I am Inderjeet Douley and I am a Sikh. I worship at a gurdwara very near to my house.

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1469 CE and our holy scriptures are the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It is also the final and eternal guru of 11. Sikhism set about to stop the long running fights between Hindus and Muslims. The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara and it is open to the public and will care for anyone no matter what religion. It has a free kitchen called a langar. The recognisable Sikh symbol is called a Khanda. Most Sikhs wear (or have) The 5 Ks, which are 5 items that show that they are a Sikh. The 5 Ks are:

1. Kesh - uncut hair
2. Kachera - under shorts
3. Kara - steel bangle
4. Kirpan - a small dagger
5. Kangha - small comb

Khanda	Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Gurdwara	Kara

One of Sikhism's main beliefs is that there is only one God and that all religions just have a different viewpoint or perspective on this God; therefore conversion is not pushed on anyone and it is up to the person themselves to be which religion they want to be. Sikhs believe that this God created the universe and is neither male nor female but is imageless and immortal.

Another key belief of Sikhism is that everyone is equal, no matter what colour, sex, race, wealth, height, weight or religion, and that there is only one true race, the human race. This also means that no one should be treated differently. This is also how Sikhism went about the problem with the fights between the Hindus and the Muslims, it was said that in God's eyes it didn't matter what religion you are but that God cares for us all. In the gurdwara this is signified by everyone sitting on the floor when praying and when eating. There is a raised platform at the end of the prayer hall where the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is placed; this platform is called the manji sahib. Because of this belief in equality the caste system was rejected by Sikhism and instead everyone is seen as an equal.

The gurdwara is almost always on two floors; downstairs having the langar hall and upstairs having the prayer hall. All the food in the langar is vegetarian and is either donated or paid for by donations and always made for free by the congregation. The food is usually quite spicy and I like it, there is also usually a wide variety of food. Everyone sits on the floor when they eat and everyone is allowed to sit where they want to. In the prayer hall the manji sahib is at the very far end and there is a walkway leading up to it and when you get there you kneel down onto your knees and you bow down making your head touch the floor, this is called matthah tekh. The congregation are split up; the men sit on one side and the women on the other. Again everyone sits on the floor. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is treated with the utmost respect and has its own room in which it "rests" at night. Whenever it is being carried it is carried above the heads of the congregation and when it is being read, a chauri is fanned over it, this is a tradition from India which was to stop any flies landing on the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

As a Sikh there are four main rules you must try never to disobey. These are:

1. You must not cut your hair. (although lots of Sikh men and some women nowadays cut their hair)
2. You must not use intoxicants; cigarettes, alcohol, drugs etc. (however many Sikhs nowadays drink alcohol and some smoke)
3. You must not eat meat killed by Muslim ritual slaughter (Additional Information)
4. You must not commit adultery

In order to be a Sikh you must believe in only one God, the 10 Gurus and follow the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As a Sikh you must also earn your own living by honest means, remember God and share or be charitable to those less fortunate than yourself. Most Sikhs also wear the 5 Ks. You have to take amrit in order to receive the kirpan. My grandma has taken amrit and is a very strict Sikh; she follows all four of the important rules. It can often be very hard to take amrit. One of the most important things about being a Sikh is to help the community and to help those less fortunate than yourself. This can be done at the gurdwara by helping preparing the meals, washing up, cleaning or even just donating money or food if you don't have the time. This is called sewa.

As a Sikh it is said you should try to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar at least once in your life. It is a very big temple completely plated in gold and is a very sacred place to visit.

Being a Sikh does not have a major effect on my life. I am allowed to eat beef if I want to but I prefer not to, however I hate all drugs including alcohol and I hope that I never drink alcohol or smoke or take any other drugs that are not for medical reasons. I have cut my hair, although when I was younger I did keep my hair long and I had it tied up in a topknot. I cut my hair because it was getting too long to look after and also because I was not sure at the time what I was doing, and I thought I would be more accepted at school. However now I am not too bothered whether I had cut my hair or not, it would have been nice to keep my hair but now that I have cut it I am not too concerned about it. I find the teaching behind it is more important, it teaches you to be mentally strong and to not give up on things. I prefer to use this in my schoolwork and I always try hard in everything I do to get full marks and to never give up on a piece of work until I am satisfied. I have been to India three times and each time I visited the Golden Temple. It is amazing to see a whole building covered in gold. I regularly go to the gurdwara, I usually go every Sunday, but now that I am having my SATs coming up I find it hard to fit it in with my schoolwork.

This is the Gurdwara I normally go to	The Golden Temple
Me with my hair cut	Me with my topknot