Award Winning Essays (Annual Kids Competition) - 2

Vaisakhi
By Srishtie Banga


Vaisakhi is a very important day for all of us. It is on this special day that we celebrate the creation of the Khalsa Panth. The following text will talk about who, when, how, where, and why everything happened.

It was on March 30, 1699 at Anandpur Sahib that Guru Gobind Singh Ji went on a stage and asked a crowd of people for someone to come and sacrifice themselves for him. Many people were surprised. A lot of them left. It was after a while that Bhai Daya Ji stood up and said “I will sacrifice myself for you”. Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Bhai Daya Ji went into the tent. When Guru Gobind Singh Ji came out of the tent, there was blood on his sword. Most of the crowd was terrified. Many people left and many went to Mata Gujri Ji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s mother. It was then that Guru Gobind Singh Ji asked for someone else to come and sacrifice for him. Bhai Dharam Ji stood up and went into the tent. After him, there was Bhai Mukham Ji, followed by Bhai Himmat Ji and then Bhai Sahib Ji. At the end, Guru Gobind Singh Ji took more time than usual. After some time, he came out of the tent very happy and joyful. He was followed by those same five people that were clean and well dressed. Guru Gobind Singh Ji then said that these are my five beloveds, my “Panj Pyarey”. He said that the philosophy “Sikhism” that Guru Nanak Dev Ji created will now be a religion. We will now not be Muslims or Hundus, we will be Sikhs. That was the creation of the Khalsa Panth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had done so to give a new identity to people. At that time, there were fights between Muslims and Hindus, between different casts within the Hindus, etc. The world in India was a big mess. He wanted to have something different and distinct.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji baptized his Panj Pyarey. In other words, he gave them “amrit”, holy water and the five Ks, “kesh”, unshorn hair, “kanga”, comb, “kara”, bangle, “kirpan”, sword, and “kachera”, long under-shorts. He then asked his Panj Pyarey to baptize him likewise. His purpose of all that was to show that no one is superior or inferior, “if I am your Guru, you are my disciple but you are also my Guru and I am also your disciple”. In other words, the reason behind the first Vaisakhi gathering was the creation of the Khalsa Panth. It also showed that a new identity has been created and that no one is different, superior, or inferior. Basically, there is no such thing as casts. The important symbols out of this event were peace, equality, love, friendship, goodness, etc. I think that an important tradition of Vaisakhi would be to be together with your loved ones and help those in need.

I think that the significance of Vaisakhi today is where we come from, it is our creation, the creation of the Khalsa Panth. The importance of Vaisakhi in my life is that it is a very important day that shows that every being on this earth, it be a human, an animal, an insect, it has the same importance as you. No one is superior or inferior or different.

This day is the creation of the Khalsa Panth, henceforth, Vaisakhi.

Award Winning Essays (Annual Kids Competition) - 1

The importance of Vaisakhi
By Kirandeep Singh


One of the most important, symbolic and meaningful festival or religious holiday for the Sikhs would be Vaisakhi. What is the significance of Vaisakhi to a Sikh? Another day for a party with your community? No. Upon that day, you should become one with God. And take Amrit.

“Na koi Hindu, na koi Musulman”, thus it all began. One day, upon coming out of the Ganga river, Guru Nanak Dev brought equality by ending the cast system in 1499. From that equality were brought two things into the house of the Guru: Sangat and Pangat. Sangat meant equality when chanting the name of God. Whether is was Allah, Ram, or Gobind did not matter. Pangat meant equality while eating the Guru’s langar. The rich and the poor were to sit together with no anger or remorse about the social classes. From this evenness brought by Guru Nanak Dev ended a lot of social wars and discrimination.

The years kept passing, Guru Nanak’s successors kept spreading the equality, around until came Guru Gobind. He made more drastic changes. At the fort in Anandpur, on the day of March 30th, 1699, Guru Gobind summoned all the Sikhs for Vaisakhi. There, he drew out his sword and demanded for a Sikh who would give away his head for him. The crowd was confused. Upon Guru Gobind’s third request, Daya Ram came forward and the Guru took him inside a tent where he cut off a goat’s head. He came back with a bloody sword and demanded for another Sikh’s head. Dharm Das, Mukham Chand, Himmat Rai, and Sahib Chand came forward and went into the tent for the same ritual. Guru Gobind came out with the five Sikhs, who gave up their heads for the Guru, and named them his “Panch Pyares”. They took Amrit from the Guru and got baptized, thus started the started the Khalsa Panth, a group of devotees to the Guru and his teachings. Guru Gobind begged his five beloved ones to baptize him the same way and initiate him to the Khalsa Panth. He promised to sacrifice his family for them as they sacrificed their heads for him. Seeing that five ordinary people could give up their lives for the Guru, more and more people started to get baptized and become a part of the Khalsa Panth. They were to be baptized in sweetened water and wear the five “kakars”: kesh, karra, kachaa, kanga, kirpan.

In 1701, the Khalsa Panth grew exceptionally large and the emperors of that time decided to attack them at the fort in Anandpur before they grew larger. Surrounded with little resources and rations, the Sikhs begged Guru Gobind to leave and pursue his mission of spreading the Khalsa Panth. After leaving, Guru Gobind ended the tradition of appointing a corporal form of the Sikh philosophy and belief. He told the Sikhs to follow the Granth Sahib for spiritual guidance and to consult the Panchayat, the wise ones, for daily problems.

From all this, we see that on the day of Vaisakhi, March 30th 1699, Guru Gobind wanted the Sikhs to get baptized and become part of the Khalsa Panth. In our days, people don’t tend to get baptized, because they are in a way embarrassed or don’t feel comfortable wearing the five symbols after being part of the Khalsa Panth. Today, we just try to be as religious as possible and remember the day that the “Panch Pyares” gave up their heads for the Guru. We should all get baptized and become part of the Khalsa Panth.