Culturescape: Sikhism

Urmi Chanda-Vaz
Jun 3, 2016
2 min read

Who doesn't know the distinctively turban-sporting, fun-loving community of the Sikhs? Thanks to prominent Punjabi filmmakers and the Hindi film industry, most people are acquainted with this ethnic group. These bravehearts are known for their martial and commercial skills as much as their colourful culture.

But one thing that most of us seem to not know is the correct name of their religion. Sikhism – the word commonly used to refer to the religion of the Sikhs is actually an Anglicized term. It is derived from the word Sikh or Sikhi, which mean 'lesson'. The suffix 'ism', which means practice or system, has been added to the root giving us Sikhism.

However, the original term for the religion of the Sikhs is Gurmat. Gurmat is derived from the words 'Guru' and 'Mat', where Guru means a teacher and Mat means 'Wisdom'. Thus, following Gurmat is following the path shown by the hallowed teachers. This is opposed to 'Manmat', which means following one's own whims and fancies.

Gurmat or Sikhism is the 5th largest organised religion in the world and has the largest number of practitioners in India. It was founded in the 15th century CE by Guru Nanak Dev ji, the first in the line of 10 Gurus. The 11th and omnipresent 'guru' is the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book of the Sikhs. It incorporates the philosophy, codes of conduct and wisdom of the Gurus and Bhagats. There is a lot more to this fascinating religion, that we shall explore in our religion series. But the first and the most important step was getting the name right!