ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SAHAJDH&#256R&#298</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="SAHAJDHR*"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279SAHAJDH&#256R&#298, a gradualist among Sikhs. Like other Sikhs, the Sahajdh&#257r&#299s believe in the Ten Gur&#363s and in the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, though they exempt themselves from the obligation of keeping their hair unshorn. Receiving the rites of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 baptism one day and maintaining long uncut hair and beard remain, nevertheless, the ultimate ideal which they must realize in their lifetime or see it realized by their offspring. Some Sahajdh&#257r&#299 parents place themselves under a vow to rear their firstborn son as a full Sikh. The Sahajdh&#257r&#299s, as a rule, are not given the Sikh surname of 'Si&#7749gh'. The term <i>sahajdh&#257r&#299s</i> is a compound of two words <i>sahaj</i> and <i>dhar&#299</i>. The word <i>sahaj</i> (in Sanskrit, <i>sahaja</i>) implies poise, unhurriedness and the word <i>dh&#257r&#299</i> stands for adopting or accepting a creed or form. This term came into use after Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh inaugurated the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 in 1699 A.D., introducing the <i>kha&#7751&#7693e d&#299 p&#257hul</i>, i.e. baptism by the double-edged sword. Those who took <i>kha&#7751&#7693e d&#299 p&#257hul</i> received the title of the '<u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257', and those who for one reason or another could not came to be known as Sahajdh&#257r&#299s, i.e. Sikhs who would have themselves baptized as <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 at some later stage. It was, in the first instance, not possible to have baptism administered all at once by the rites established by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh to Sikhs in far-flung <i>sa&#7749gats</i>. Another impediment was the conflict which broke out between the Sikhs and the ruling authority soon after. However, Sahajdh&#257r&#299s have been part of the larger Sikh body since the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh. Two of them in his own day -- Bh&#257&#299 Nand L&#257l and Bh&#257&#299 Kanhaiy&#257 -- enjoyed great esteem. Bh&#257&#299 Nand L&#257I, a great Persian scholar and poet, maintained at Anandpur a <i>la&#7749gar</i> or refectory open to visitors all the twenty-four hours. Bh&#257&#299 Kanhaiy&#257 won the Gur&#363's admiration and is remembered in the Sikh tradition to this day for the devotion with which he served the wounded is battle, making no distinction between friend and foe. In the early part of the eighteenth century when Sikhs suffered fierce persecution and when to be a Kes&#257dh&#257r&#299, that is to bear <i>kesa</i> or long hair, was to invite sure death, the Sahajdh&#257r&#299s looked after their places of worship and protected the households and the kith and kin of those driven to seek safety in hill and jungle. Some even defied the persecutors and courted martyrdom as did the teenaged Haq&#299qat R&#257i, who was beheaded in public for his refusal to disown his Sikh belief and accept Islam. A leading Sahajdh&#257r&#299 Sikh of that time was Kau&#7771&#257 Mall, a minister to the Mu<u>gh</u>al governor of Lahore, Mu'in ul-Mulk (1748-53), who helped the Sikhs in diverse ways in those days of severe trial. He had so endeared himself to them that they called him Mi&#7789&#7789h&#257 ('sweet', in Punjabi) Mall instead of Kau&#7771&#257 (which, in Punjabi, means 'bitter') Mall. Sikh tradition also recalls another Sahajdh&#257r&#299, Des R&#257j, of this period who was entrusted by the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 with the task of having reconstructed the Harimandar, demolished by the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n invader, Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, in 1762. D&#299n&#257 N&#257th was Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's finance minister. Bh&#257&#299 Vast&#299 R&#257m, a learned man well versed in Sikh scripture, enjoyed considerable influence at the court.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sahajdh&#257r&#299s have continued to participate in Sikh life right up to modern times and have associated themselves with Sikh institutions and organizations such as the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, Chief <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299w&#257n, Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal, and the All-India Sikh Students Federation. The Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257s used to have seats on their executive committees reserved for the Sahajdh&#257r&#299s. Among their own societies, confined prior to the migrations of 1947, mainly to north-western India, were the Sahajdh&#257r&#299 Committee of Mult&#257n, Gur&#363 N&#257nak Sahajdh&#257r&#299 D&#299w&#257n of Pañj&#257 S&#257hib and Sr&#299 Gur&#363 N&#257nak Sahajdh&#257r&#299 Jath&#257 of Campbellpore. The Sahajdh&#257r&#299 D&#299w&#257n of Pañj&#257 S&#257hib attained the status of their central forum. They as well had their annual conference which met for its first session on 13 April 1929 under the chairmanship of Sir Jogendra Si&#7749gh who passed on the office to the famous Sikh scholar and savant, Bh&#257&#299 K&#257hn Si&#7749gh. A Sahajdh&#257r&#299s' meeting formed part of the annual proceedings of the Sikh Educational Conference.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Sahajdh&#257r&#299s share with the main body of the Sikhs all of their religious and social customs and ceremonies and join their congregations in the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i>. The population in the Punjab of Sahajdh&#257r&#299 Sikhs (another name used is Sikh N&#257nakpanth&#299s) according to 1891 Census was 397,000 (20% of the total Sikh population); according to 1901 Census, 297,000 (13 % of the total Sikhs); according to 1911 Census, 451,000 (14.9 % of the total Sikhs); according to 1921 Census, 229,000 (7 % of the total Sikhs); according to 1931 Census, 282,000 (6.5 % of the total Sikhs). Outside of the Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province and Sindh had considerable Sahajdh&#257r&#299 populations. Consequent upon the partition of India in 1947, Sahajdh&#257r&#299s became widely dispersed in the country. Their India-wide forum was the Sarab Hind (All-India) Sahajdh&#257r&#299s Conference which rotated from town to town for its annual sessions. Three of its presidents -- Mahant Karam Chand, Bh&#257&#299 Sant R&#257m and Bh&#257&#299 R&#257m L&#257l R&#257h&#299 -- eventually took the vows of <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 baptism, receiving respectively the names Gur Darshan Si&#7749gh, Sant R&#257m Si&#7749gh and R&#257m L&#257l Si&#7749gh R&#257h&#299.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh <br>Bh&#257&#299 Harba&#7749s L&#257l<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>