MAYOR AND MRS. GREG BALLARD VISIT SIKH TEMPLE
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
October 4, 2009

ABOUT SIKH FAITH TRADITION AND COMMUNITY

SIKH FAITH TRADITION:
Monotheistic faith like Christianity
One Supreme Creator, Immaculate Reality; Eternal Truth; Wonderful Lord;
Self-Existent and Self-Illuminated;
Father and Mother of all Creation;

FOUNDER:
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1538); succeeded by nine Sikh Gurus (Prophets);

SIKH SACRED SCRIPTURE:
Known as Guru Granth Sahib, the Word enshrined has been venerated as the Living Guru by the Sikhs since 1708 A.D. The sacred volume enshrines 5,894 compositions, all in poetry and each keyed to a specific Raga (pattern of music).

The Scripture include compositions by Sikh Gurus, several Hindu saints representing various Castes and different regions of India and some Muslim saints from Sufi and other spiritual traditions. Besides several Indian languages: Gurumukhi-Punjabi, Hindi, Dakhni, Devnagri, and others, there are several compositions that have Persian and Arabic languages.

The entire Guru Granth Sahib is in praise of God and the source of all traditional rituals and commandments for living. Today translations of Guru Granth Sahib are available in many languages including English

PILLARS OF THE FAITH:
. MEDITATION and REMEMBRANCE of GOD
. RIGHTEOUS LABOR and SHARING the blessing with the needy
. SERVICE (SEVA) as an act of faith and prayer

FAITH FOUNDATION AND PHILOSOPHY:
. EQUALITY that includes gender, origin, nationality, faith, culture, community
. JUSTICE that accepts and advocates the right of self-defense
. HUMAN RIGHTS and DIGNITY of all God’s Children
. SANCITY OF ALL FAITHS and SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS

These principles preceded the American Constitution by three centuries

THE SIKH COMMUNITY:
. World-wide: around 30 million; Fifth largest faith in the world
. United States of America: around 800,000 ; the first Sikhs came in the late nineteenth century
. Indiana- from one Sikh in October 1967 to 2,500 Sikh families in October 2009
. They own many businesses and contributing to Indiana economy in many ways
. Three Sikh Temples serve the community; Sikh Temple (Acton Road) largest and oldest
congregation
. Sikhs are in every walk of life (military, agriculture, sports, medicine, science and engineering,
arts, service industry etc.). The Prime-Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh is a Sikh

. Over 89,000 Sikh soldiers lost their lives and 110,000 were injured in World War II fighting on
the side of the Allies to free Europe and defeat the Nazi.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
. Mistaken identity issues since 9/11
. Workplace discrimination and airport harassment
. Unprovoked violence
. Barred from jobs in US army, law enforcement agencies due to faith-mandated articles of faith
such as turban, beard, ceremonial sacred Kirpan (small sword)
. Equal opportunities in jobs, government contracts, minority business loans/support programs

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT:
. Serve the communities in every way, at every level, wherever we live, work, raise our families
. Loyalty to the Nation and the communities that are our home
. Mainstream our talents, hopes and dreams, innovations and investments and interface them
with our shared visions and common future as Americans and world citizens

These random notes provide a general overview about the Sikh faith tradition and Sikh Americans. They are by no means complete and touch on every facet of Sikh faith and community in India or in Diaspora. There is a lot of information today available on websites about the Sikh faith, festivals, culture, history and heritage, and their myriad outstanding contributions in many fields around the world.