We are reproducing the fourth part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Iqbal Singh by John Katz on 860 KTRB Radio Modesto. The interview was relayed on June 4th 1989. Dr. Iqbal Singh throws light on Sikh religions and political problem. We are thankful to John Katz for providing an opportunity to present the facts to his listeners.
John: Dr. Do you have people in your country that you celebrate national holidays.
Iqbal Singh: Yes.
John: These are considered very famous people or people who have been great leaders in your country and you have holidays.
Iqbal: Yes.
John: In this country we used to have for President George Washington as national holiday and we also have for the 16th President Abraham Lincoln. We don’t have any more of them, we have one day as President’s Day with absolute no meaning whatsoever. We do now honor one man and his name is Dr. Martin Luther King. So many times he has been compared to Mahatma Gandhi. Not only that sir, I want to bring up to my listening audience to know that my Congressman Tony Coehlo who has been forced out of office on June 15th was the author of a bill to have a national holiday which cost American taxpayers over 4 billion dollars not for one of our great citizens but Mahtama Gandhi day.
Iqbal: People were intrigued by this move. I understand that Tony Coehlo who has some links with India, some interests with India has been pursuing a certain policies which are of a great concern to India and he did move this bill and I think this bill failed on the floor for a number of reasons. If Mahatma Gandhi is to be honored then there are thousands other leaders of other countries who would have staked a similar claim.
John: The founder of your religion was Guru Nanak.
Iqbal: Yes.
John: He felt deep anguish and I am reading this by the way from World Sikh News of February the 24th page 6, Guru Nanak felt the deep anguish when he saw the followers of one faith hating the followers of other faith. A large section of the society was considered low caste or untouchables. Now I like to stop there to ask you would you tell my listening audience what a caste system is.
Iqbal: It is a religiously, spiritually sanctioned system of layering in society by Hindu religion. Caste system is known as Chattur Vain the four caste in Sanskrit, Beyond the four castes there is another group of people who constitute 25% of India’s population they are known @s untouchables or Harijans people of God are the one’s who have not yet joined the caste system.
They are supposed to be inferior, they are supposed to be polluted and anybody who touches them, or allows
them to enter into their houses, has also his or her house polluted. So in that sense they are avoided and are called untouchables. Of course physically they look like you and me. They are rich and they are poor, etc. Most of them are generally poor and at the brink of poverty level. So this is the most down trodden class of people in Indian society. They are beyond the caste system. How. can Brahminism or Hindus put 25% India’s population as inferior who are not allowed to cross your path. John: This really impresses me. Guru Nanak gave new direction to religion Sikhism by saying that all people under God were equal and came up with five points this is what I like my listening audience to hear. 1, Sincere love for God: The very idea of one common God for all the humanity teaches us that whatever name we may use for the Almighty, we are all his creation and therefore we must love each other as brothers and sisters. 2, Earnest earnings: tis only hard earned money which ds sweet like milk. Wealth collected through corruption and unfair means makes a mind dirty and evil. 3. Sharing earnings: Because we are children of the same father we should feel pleasure in sharing our earnings with the needy, People who share with others do not oblige them or do any favor to them but they are doing Just their duties which is expected of them. 4. Accepting the will of God: God knows what is right or wrong for the overall welfare of the people. We should accept his decisions without grudge or question. 5. Goodwill for all: A Sikh is required to pray to God twice a day to seek his blessings. In his prayer he requests God for the welfare of whole humanity. And not just for his community and his family alone.
After reading these I said that the correlation leaders between Christianity and Sikhism was so very close. Iqbal: Yes, this is a remarkable statement that you have made their reading yours a fine statement. I agree that the basic Sikh ideology and Sikh religious teachings is very close to the Christianity teachings and Americana Encyclopedia infect states that. The points you have made that Sikhs believe and pray in the name of God, they must Share their books and must work hard and they must abide by the will of God etc. and goodwill for all the people is also to be found in Christianity also. You are right every Sikh prayer ends with Nanak Nam Chardi Kala Teri Bhane Sarbat Da Bhala” It means may God’s name ascend forever and may God blessings and grace fall upon all the humanity regardless of high or low, rich or poor.
John: Doctor, I would like to talk now about Sikh religion. Is it five hundred years old. Is that correct?
Iqbal: Yes that’s right,
John: It is the fifth largest religion in the world that really surprises me.
Iqbal That’s right.
John: They also have five K’s would you explain to my listening audience especially the fifth one.
Iqbal: Yes, Actually these five K’s what this means they are five symbols which we are required to wear, as significance of the fact that we are Sikhs. They all start with the letter K so we call them five K’s.
They are Kangha ie comb, Kesh hair we keep long hair we do not cut hair the idea being that this is way God created man why we are trying to mutilate that natural shape and that of all the living things it is only the human being which is trying to mulilate and yet we do not succeed because we shave everyday cut our hair every day and next day we are back in square one so the idea was do not to cut your hair. The second k comb is to keep our hair neat and tidy. So if you see a Sikh with a turban on you will find that the hair is very neat and well kept. The third is Kara a steel bangle it shows continuity of life it purity of action and shows strong will and the fourth one is Kachha ie short that the Sikhs wear. It shows the state of ever readiness that the Sikhs are ready to take off any just cause and fifth one is Kirpan literally it means sword. The Sikhs are required to carry a sword. The idea being that you must be ready to defend yourself against oppression. Some people often ask me why on earth you want to carry a sword, The second amendment in the
“What is happening is that Punjabis without any worthwhile industry. So imagine Sikh farmers produce wheat which is taken eight hundred miles away and then they are converted into cereals and biscuits and brought back into Punjab and sold at a price which is far costlier that it would have been otherwise.”
American Constitution allows the right to bear arms.
If a modern state can allow its citizens to carry arms the Sikhs five hundred years earlier propagated the same Point.
John: How does the Indian government economically persecute the Sikhs.
Iqbal: It is in a very subtle way. What is happening is Punjab is producing the largest surplus of food crop in India. By the sale of that the Sikh farmers are able to create surplus capital which is saved in the various banks in millions of dollars Eighty percent of the total savings of Sikh or Punjab farmer is by law invested in other parts of India. The Government of India’s viewpoint is whole of India must develop uniformly at the same time and at the same pace.
The Sikh farmer argue that they are ready to share Part of their surplus with others but you cannot totally deprive them of all their savings and invest them elsewhere. What is happening is that Punjab is without any worthwhile industry. So imagine Sikh farmers Produce wheat which is taken eight hundred miles away and then they are converted into cereals and biscuits and brought back into Punjab and sold at a price which is far costlier than it would have been otherwise. So there is NO industrial investment in Punjab that is the second part and third part is some of the facilities that are offered 10 other States in propagation of the healthy economy creating infrastructure is not created in Punjab.
To Be Continued
Article extracted from this publication >> July 7, 1989
