Dear Editor:
Recently i saw a matrimonial in a Sikh newspaper in which a Sikh lady was inviting matrimonial correspondence for her sister from a Gur Sikh Boy” and in parenthesis writes (clean shaven O.K Many clean shaven” people do claim themselves as Sikhs but I was not aware of matrimonial ads for “clean shaven Gursikhs”. The often repeated arguments of the clean shaven are “Sikhi should be from inside not outside (2) the hair was a necessity during those war fires there is no such need now or we are better Sikhs than those Keshadhari.” 1 do not want to refute these arguments but just want to bring to their notice that last year during the parliament of World one the Jathedar of Akal Takhat answering this specific question replied as follows “I do not know whether keeping of long hair is a must or not or what this has to do with Sikhi I know this much that this is a must as per the orders of the Guru he likes to see us this way and in this uniform And just as for entering a school cr team or an army you have {o wear their uniforms no matter how good a scholar player or soldier you might be similarly a Sikh has to wear long hair no matter how otherwise a nice person or follower of Gurbani you may be.”
The purpose of my present letter is not to enter in to any controversy but it is just to make a humble request to those on the clean shaven side to please respect at least some boundaries. If today it is alright to call a clean shaven person not only a Sikh but also a “Gur Sikh” then may be tomorrow such a “clean shaven Gur Sikh” will be claiming his right to be included in “Panj Pyaras and who knows then what
If that then I wonder why are we fighting for the right of a Canadian Sikh Police man wear his turban or even for Khalistan Cannot our opponents easily show such matrimonial ads and the pictures of other clean shaven officers of Sikh Gurdwaras to prove their point.
A few years ago a judge in England rejected a petition of a Sikh student to keep his long hair on the grounds that if the president of a Sikh Gurdwara could cut his hair why he cannot.
So without claiming any superiority I will appeal to my “clean shaven Sikh” brothers to please go into your prayer room sit quietly for a few minutes remember your parents and grandparents and then ask you “Do I really believe that what I am doing is right. Did my ancestors who had their skulls removed rather than let their hair be cut simple fanatics? Inspite of all my piety could I face Guru Gobind Singh with dignity or without any feeling of shame?” If still
you do not want to or cannot respect the desire or decree of our Guru regarding the long hair please at least do not advertise it in the matrimonial or newspaper photos so that it may become even more difficult for those who inspite of all odds do want to maintain the “Sabat Surat” as per the desires of the Guru Also please note that this exactly what our enemies want they first want to wipe out identity and then absorb us in their religion which was perhaps the real motive behind Golden Temple attack. Daljit Singh Jawa Topeka Kansas
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
