I am delighted to hear that you have achieved success in your profession and are planning to build the foundation for future success by further educating yourself overseas.
I am also from India (born and brought up in Delhi) even though I have been living in the middle east for the last 15 years. The question that you have posed crosses some minds when they wish to proceed overseas either for work or employment. Having been to the US and the rest of the West, let me assure you that the attire that Guru Gobind Singh has blessed us with is as welcome over there as it is in any other part of the world.
When you travel and live outside your region, people will always ask questions about you, your background, your culture and since we are so distinctive about why we are so different from the rest of the world. There is an element of natural curiosity in this which can be addressed by your explaining to them, who you are and what your beliefs are.
This way you will generate interest in these people about yourself and Sikhism. Remember every person is not the same. Some good hearted people may be curious. The bigots and the racists will be hostile. But they will be hostile to all foreigners, so your being a Sikh or not will not make any difference.
I was about 24 when I left Delhi. Times were different. Sikhs had just been through Bluestar and the progroms in Delhi. So all of us who came out were determined to keep our faith intact.
We were able to do so, simply because we were confident that "Guru Mera Ang Sang heey Naale" ..the Guru is always there by my side to protect me. As soon as you cultivate the awareness that we are all children of the Guru and he will protect us in all places your fear as to how you will be able to survive or prosper in the West will disappear.
Guru Gobind Singh's Khalsa stands on 4 legs...Bana (physical attire)..Bani (the Guru's word as laid out in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib)...Seva (selfless service) ...Simran (remembering God's name all the time)..
Just like you have the basic knowledge of your subject and are planning to travel and live abroad to enhance it, you also have the Bana of Guru Gobind Singh...please work on adding the other 3 pillars rather than think of losing the one you have..
Please read Sikh History....read about the sacrifices of the Guru's four young children and countless other followers who gave their complete heads with their hair intact...the spirit of their martydom will intoxicate you like no other liqour in the world can...their sacrifices will give you the confidence to stand in any part of the world with Guru Gobind Singhs bana (and his bani) and proudly proclaim that you are the mirror image of the Guru...
You will be intoxicated with the Guru's words, "Khalsa mero roop hai Khaas, Khalsa may meh karro nivas.." You will have all the power that he commanded..the same power that destroyed the tyranny of the mighty Mughal empire...such power will easily let you overcome the mundane difficulties of transferring to a new location either seeking a job or for studies..
May the Akal Purakh keep you in the Guru's bana and develop in you the confidence to face the world in the same saroop as the Chothe Sahibzade faced way back in 1704..
Do not get misled by people who tell you how you will conduct yourself in the West with the Guru's bana...I have been there as I have to other parts of the world....all I needed while I was there was the blessings of the Guru which he will give you all the time..
Just like you study every day, do your paath every day and remember him..he will take care of all your physical, academic and all other needs any where in the world.
May the blessings of the Akal Purakh always be with you while you work on your academic and spiritual development
PS. If you give me your India mailing address I can arrange to ship you a book called, " We are not Symbols". This is a dialog between a father and a son on the question of the 5 Kakars. The son, a product of St. Stephens college in Delhi and a brilliant student, has similar questions as you have and raises them to his father. If you read the father's response and do your paath, the doubts that you have in your mind will disappear. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Re: Racial Discrimination in Foreign Countries (07/20/1999)