CONTENTS:- Preface; 1. Perspectives on Sikh identity-I; 2. A Sikh perspective-I; 3. Akal Takhat and twin doctrine; 4. "The construction of religious boundaries: culture, identity & diversity"; 5. Darbar Sahib Amritsar: an integrated complex; 6. Blue star: a pre-meditated design; 7. Akal Takhat and the Operation Bluestar: variant perceptions; 8. Sant Bhindranwale: why the masses followed him?; 9. The Sikh Turban and Pseudo-scholars; 10. The Sikhs and their psyche; 11. The Punjab problem: historical perspective; 12. Justice in Punjab: government dragging its feet; 13. The loot of Punjab waters; 14. Punjab crisis : creation of the Congress; 15. Repeating the white paper; 16. Bill Clinton and the Sikhs; Index.
DESCRIPTION
The book is a collection of author's well-researched and well-documented articles published in the leading journals and newspapers. It covers a wide range of subjects on Sikh religion and history. The object of the book is two-fold, first, to project a correct image of Sikhism and its ideals and institutions, and, second, to rebut distortions and misrepresentations of Sikh ideology and tradition. Sikhism occupies a unique place among the higher religions of the world. The Sikhs are quite aware of their independent identity. They have inherited a tradition of service (Seva), suffering and sacrifice for the cause of liberty, justice and righteousness. The spirit of independence is deeply imbedded in the Sikh psyche. The author has tried to highlight the distinctive character of the Sikh faith by taking up themes like the Sikh world-view, the Miri-Piri or whole life system, the theo-political status of the Gurdwaras and the significance of the turban for the Sikhs. The author has contradicted the oftrepeated contention put forward by many writers that Sikhism is nothing but a sect of Hinduism. His views on the Blue Star attack and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale are note-worthy. The author who is a keen observer of the Punjab scene has also made an indepth study of the multi-dimensional problem in Punjab which has been grossly misrepresented by the biased writers and the Government controlled media. The author reveals how a grave injustice has been done to Punjab in the socio-political and economic matters. The State has gone through a series of disasters as a result of the discriminatory policies being followed by the rulers. The thought-provoking analysis of the various issues raised in the interest to the perceptive readers. The author's honest, bold and fearless version of the Punjab problem, contained in his earlier book 'India Commits Suicide', has already been widely acclaimed by the reading public, the world-over.
