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Summary of Question:	Casteism In Sikhism
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Friday, 6/14/2002 4:04 AM MDT

Firstly a warm Sat Sri Akaaal or Should I say Gur Fateh to Everyone here.

I was just passing by and came across this site and the postings interested me.My Question goes something like this.
"I'am a Sikh By Birth & By Choice but not Amritdhari but would be sure One day when I'll be ready"
My Intellectual/Religious exposure to Sikhism is through Gurbani(GranthSahib)& certain translations by Khushwant singh,harbans singh doabia and numerous other scholars & men who know more than me.
what i don't understand is that inspite of clear directions from the gurus & thru the gurbani casteism still exists among sikhs.
Naamdahri,Nildhaaris,Jatt sikhs,ramgariah's,hazare,Baape's,Tarkhan's,
the list is long.
I'm aware that in US/UK and even in some cities/states in india all these sections or clans of sikhs have separate gurudwaras & management n stuff & confontations are common.
So why this HYPOCRACY I mean
Firstly
1)
Why do ppl proudly put their castes/clans after their singh/kaur names and take pride in the same.Is there a religious verdict in the GURMAT or by SGPC for the same.
I put a singh and I'm happy with the same
2)
A superiority complex anong certain section of sikhs and disdain towards the others how does that help them & how can we increase awareness about real sikhism & gurmat!

Enlighten me
Bikram

____________________________________________________________________________

Sat Siri Akal.

Dear Bikram.

The answer is easy, really. It's called "human nature."

The Gurus taught against many things-the caste system, oppression of women, earning a living through exploiting others, being intolerant towards other religions. They pointed us in the direction of what a full, balanced human life would look like. However, knowing the path and having the capacity to walk the path are two entirely different things. It's about insecurity. People are afraid to let go of these cultural habits because the habits give a false identity, a false sense of security. There's no point judging or arguing about it. It's simply human nature. We all know that lying leads to pain, confusion and heart-break. But how many people honestly live without telling any lies? The Gurus taught against the caste system, but how many Sikhs honestly look upon all people-men and women, from every race and creed-as their brothers and sisters?

These teachings are the ideals we should all strive to live by, while understanding the very real pitfalls of human nature. If you refuse to live by the caste system, that is a good first step. If, by your example, service and love you can inspire others to abandon the caste system-you are carrying on the very work of the Guru himself. There never has been a perfect society yet. Guru gave us guidelines and principles to build an equitable soceity that lives in the light, love and the Will of God. We have the blueprints. But the building is not yet complete and each generation has a duty to add one more room, build one more column to seeing that blueprint realized in action. Focus on what you can do, and don't worry about what others are not doing. The power lies with you because the future belongs to the youth and is your to create.

All love,

GPK