WHITES AND SIKHS

asked 2018-02-05 03:53:28 -0500

MARTHA
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When and how did the Whites came in contact with the Indian Sikhs and when was the first recorded White convert to Sikhism?

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answered 2018-02-05 04:10:03 -0500

Not at all Punjabi
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updated 2018-03-26 15:19:22 -0500

Aha! that’s a marvelous question. The good relations between Whites and the Indian Sikhs are centuries old.

It was in the year 1708 when the two Muslim Pathans took a murderous attempt on Guru Gobind Singh Ji's life in Nanded, Maharashtra and the Guru Ji got injured. It was then that Guru Gobind Singh Ji was treated by a White British Doctor. So, the Whites came in contact with the Sikhs long back.

But sizeable number of Whites embracing Sikhism was in the 20th Century only and it continues till date.

It was in the late 60’s, when Mr. Harbhajan Singh Puri, Head of Customs at the New Delhi Airport who was a Master of Kundalini Yoga landed in the Western Hemisphere to teach Kundalini Yoga.

His students who joined the Yoga classes heard of the Sikh Mantras for the first time, heard stories of the Sikh Gurus and the Sikh discipline and that is where it all started when his students started exploring Sikhism and the first converts to Sikhism was in the early 70’s.

So, Mr. Puri, or the Siri Singh Sahib, indirectly was instrumental in preaching Sikhism and that’s what he did in his entire life till he passed away in 2004.

It was during Singh Sahib’s lifetime that, for his contributions towards Sikhism, he was honored from the Akal Takhat with the title, “Bhai Sahib” and that’s what most of his students used to call him and still remember by the name, Bhai Sahib or even Siri Singh Sahib.

Also in the year 1999, on the tercentenary of the Khalsa celebrations, Siri Singh Sahib was awarded with the Panth Rattan title at Takhat Keshgarh Sahib, Punjab.

Singh Sahib’s followers grew from the North and South America’s to even in South East Asia of China,Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Though Sikhs of Indian origin have been living in the Western World for over a century, much before Siri Singh Sahib landed, it was only through the efforts of Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib that the Whites started exploring Sikhism.