Valmiki Chuhra (Sikh traditions) in India

Introduction / History

The Valmiki are also called Balmiki. They are a caste of street sweepers with low status. Chuhra is a low-status Dalit community. They are a subgroup of the Valmiki.

What Are Their Lives Like?

In India Valmiki people face discrimination from a young age. At school their children are given derisive names. They are treated like they cannot learn by public school teachers. Those who work in parks clean things up, then take a stroll in the park only to be told to leave either by high caste members or by the police. That is also true for the Chuhra Valmiki community.

Since the root of these problems is in the Hindu based caste system, some Valmiki have changed to a different religion. Most commonly they become Buddhist, but others have adopted Islam or Sikhism. Those who became Sikhs were once used by the British colonialists as a military force.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Sikhism originated from a 15th century teacher named Guru Nanak Dev as a reform movement. He rejected the Hindu caste system, taught that all people were equal and that all have equal access to God. The Sikh God is formless, without gender and is to be found in everyone. One gets closer to God by living a good life and by practicing charity. Like Hindus, Sikhs believe in reincarnation and the law of karma; you reap what you sow in your previous life. Like Muslims, the Sikhs worship only one God.

One may recognize a Sikh man by his distinctive turban. All the 10 great Sikh gurus wore turbans. Sikh teaching mandates that a person not cut his or her hair. They worship their holy book, the Granth Sahib, which is a collection of hymns.

There are roughly the same number of Sikhs as there are Jews in the world, but Sikhs are most concentrated in Punjab, their homeland. However, you will find smaller numbers of Sikhs all over the world. Many of the best Indian restaurants in the West are owned and operated by Sikhs.

What Are Their Needs?

Chuhra Valmiki people need to put their trust and identity in the hands of the loving God of Creation who sent his son to make it possible for them to enter the Kingdom of God. Christ alone offers abundant life.

Prayer Points

Pray for Sikh Chuhra Valmiki people to have the justice they need.
Pray God will have mercy on the Chuhra Valmiki, doing whatever it takes to place them in a position to receive him.
Pray for them to find their identity and sense of worth in the God who gave them life, and the savior who offers them life to the full.
Pray for a "Book of Acts" type of movement to Christ among the Sikh Chuhra Valmiki.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the Chuhra Sikh Valmiki to the gospel.

Text Source:   Joshua Project