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Roundtable
Sikh Humour
The Roundtable Open Forum # 44, September 13 - 19
EDITOR
The following is this week's (September 13 - 19) topic for discussion.
SIKH HUMOUR
One of the many traits that set Sikhs apart from the rest of the world is their boundless chardi kalaa, relentless joie de vivre and ability to laugh at themselves, even in the face of extreme adversity.
Sikh Humour consists of an acknowledgement of the community's traits - its unique strengths and weaknesses.
There is a marked difference between Sikh Humour and the mean-spirited jokes oft-repeated by the desis in India: the first consists of a celebration of life's blessings, no matter how joyous or challenging they prove to be; the latter betrays the perennial whine of those who wallow in envy and jealousy of the Sikhs.
In this week's Roundtable Open Forum, we wish to focus on Sikh Humour - on jokes and anecdotes which allow us to laugh at ourselves and make light of both our achievements and shortcomings, our successes and failures.
Heard the one about the Nihang Singh and the Pundit who met under a tree one evening, both breaking a journey to rest for the night?
The Pundit opened his bundle and pulled out a stack of rotis his wife had made for him. Seeing that the Nihang had nothing to eat, the Pundit leaned over and offered to share his meal.
"NO-O-O!" barked back the Nihang, looking angry and anything but grateful.
The Pundit turned away and quietly began to eat.
He had barely begun to do so when the Nihang reached out and snatched the bundle of rotis out of the Pundit's hands, and began to dig into the rotis with a vengeance.
Totally bewildered, the Pundit could barely manage to stammer out his surprise: "I don't understand, Singh Sahib! I just offered you the food, and you gruffly turned me away. But a minute later, you have grabbed the very same food from my hands ... I'm confused. Did I do anything wrong, sir?"
The Nihang chomped away at the food, obviously famished from the day's journey. Between bites, however, he managed to bark back:
"We do not take charity!"
Well, dear readers, you may have even better ones to share with us.
Please do, by posting them below in the COMMENTS box..
Give us your favourite examples of Sikh Humour.
And, if you are inclined to do so, also tell us why you like them.
Conversation about this article
1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), September 13, 2010, 5:11 PM.
One day this Sardarji was dressed up in shirt, tie and turban but still wearing his kachhaira underwear. A passing Lalaji commented: "What is this 'tie-shaie', are you going out?". "No, no, just dressed up as someone may come to visit me." "But you are still wearing the kacchaira". "Well, it's because no one may come to visit me" .... During the time when terror was unleashed in Punjab and youth were being rounded up and beaten mercilessly by the police, there was one case of a suspected militant leader who, despite being beaten for one week, wouldn't utter a word. At the end of one week, he announced one day he would talk but first they must treat him well. "I want my body to be massaged with oil, and feed me well if you really want me to talk." They did all that and then said "Now, talk!". "OK, I am ready, you can beat me for another week now, no problem!"
2: Baljit Singh Pelia (Los Angeles, United States), September 14, 2010, 12:08 AM.
I enjoy some of the humor but it seems lately a lot of the Sardar jokes out there are being published with an agenda to project Sikhs as stupid.
3: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), September 14, 2010, 11:21 AM.
When I look at cultural humor, three requirements come to mind: 1) It should be self-deprecatory. In this Sikh humor, like Jewish humor, remains unmatched; 2) We should be able to laugh at ourselves before we have the right to laugh at others; I would rate Sikh humor high on this as well. 3) The best humor always has a serious undercurrent, and the most serious, even deeply philosophic or threatening matter, should show a lighter side to it. Sometimes I wonder if we are losing the third requirement. The slapstick (pie-throwing) humor has never tickled my funny bone.
4: Pritam Singh Grewal (Canada), September 15, 2010, 5:14 AM.
Once a Nihang Singh was seen climbing up a tree to pluck fruit therefrom. He was logistically equipped with all his usual material, including weapons of offence and defence, such as a sword, spear, shield, etc. He was also carrying his steel bowls and even his mortar-and-pestle with him. When asked why he was bearing so much load up the tree, when he could have left most of the items on the ground, the Nihang Singh replied nonchalantly: "In case my Akal Purakh summons me while I am on the tree, I won't think of first going down to gather my things. Being one of the Guru's 'laadli fauj' (special army), I must immediately present myself before the Almighty in my 'tyar-per-tyar' stance!"
5: K. Singh (London, United Kingdom), September 15, 2010, 6:49 AM.
The Irish, Scottish and the Jews too have always tended to laugh at themselves throughout their history.
6: R. Singh (Canada), September 15, 2010, 8:54 AM.
The moment the joke starts with "This Sardar ji...", the humour meets with an accident! If you must, do watch Russell Peters. The humour is in making everyone laugh together, not at someone by heaping hidden bigotry in the guise of humour.
7: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), September 15, 2010, 6:15 PM.
We should be careful and not let the riff-raff usurp the beautiful honorific we have been blessed with - Sardar ji! Just because some idiots have misused it doesn't take the shine off it! Being too sensitive to other people's ability to make mischief can end up in farcical situations. Let me give you an example, by substituting the term 'Sardar ji' with something else. Here's a joke in revised format: A Gurmukh Piara arrived at the Amritsar Railway Station and, naturally wanting to go to Harmandar Sahib, made a bee-line for this Gurmukh Piara tonga-wala (horse-carriage driver) who addressed this newly arrived Gurmukh Piara with great love and humiity: "Aao gurmukho, Harmandar Sahib chalo gay?" What a lovely start in Guru ki Nagri! He got into the tonga without even bargaining over the fare. The tonga-wala cracked the whip and addressed his horse: "Chal O gurmukhaa, Harmandar Sahib chaliye!" On the way they found the road blocked; apparently a couple of gurmukhs were fighting with each other. The tonga-wala was gone for a few minutes to see for himself what might be the matter, and came back within minutes to report. "Ik gurmukh nay doojay gurmukh nu chhoora mar ditta way!" - 'One Gurmukh has stabbed another Gurmukh with a knife!'
8: Bibek Singh (Jersey City, U.S.A.), October 19, 2010, 12:26 PM.
Pulling from one of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale's speeches -> "... Punjab Police hired special dogs last month, so that they can smell and assist police in tracing the locations of the criminals. But after a month, the Police sent the dogs back (to zoo). When asked why by a reporter, the DIG (Deputy Inspector General) replied that it was because those dogs never used to leave the police stations."