Columnists

Simple Pleasures

by I.J. SINGH

Just the other day, on a Sunday morning, I was lazily fumbling through The New York Times crossword puzzle, when one tantalizing query jumped out at me.  The clue for "152 across" demanded a four letter word for "Punjabi believer." 

My mind immediately leapt to "Sikh," and that turned out to fit perfectly. 

But I wondered! Is every Sikh by definition a Punjabi?  Certainly, there have been many non-Punjabi Sikhs since the time of the Gurus to the present.  Guru Nanak, we know, traveled far and wide within and outside India, to the far corners of the world as it was understood at that time.  Wherever he went, many people accepted him and became his Sikhs. 

His Tibetan followers, as well as those who accepted his teachings in Sri Lanka, Bengal, and the Middle East became Sikhs, but could not have become Punjabis. We also know the substantial number of Sikhs who came into it from a diversity of paths, not at all Punjabi.  Many Sikhs in the diaspora today, though descended from Punjabi Sikh parents, are only minimally connected to their Punjabi origin or its cultural accoutrements.

On the other hand, it can't be denied that most of the 25 million Sikhs worldwide are of Punjabi descent, and much of Sikh mores and tradition are derived from Punjabi culture, where Sikh practices still remain rooted.  

We know that not all Punjabis are Sikh.  The greater Punjab of pre-1947 days had large populations of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and the like; their numbers most likely corresponded to the order noted here.  These are followers of well-defined religions, hence they are all believers.  The proportions have changed since, and Sikhs are a larger part of a smaller Punjab, but the mix remains unchanged. 

Then, of course, the question arises: What does a "Punjabi believer" believe?

To some it might seem that I am conflicted about my own identity.  Perhaps so, perhaps not; certainly that's how I feel after almost a lifetime away from the sounds and smells of Punjab.  I seem to be splitting hair, but these matters, to me, are minutiae that deserve thoughtful exploration; they are not trivia to be glossed over.

Then my thoughts went to our post-9/11 reality in modern America, when the average Joe or Jane Doe could not tell the difference between a Sikh and a follower of Osama bin Laden, all because Sikhs wear  turbans.  Not only many ordinary citizens, but respectable encyclopedias and so called "scholarly" talking-heads or their books continue to be flummoxed by the distinction between Sikhs and Hindus or Muslims.

Yet to us, it is a matter of faith: the originality and uniqueness of Sikh vision is never a matter of doubt.

Larger areas and questions about Sikh culture and tradition, like the Golden Temple or the founder of the faith, Guru Nanak, have found their way into television game shows like "Jeopardy," but in the case of Sunday's crossword puzzle, The Times chose a fairly esoteric clue and minimal phrasing, that might leave some readers stumped.  But in the final analysis, that exactly is the purpose of such an exercise. 

Much as we must need to know our neighbors, our neighbors need to know us.  And that is the contribution of this small entry into the maze of the Sunday puzzle.   I was absolutely delighted that by such baby steps we insinuate ourselves into the consciousness of our neighbors.

And, of course, I was thrilled that I got "152 across" right.

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