Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (3rd edition)

摘要

We all know Sikhs when we see them. You find them everywhere - blue-turbaned men, slightly larger than the Indian average and noticeably more outgoing. A crowd of Sikhs playing dominoes in a pub can fill the air with an exuberant racket, their religion's disapproval of alcohol and gambling probably adding a certain frisson to the proceedings. It sometimes seems to me that wherever I go in the world, sooner or later I end up in a taxi, belting along somewhat faster than the average traffic speed for the area, with the driver's thumb permanently poised over the horn button and a cheerful stream of mixed Punjabi and English raining over me. Given their ubiquity, it seems reasonable for us to find out who these people are and where they came from.