Introduction To 'Divine Intimations Nitnem' By Jaswant Singh Neki 

The Sikhs, the world over, number around 22 million. They are spread over around a hundred countries. As a consequence, everywhere they are in infinitesimal minority - except in the Indian state of Punjab where they have just a razor-thin majority. Yet, everywhere they are distinctly visible because of their colourful and stylistic turbans and unshorn hair.

They constitute a virile, hard working and self­-reliant community who value dignity of labour and consider no work as menial. By and large, they form an agriculturist community, although there are transporters, doctors, teachers, engineers and even businessmen among them.

The term Sikh is the Punjabi variant of Sanskrit shishya, which means a 'disciple'. Sikhism, therefore, can be termed the 'discipline'. This discipline does not dichotomise the spiritual and the mundane, the sacred and the profane. It chooses to integrate them together. It is not a discipline that sets the ideal of salvation to be achieved through renunciation of the world. It rather prescribes for its adherents responsible participation in the world and accepts the family as the doorway to salvation. In family life, man and woman are coequal and together fulfil God's generative principle to bring forth, new life and to practice relational purity. In this faith, it is not only the salvation of the individual but collective salvation of all that is the ideal. This marks its radical departure from other eastern religious traditions.

Sikhism has an essentially unifying outlook and promotes the meeting of faiths towards fulfilling a common divine purpose. Most religious views have tended to be divisive and conceive one group as set against another; for example, Hindus against Muslims. Sikhism endeavours to bring them all together as equal members of the Divine Commonwealth. Their holy book exemplifies this affirmation. It includes the works of many spiritually inspired Hindu and Muslim saints apart from the works of the Sikh Gurus themselves. Of the Hindu contributors, those from the so-called low caste shudras far outnumber the high caste Brahmins.

The Sikh faith believes in dignity of labour and expects its adherents to work with their own two hands and earn their livelihood with honest labour. A Sikh must never beg, steal, rob or cheat. Even his honest earnings he must share with others. Sharing is one of he cardinal values that this faith upholds.