NIHANG SINGH

"Nihang SINGH"
By Jagjinder Singh
June 14th 2009
Watercolor
Cold Press 11”x14”

The name "Nihang" – Persian word for Crocodile, was given to warrior Sikhs (intellectual seekers), often called "Sant-Sipahi, meaning, the Saints equipped with warrior skills".

The Sikh faith was founded in 1469 by Guru Nanak in PANJAB (now in INDIA) and given a new form in 1699 as Khalsa, by Guru Gobind SINGH.

They were an integral part of the Khalsa Army, which was formed to fight the oppression of the tyrants against any humanitarian issue. The army was led by 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind SINGH.

All Sikhs carry last names as SINGH, meaning a whole big family. Some Sikhs lately started putting their village name as the last name, or their pre-Khalsa castes, but this is not what the Guru wanted.

Guru, The Master, wanted each Sikh to share the same family name, hence the sense of share and responsibility of the whole.

Once this sense is obtained, everyone in the mankind is the part of the same family, be it a Sikh or not.