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Summary of Question:	Caste System, What Are We Doing Abt It ?
Category:	Other
Date Posted:	Monday, 5/19/2003 8:40 PM MDT

WJKK,

WJKF.

I would like to answer a question that really pists me off sometimes. The thing I am talking abt is the caste system in Sikhism.

Firstly, the caste system is NOT allowed in Sikhism. It was one of the fundamentals that Guru Nanak Dev Ji went against. It was put down to a bare minimum in the time of 10 Gurus. However, after that Hinduism had a stranglehold on Sikhism at 1 time and it was at that time that all this crap started to be active. The formation of the Singh Sabha made sure Sikhism as a religion existed but did not eradicate this problem.

It really makes me mad to see gianis especially to be involved abt this. In the gurudwaras I have seen people of "lower Castes" not being able to wash plates. The langar was made for all to be treated equally.

Now,we know there is the problem of this caste system here. How do U thing bhainjee/bhajee should the youth,orall of us ,do to stop it in our local areas and in India where it is rampant?

//* Just to let U know, I am a Singaporean and my elders believe in this crap as they think we R JATTS when I believe we should be Sikhs *//

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REPLY
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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh! Sikhi is a worldwide religion. Lots of us are Sikh who are NOT of Indian heritage, so this caste business does not involve us and many of us think it is stupid if not downright anti-Sikh. The only way caste observance is going to be stopped in the Sikh religion is for people like you to REFUSE to have anything to do with it. For some, this means going against one's parents. (And this is where it gets stymied, because who wants to lose relations with their parents?)

The panj piaray that first Baisakhi day represented five 'lower' castes, did you know? If the 10th Master had wanted to observe caste, would he have accepted their heads?

WHen the 'lower castes' in your gurdwara are not allowed to wash plates, go up to one of them and thank him/her anyway for offering. Instead of talk, WALK your talk. Include the 'lower castes' in your gurmat group or your youth group activities. Be willing to be friends with other 'castes'. It's going to take various forms of activism on the part of many to put a stop to it, and it will take time. It's not the life you lead, it's the courage you bring to it. So be courageous and do not accept caste considerations in your life. Guru ang sang,
-DKK