No comments about Narrative of the Second Sikh War in 1848-49 With a Detailed Account of the Battles of Ramnugger the Passage of the Chenats, Chillianwallha, Goojorat, Etc..

No comments about At Them with the Bayonet: the First Anglo-Sikh War 1845 - 1846.

2 comments about Accommodation Without Assimilation: Sikh Immigrants in an American High School (Cornell Studies in Political Economy).

1. This book deals with an important subject -- the interaction between a distinctive immigrant group and the surrounding community; does so in a scholarly and thorough way; and yet is a pleasure to read. I have no background in sociology but I was fascinated by this research, which is presented in an understandable and engaging way.

   The only caution I'd suggest to other readers is that one should be careful about extrapolating these findings about Sikh farmers in rural California to the larger Indian-American community. The subjects described here are clearly different from many (perhaps most) other Indian-Americans -- in religion, dress, social customs, occupation, education and economic class; so different in fact that I think one should be hesitant about reaching any conclusions about the larger community just from this book. As an Indian-American who grew up and attended high school in suburban New Jersey, I can testify that my own experience was far different from the one described here.




2. This book deals with an important subject -- the interaction between a distinctive immigrant group and the surrounding community; does so in a scholarly and thorough way; and yet is a pleasure to read. I have no background in sociology but I was fascinated by this research, which is presented in an understandable and engaging way.

   The only caution I'd suggest to other readers is that one should be careful about extrapolating these findings about Sikh farmers in rural California to the larger Indian-American community. The subjects described here are clearly different from many (perhaps most) other Indian-Americans -- in religion, dress, social customs, occupation, education and economic class; so different in fact that I think one should be hesitant about reaching any conclusions about the larger community just from this book. As an Indian-American who grew up and attended high school in suburban New Jersey, I can testify that my own experience was far different from the one described here.

4 comments about "Sicques, Tigers, or Thieves":: Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1809).

1. Well done to the authors and all who supported them in this long overdue project.
   
   Amandeep and Paramjeet have attempted to write this book in an unbiased fashion, and I must say, have succeeded. This is a rare acheivement for authors of history and historians, as the biased historical accounts of the early Europeans in India show.
   
   The accounts (some apparently eye witness) of Banda Bahadur are particulary informative as to the culture, opinions, attitudes and politics of the rulers and the Sikhs in the early eighteenth century.
   
   It's a shame that there is still a gap in mid eighteenth century Sikh history, although there are accounts of this, they are still very limited in content and historians rely heavily on the hearsay of the time.
   
   Maybe a project on the Sikh Misls could be a possibilty, using all known sources!! There is a lot of misinformation about this period and the Sardaars. A comprehensive and historical records based study is much needed!
   
   There is some very interesting information as to the practices of Sikhs which I never knew of before e.g. stirring amrit with a boars tooth, which is very believable if looked at in the context of the problems faced by the Sikhs of the time.
   
   Unsuprisingly, there are comprehensive reports of Ranjit Singhs darbaar.
   
   In all, this is an eye opening, inspiring and educational book.
   
   Harcharan



2. This book has got all that you need to avoid reinventing the wheel. A must for Sikh history researchers.



3. I bought this book expecting to read articles with a bigoted, mis-informed view of the Sikh culture and people from an anti-Sikh western viewpoint, or worse, pure ignorance. I was pleasantly surprised by the detailed and fascinating detail on the circumstances of Sikh people and life during the periods covered. I appreciate that there are gaps in coverage, but that adds to the authencity of the accounts and helps you formulate a view in your mind how the Sikh's could've changed from a small band of warriors under Bhanda Singh to the organised armies under Ranjit Singh. What I liked were the commentaries by the narrators who put the writer's circumstances into context before putting the writer's actual account before the reader. This helps the reader appreciate the limitations of the writer's perspective, and appreciate the actual gems of insight where they are to be found. The book also gives a glimpse into the past when it wasn't necessary to be 'man with turban' to be sikh, but there were other ways to be spiritually sikh without donning the appearance of a Khalsa sikh.
   
   Overall, a gr8 read. Now onto Patwant Singh's book...



4. This book is specialy interesting and instructive to be read by the sikhs
   and those who have allready some knowledge of Sikhism.

No comments about Life and Words: Violence and the Descent into the Ordinary (Philip E. Lilienthal Books).

No comments about Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs in America: A Short History (Religion in American Life).

No comments about The First and Second Sikh Wars.

1 comments about The Sikh Army 1799-1849 (Men-at-Arms).

1. A very detailed account of the Sikh Army in the Ranjit Singh period.There are some interesting sections on how how modern the army was with an artillary arm better than the British

5 comments about Fighting for Faith and Nation (Series in Contemporary Ethnography).

