, “Rashpal Singh is married to Mohinder Devi (now Kaur). Out of six brothers of Rashpal Singh, four are Hindu Pandits and two Sikhs. Similarly, Joginder Singh is married to Sunita Devi, Nagam Singh married Basanti Devi and a school teacher Vijay Kumar tied the knot with Dode Kaur and the list is unending.”

Durga Dass, a local shopkeeper, says that religion here does not hamper political thinking.

The township has nearly 30 per cent families who came here as refugees from Pakistan and were allotted agriculture land in lie of the properties they left back in PoK. There are many divided families here with relatives on either side of the LoC. Parshotam Lal, who works in the Animal Husbandry Department, say that he has an uncle Tirath Ram across the LoC, but he has not been able to locate him so far.

The above news item gives an idea of the Indian culture.
Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life, a philosophy.
Basically, we call ours Sanatan Dharm.
Sanatan Dharama is the natural philosophy of mankind to live in harmony with nature.
It sees the hand of God in everything, plants, animals, hills, mountains, rivers, oceans, the sun, moon, planets etc etc. and respects them.
That is why foreigners are surprised when a Hindu throws a coin into a river from a running train and folds his hand in prayers.
In every other religion, a person has to be converted to be a follower of that religion.
In Hinduism, one is born into the Sanatan Dharma, he does not have to do anything.
Sikhism as we know it was initiated by Guru Govind Singh to fight the Muslim rulers who were bent on converting the Hindus to wipe out the religion.
The Hindus were and still are peace-loving people.
Just as Prophet Mohammed's life was full of hardships,
the history behind Sikhism is entwined in many tragedies.
The tenth and the last Guru or Prophet-teacher of the Sikh faith, was born Gobind Rai Sodhi on Poh 7, 1723 sk/22 December 1666 at Patna, in Bihar. His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Ninth Guru.
Guru Govind Singh was barely nine years of age when a sudden turn came in his life as well as in the life of tile community he was destined to lead. Early in 1675, a group Kashmiri Brahmans, driven to desperation by the religious fanaticism of the Mughals General, Iftikar Khan, visited Anandpur to seek Guru Tegh Bahadur's intercession. As the Guru sat reflecting what to do, young Gobind Rai, arriving there in company with his playmates, asked Why he looked so preoccupied. The father, as records Kuir Singh in his Gurbilas Patshahi 10, replied, "Grave are the burdens the earth bears. She will be redeemed only if a truly worthy person comes forward to lay down his head. Distress will then be expunged and happiness ushered in." "None could be worthier than yourself to make such a sacrifice," remarked Gobind Rai in his innocent manner. Guru Tegh Bahadur soon aftenwards proceeded to the imperial capital, Delhi, and courted death on 11 November, 1675.
Guru Gobind Singh was formally installed Guru on the Baisakhi day of 1733 Bk/29 March 1676.
In 1698, Guru Gobind Singh issued directions to Sikh sangats or communities in different parts not to acknowledge masands, the local ministers, against whom he had heard complaints. Sikhs, he instructed, should come to Anandpur straight without any intermediaries and bring their offerings personally. The Guru thus established direct relationship with his Sikhs and addressed them as his Khalsa, Persian term used for crown-lands as distinguished from feudal chiefs. The institution of the Khalsa was given concrete form on 30 March 1699 when Sikhs had gathered at Anandpur in large numbers for the annual festival of Baisakhi. Guru Gobind Singh appeared before the assembly dramatically on that day with a naked sword in hand and, to quote Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahz 10, spoke: "Is there present a true Sikh who would offer his head to the Guru as a sacrifice?" The words numbed the audience who looked on in awed silence. The Gurb repeated the call. At the third call Daya Ram, a Sobti Khatri of Lahore, arose and humbly walked behind the Guru to a tent near by. The Gurb returned with his sword dripping blood, and asked for another head. At this Dharam Das, a Jat from Hastinapur, came forward and was taken inside the enclosure. Guru Gobind Singh made three more calls. Muhkam Chand, a washerman from Dvarka, Himmat, a water-carrier from Jagannath puri, and Sahib Chand, a barber from Bidar (Karnataka) responded one after another and advanced to offer their heads. All the five were led back from the tent dressed alike in saffron-coloured raiment
topped over with neatly tied turbans similarly dyed, with swords dangling by their sides. Guru Gobind Singh then introduced khande da pahul, i.e. initiation by sweetened water churned with a double-edged broad sword (khanda). Those five Sikhs were the first to be initiated. Guru Gobind Singh called them Panj Piare, the five devoted spirits beloved of the Guru. These five, three of them from the so-called low-castes, a Ksatriya and a Jatt, formed the nucleus of the self-abnegating, martial and casteless fellowship of the Khalsa.
All of them surnamed Singh, meaning lion, were required to wear in the future
the five symbols of the Khalsa, all beginning with the letter K the kes or long hair and beard, kangha, a comb in the kes to keep it tidy as against the recluses who kept it matted in token of their having renounced the world, Kara, a steel bracelet, kachch, short breeches, and kirpan, a sword. They were enjoined to succour the helpless and fight the oppressor, to have faith in one God and to consider all human beings equal, irrespective of caste and creed. Guru Gobind Singh then himself received initiatory rites from five disciples, now invested with authority as Khalsa, and had his name changed from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh. "Hail," as the poet subsequently sang, "Gobind Singh who is himself Master as well as disciple." Further injunctions were laid down for the Sikhs. They must never cut or trim their hair and beards, nor smoke tobacco. A Sikh must not have sexual relationship outside the marital bond, nor eat the flesh of an animal killed slowly in the Muslim way (for any sacrificial ceremony)