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The Khalsa (The Saint Soldiers)

ISBN # 0-9685781-1-X

The Sikhs are a religious community, they are 20 million worldwide approximately 1.2% of India’s population.  They mostly live in Punjab their origin, region northwest of India. They have produced many men and women of great stature in all fields including social, economic and culture. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak the first Sikh Guru over five hundred years ago. He was born at a difficult time in Indian history; the society was badly fragmented by the caste system and rituals, at the same time the Mughal conquerors of the sub continent were ruling through intimidation and high handedness. In the times of Guru Arjan the fifth Sikh guru there was conflict with the rulers and he was martyred, and the conflict peaked at the times of Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth Sikh Guru. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh knew that to preserve the Sikh faith he was to confront the Mughal Empire. He knew that the task only be carried out if a new spirit was infused in his followers, hence he conceived the formation of the Khalsa.

This program focuses on the history of the Sikh Gurus and the formation of the Khaslsa.

School Library Journal-New York USA August 2000

This short but concise production focuses on the history of the Sikh Gurus and the formation of the Khalsa. The narration is clear and easy to understand with soft music playing in the background.

Visually, the video is comprised mostly of artwork that represents the biographies of the Gurus being discussed and maps that lend perspective to the places mentioned. The quality of the artwork is excellent, and the maps are clear and easy to see. A few scenes of the current day Sikhs are the only actual live-action video. Historically, the information is accurate and explained in a chronological order that aids comprehension. There is mention of a few incidences in the Sikh history that seems to be cruelly ritualistic. Taken in context and knowing the historical time period, these situations, while not palatable today, can be accepted as the way the were during those tumultuous times. This is an excellent video for a short lesson in Sikhism. It would work well in school libraries where information is needed on world religions or for general information in public libraries.

 Merry L. Trenerry, Millard South High School, Omaha, NE