On the streets of Punjab, many Sikhs reject the idea of a separate Khalistan and fear the idea is being exaggerated on social media. CBC’s South Asia correspondent Salimah Shivji breaks down why.
Viewpoint: Why Sikhs are the do-gooders of the world
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image captionBaljinder Singh, 60, cleans shoes of devotees visiting a mosque in Punjab as a voluntary service
Founded some 500 years ago in what is now India s Punjab region, Sikhism is the world s fifth-largest religion. But what makes its members habitual do-gooders? Author Jasreen Mayal Khanna writes on the tradition of selfless service ingrained in the community.
Think of any scene of disaster and you ll find Sikh volunteers rallying to the site, feeding migrants, helping riot victims, and rebuilding homes after earthquakes.
From the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar to the Paris terror attacks, the farmers marches in India to the protests in America against George Floyd s killing, people from this 30 million-strong community worldwide have made it a tradition to help complete strangers in their darkest moments.