In the mid ninteenth century the Christian missionaries were gaining ground within the Sikhs with the partonage of the British rulers. The Hindus under the Arya Samaj Movement were also making rapid strides into the Punjab. To counter these threats the enlightened section of the sikh community launched from Amritsar a revivalist movement known as the Singh Sabha Movement in 1873 to counter the conversions of of Sikhs. There were two sections one in Lahore and the original in Amritsar. Notable Sikh thinkers included Professor Gurmukh Singh, Bhai Ditt Singh, Bhai Kanh Singh (of Nabha), Sunder Singh and Bhai Vir Singh Ji. With the efforts of these Sikhs the Sikh faith was restored to its original Khalsa tradition and pristine purity. The movement battled against British rule and to think that these Sikhs colluded with the British is untrue.

Sikhism originated from the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Ji obtained his message direct from the One Timeless Lord and sought to put the masses on to the righteous path towards realisation of God through meditation, sharing the fruits of your honest work and loving your fellow man, it is in no way derivative of any philosophy or religious thought. Guru Ji, on one hand sought to show the people the futility of the Caste system, of idol worship of inequality of the genders so inherent in Hinduism, and on the other, the cruelty of aggressive and forcible conversions and the inhumane treatment of ones fellow man.

Sikhism was not created to defend any religious group, Sikhism is a path to realisation of God. Pressure from government sources during the times of the last six Gurus led to the development of a Sikh army for self-defense. A Sikh is taught to stand against injustice from whatever source and to defend the weak and downtrodden, no matter what their religious affiliation. In the armies of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji there were many from a whole spectrum of religious beliefs, from Muslims to Hindus.

The "martial race" theory is a colonial construct that was created and propagated by the British who recruited large numbers of so called "martial races," the Sikhs, Gurkhas, Rajputs, etc., for service in the British army. Sikhs by and large are a very hard working law abiding group. One of the pointers of a hard working community is the academic achievement of its younger generation. In England, the Sikhs along with the Chinese community are the highest academic achievers after the majority white population.

Most Sikh names apply equally to men and women, the distinguishing feature is 'Singh' after a mans first name and 'Kaur' after a woman's. Traditional Sikh names normally end in the suffix

There are names that do not fall into this pattern, for example - Kushvant, Keertan, Prishant and Bhavanjot.

The word Khalsa means both "pure" and "belonging only to God". The Khalsa was created by the tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji on Vaisakhi day 1699.When a committed Sikh is initiated he or she becomes a member of a spiritual order called Khalsa. A Khalsa belongs only to God.

Some Sikhs eat any type of meat, some do not eat beef and some believe that Sikhs should not eat ritually slaughtered meat. Sikhs who have been initiated into the order of the Khalsa by the Amrit ceremony are strictly forbidden to eat any type of meat or meat products.

The Sikh Code of Conduct states, "A Sikh must not take hemp, opium, liquor, tobacco, or any intoxicant." At the time of initiation, a Sikh vows not to use any intoxicant. Drinking alcohol is forbidden for Sikhs.

The kirpan is one of the five articles of Sikh faith. It is mandatory for Khalsa to wear the kirpan. The kirpan is a symbol of a Sikhs' commitment to protect the weak and to promote justice. Sikh men DO NOT hide the kirpan in their turban. The kirpan is commonly worn in a cloth holster on the right shoulder under ones clothing.

Sikhism recognizes the complete equality between men and women in all spheres of life. In order that Sikhs would not follow the prevailing system which divided people into immutable castes, the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, gave all Sikh women the last name "Kaur" (meaning princess) and all Sikh men the last name "Singh" (meaning lion).

Yoga is not an inherent or required Sikh religious practice. Some American followers of Sikhism do practice yoga, which, they believe aids their practice of Sikhism.

Female.

The traditional dress of a Sikh is Salwaar Kameez - loose fitting top and bottoms - with a chunni (a large rectangular piece of cloth) to cover the head and draped around the shoulders. This traditional dress is also worn by others from the Indian subcontinent. Therefore the most obvious sign of a Sikh is unshorn hair kept in a bun or platt's, the other being the Kara ( the steel bracelet which forms part of the five K's) worn on the left wrist.

Amritdhari Sikhs, those that have been baptised by partaking in the Amrit ceremony and are now part of the brotherhood of the Khalsa, may wear a Kasekee (small turban) also.

Male.

Turban.

Turban Colour.

Never take any cigarettes or tobacco to a Sikh house, and never ever ask to smoke. Sikhs are prohibited from smoking and consider smoking as unsociable and dirty. Sikhs are also not allowed to drink alcohol and eat meat, but some do not adhere to these principles. If a Sikh is Amritdhari, then he/she will definitely not consume alcohol, so best not to take a bottle of wine.