1. Support for a separate sikh nation is no longer there among sikhs in India. Infact, even during the height of terrorism a very small percentage of sikhs supported the cause. Currently the only sikhs who support this cause are sikhs outside of India who are far removed from realities in India. This book fails to capture that. It also fails to capture the Pakistani hand behind all this which Benazir Bhutto admitted to in one of the interviews. Infact, lots of millitants were Pakistanis posing as Punjabi Sikhs. Also, it needs to be updated now that the struggle is no longer their in Punjab.



2. When Cynthia Keppley Mahmood narrated some of her experiences with the Sikh Militant during the fieldwork to one of her students, he remarked, "These people are magnificent." After reading the book, many readers may feel the same way while others may disagree depending on which side of the fence they stand - victim of terrorism or victim of injustice that leads to terrorism.

   Although Mahmood makes it very clear in no uncertain terms about her disagreement in regards to the route the Sikh militants have taken up to seek justice, she still manages to bring together a very unbiased and objective account. This book sheds light on the history and politics behind what led to the disaster of 1984 in India. And then the aftermath is recounted by the eye witnesses and victims now settled in the US.

   Inder Malhotra, one of the most distinguished journalists of that time, compared Sant J.S. Bhindrawale to Khoemini and Frankenstien but this first hand accounts of people who grew up with, lived with, and fought with Bhindrewale show a different picture. After reading this book, it is up to the reader to decide which account to believe.

   Finally, a version that tells the story on behalf of the militants, their justifications, and their ideology. The first hand accounts of people who were directly involved and affected during the Blue Star operation are extremely moving and shows the image in different light than what one has seen before. The bravery of Sikh men, women and even children is amazing. The illustrations, some provided by the international documentation of human rights violation in India, are tremendously moving.

   This is a read that will take a while due to its poignant nature, but worth the time to understand the depth and dimensions of this problem




3. My recent interest in Sikhism led me to Mahmood's book, which has given me a much better understanding of the tragedy at the Golden Temple in 1984 (including circumstances leading up to, and following, the violence there).

   More importantly, it has reinforced my belief that uncovering the truth of the very human circumstances that lead to such violence can help us build bridges of understanding and hope for preventing such tragedies in the future. It is too easy to simply brand one's enemy as a terrorist, religious fanatic, or political extremist--but we must exert a bit more effort to see past such overly-simplistic labels--to see that our enemies are complex humans like ourselves, with many of the same hopes, values, concerns, fears, strengths and weaknesses.

   Jesus called upon us to love our enemies, and this book, in my opinion, begins to uncover some of the difficulties and revelations one might encounter in such a pursuit. As with most worthwhile pursuits in life, such attempts at uncovering the truth beneath both sides of an issue can be a complex, difficult, even dangerous paths to tread, but ones that we must traverse if we truly seek peaceful resolution of conflicts between people, countries, religions and cultures now and in the future.
   
   Mahmood treads this difficult path to uncover the human side of the Sikh militants, and in my opinion, succeeds admirably. To be fair, I'd like to read more accounts of the events at Amritsar, to gain a more complete perspective of the thoughts and feelings of all those involved. Because the Indian government apparently made great efforts to conceal the truth behind the events of 1984, it seems finding more books that do as well as Mahmood's at shedding light on the violence may be difficult. Hopefully I'll find more gems like this one. Highly recommended.




4. Sat Sri Akal,

   to the first poster of the review, kindly read the following, taken from the very first page:

   "Mahmood ... undertook this investigation as a study of the anthropology of violence and based her interviews solely on Sikhs living in North America, including some in prison. The narratives relate primarily to the relationship of the individual to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, or the invasion of the holiest Sikh temple by the Indian government in 1984. The last portion of the book raises questions about membership in communities and violent attempts to force conformity."

   Her research was done by asking MILITANTS (some even in Jail!), and by personal testimonies of Sikhs in North America. and almost all are blindly against the GOI for its attack at the Hari Mandir (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. This same 'freedom' movement resulted in the deaths of many innocent people, and the creation of an almost terrorist state, where there were daily bombings on buses and shootings of civlians.

   How unbiased is this book when THIS is what it is based on?

   The attack at GT was terrible, but lets look at the facts and base them on reality, rather than personal testimonies by people who will, naturally, have their own strong opinions on the subject.

   Thank you




5. After reading Operation Blue Star and other books relating to this general topic I finally came across one that was unbiased and took information from the actual 'militants'. This book will take you a while to read because of the way it was written, however I definetly recommend it to all those wishing to learn what is really going on in India.

