Sicques, Tigers or Thieves: Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs

by P. Singh (editor), Parmjit Singh

In 1812, Sir John Malcolm, a Lieutenant General in the British Army wrote A Sketch of the Sikhs , commonly believed to be the first account of the Sikhs written by a non-Sikh. In truth, soldiers, travellers, diplomats, missionaries and scholars had provided accounts for many years before. Drawing on this difficult-to-access material, the editors of this volume have compiled a unique source that offers a fascinating insight into the early developments in Sikh history. From the first ever written accounts of the Sikhs by Persian chroniclers of the Moghul Emperor to the travel diary of an Englishwoman, this volume contains material invaluable to those studying the evolution of the Sikh religion as well as to those interested in learning more about this major religion. It also provides an unparalleled look into the growth and solidification of the religious practices of Sikhs. At a time when the misunderstanding of the Sikh religion and those who practise it has reached new and deadly heights, this volume hopes to introduce a wider audience to the roots of its culture. For more detailed information, including examples of illustrations, and selected extracts, go to www.sicques.com

Genres: India, Nonfiction, History

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2005

Reviews

[Amarjeet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Sicques, Tigers, or Thieves' is an omnibus of 17th-18th century European accounts of the Sikhs based on the experiences/observations of their authors. While the current tide of Hindu ethnonationalism permeating Indian academia posits the Western world to be an insidious evil with nothing to offer intellectually, these accounts present an altogether different version of the Sikh past. It must be remembered that they incorporate the faulty information provided to their originators at some places but overall 80-90% of the observations made substantiate that the Sikh faith of today is not radically different from its historic counterparts.

The effect of this book can be read through its pages. Madra carefully collates together the most relevant accounts to present a picture of the Sikh past from a first-hand basis. We have Colonel Polier in Punjab emphasizing that the Sikhs are a nascent republic which if not attacked soon will corrupt the rest of 'Hindostan' (sic) and make it harder for European imperialism to gain ground on the subcontinent. We have Captain James Browne and his effusive praise for the legendary Jathedar Jassa Singh Alhuwalia, the Presidential Commander of the Dal Khalsa Republic. We have Father Wendel with his bitter warning that too many leaders exist among the Dal Khalsa which will lead to its dissolution. More importantly, all these accounts mention the 5 K's in one form or another which are misstated to have been a Singh-Sabha innovation. All these accounts precede the Singh Sabha by 100-200 years.

These accounts furnish the uniqueness of Sikhi as well as underscoring its orbit around the canonical Guru Granth. This is quite an immersive read for any interested historian and builds upon the earlier work of Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon in compiling 18th Century European accounts of the Sikhs in one comprehensive form.