   I wish I could give this book to John Kerry and be read this you ignorant mofo. I'm referring to this Oklahoma speech during the democratic race on January 31st when he referred to Sikhs as terrorists in India.

   This book was a very good and informing read.

5 comments about The Sikhs.

1. Mr Singh's survey is brief. He does justice to the nationalist aspirations of the Sikhs and the various forms of discriminations against them, but does not address the more common or everyday 'stereotyping' as nouveaux riches, dagger carriers and turban wearers. Mr Singh is good at explaining the Sikh's view of their own history but tends to be impartial in praising their causes or worldview. Indeed, he begins by attacking one of the oldest world religion - and rival -Hinduism by criticizing, among other things, its caste system and particualrly the Brahmins who have dominated the Indian subcontinent for much of its history. He also dismisses other competing religious groups in india - i.e. Buddhists. Overall, despite the understandable bias I found the book informative, if unbalanced. It is also worthwhile as America becomes more embroiled in central Asia. After all the Sikh region prevails in the Punjab, a region which India shares with Pakistan.



2. THe Sikhs are the least understood of the great religions of the world. In bookstores across America shelves and shelves are given over to Buddhism and Taoism but it is rare to find even one book on the Noble warriors, the Sikhs. Yet these people are in many ways a unique and amazing religious group that inhabits northwest India and has followers all over the globe(a diaspora due to their persecution). The story of the Sikhs, as painted so well in this book, shows how they have fought so hard against the attempts of the Muslims to create genocide upon them. Their Hindu neighboors have also been hostile, although this hostility has become more blatent recently under Indira Gandhi. The Sikhs were slughtered like animals during partition in 1948 by the Muslims who cleansed them from Pakistan, where not one Sikh remains in what had been their ancestral homeland. In the west Sikhs have been the target of racist attacks partly because neo-nazis think they are Muslim(due to the turbans) and partly due to jealousy since they own so many businesses. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It is obviously partisan but the author has an intricate understanding of Sikh lure and history. The author does not touch on Sikh militism unfortunatly to an extent that should be touched upon. He does not explain the Sikh revenge attacks upon Muslims in 1948. He does not explain Sikh terror which is the reason so many Hindus dislike them. But the book is nevertheless excellent.



3. In the wake of the September 11th tragedy, Sikh-Americans have been the target of misguided attacks due to their appearance. An appearance comprised of articles of the Sikh faith - a turban and unshorn beard.

   Patwant Singh's book provides a vivid account of the origins, beliefs and subsequent history of this 500 year old, egalitarian faith that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent.

   The book explains the significance behind the unique identity of the Sikh people - their turbans and beards - and brings to mind the sad irony that they are being mistaken, by some in the US, for the very Islamic fundamentalism that they have been fighting against since their beginnings.

   The Sikhs are disciples of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh faith, who was succeeded by nine other Gurus (spiritual masters). Guru Nanak likened all religions to different travelers aiming at one and the same destination but following different paths and diverse ways. Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last living Guru who lived from 1666 to 1708. It was this tenth prophet, that gave the Sikhs their present form and appearance, which was a culmination of the constant endeavor, struggle and sacrifices of the Gurus as well as of their innumerable followers.

   In Singh's analysis of Sikh relations with Hindus, he points out that the monotheistic and egalitarian principles upon which the Sikh faith was founded proved to be in direct conflict with the philosophy and thought of the "caste-conscious" ruling Hindu-Brahmins i.e. Indira Gandhi. Singh's point is not a new one; there have been other faiths in Indian history that have been repressed by the hands of Brahmin ideology. For example, a study of Buddhism's growth (or lack of) in the country of its birth, India, would also reveal a similar thesis.

   This exceptionally well-written account is a must for every Sikh household seeking to attain a glimpse of its stoic and spiritual past, or for any individual wishing to gain an insight to the history and way of life of the Sikh people.




4. If you are planning to buy a book on Sikhism this is fantastic. It gives an overview of the important facets of Sikhism and leaves the reader to further refine their search for more information on Sikhism. It is a book that i highly recommend to read if you want to understand Sikhism but of course to further understand Sikhism you have to further delve into the writings of the Guru's themselves, in the Guru Granth Sahib.
   
   This book is based on factual information and leaves no doubt about what Sikhi is about and the school of thought of Sikhi..



5. Patwant Singh provides a thumbnail of Sikh religious and political developments from the 15th century to the present. I found the last two chapters particularly instructive given America's current Middle East challenges. The resentment created by colonial powers on indigenous societies and the irresistible urge for fledgling democracies to abuse state powers are amply described. A glossary of Indian terms, which were adequately explained for an English reading audience within the text would have been helpful.