Do you know my Annu, why the present times have been called the "dark age"?

There are many reasons for it. One is that human dignity has not been given its due in this age. I know you, and so know that many times in your life your heart will bleed to see human beings treated like animals and assigned the status of slaves and beasts. Guru Nanak's heart also bled when he saw this. He pondered over the problem and resolved to do something about it.

The Guru saw that at the roots of the evil were the insults piled upon women. Religious texts and social practice degraded them to an inferior status. She was referred to as a slipper on man's foot and could aspire at best to be considered a degraded, shudra, the lowest of the low in the Hindu social order. The highly cultured Jogis considered a woman to be a temptress - a snake and a devouring tigress. Adi Shankracharya was excommunicated because he had given the last ritual bath to his own mother. The brave Rajputs, with their distorted sense of honour, had not the manliness to protect their women and killed sweet little girls at birth. So many innocent eyes never saw the light of day and perished so much as without even having gazed at the lovely moon, you so much love. Women were the most favourite war-booty.

On return from his first great tour, the Guru, at Eminabad came across the victorious armies of the Mughal conqueror, Babur. They had many women captives. The sensitive Guru saw their cropped up hair and noted how they longed to smear vermillion in their beautiful tresses. With all the anguish of a profoundly agitated soul he described their plight in a verse so wonderful as not to have a parallel elsewhere, a verse overflowing with compassion. Thereafter the status of women in society remained his deep concern. He for ever saw emperors playing in the dust at their feet; he saw saints kissing their feet; he saw gods vying with each other for the privilege of buckling their shoes. This is clearly reflected in the most celebrated of his sayings on the subject. "How is she inferior (to men) who gives birth to (their) kings."

In the bani of the Fifth Nanak you will see most sensitive verses with reference to women. In one of them he says,

O! Samman! If money could buy this love, Rawan was not a pauper. He suffered the severing of his (ten) heads for its sake.

Most significant of verses of Guru Granth in this regard are the ones that refuse to assign an exclusive masculine gender to God. He is referred to as both Mother as well as Father. The specific words that God's gender is unknowable are included in Guru Granth. 'In the region of nothingness sits a Jogi. There is no way of knowing whether the Jogi is a male or a female,' are the Guru's celebrated words. These are also unique for no other scripture has a parallel affirmation. It is not for nothing that we consider the Guru to be a peerless guide.

Guru Nanak's practice was no different from his preaching. His sister Nanaki doted on him and he in turn would think nothing of walking a thousand miles to be there to eat a simple meal prepared by her. On his tours which took him to the four corners of the world, he was most fittingly chivalrous towards women - even the fallen ones amongst them he took under his wings and called them his daughters. He refused to consider women as a commodity. He addressed Noorshahi, the young female sent to tempt him as, 'daughter princess.' The mantle of Nanak everywhere shielded women from an impure gaze. He kept his word with his mother and periodically came from distant lands to pay respects to her.

The Janamsakhis record a very charming account of one of his meetings with his mother. The great Guru, the messenger of God, the winner of a thousand religious debates, the most revered amongst men halted near his village summoning the strength to keep his heart together on meeting his mother. The mother came to know of his return and hastened towards the prominent tree under which he sat. Mother of the world came blessing the dust of roads tread upon by her son; the sovereign son of Man ran to meet her, hurled himself at her feet and wept copiously washing her feet with tears, choked for hours on meeting her for the first time in many years. The Janamsakhi says, 'the Guru cried much' and again cryptically stresses 'cried much.'

Do you know Annu, that a young lady was the last to visit the first Martyr Guru in his torture chamber? She was the innocent daughter of the Qazi of Lahore and was allowed to bring a meal to the Guru who had not eaten for many days since his imprisonment. She was compassionate at heart and came in tears. The Guru spoke most courteously to her, she last bore witness to his habitual benign smile and he ate a morsel out of her dish, more with an intention of pleasing her than by way of nourishment to his body, which had already in part perished. Amongst the last immortal words that this incomparable prophet poet spoke were spoken to a woman. Amongst the last eyes that gazed upon his mortal frame were the eyes of a woman. How very proper for one born of a woman to die wrapped up in the devotional sight of a woman!

Guru Gobind Singh, the Master of the white Hawk, the rider of the Blue Steed, the Lord of both the worlds, is known to have bowed to none but God and a woman. Never but once is he known to have changed his decision and this was on the behest of his mother, your mother and my mother, Mata Gujri. His eye which could pierce the thick screen of the past and which could shoot its gaze into the future just as efficiently as the Guru could fire an arrow on a mark miles away, clearly saw that countless misfortunes were to befall on leaving the fort of Anandgarh. And yet he never batted an eyelid and issued orders for departure as soon as he knew that Mata Gujri wanted him to do that.

It was a sight to see! Quietly and serenely, with bowed head and folded hands he approached his mother, dwelling on a silent prayer for her blessing. Calmly arose she who was holier than Ganges and Godavari, she who had the proverbial patience of mountains, she who was braver than a thousand warriors of any age, put her hand on her son's shoulder and lead him to his divine steed. This was the last meeting between them both. The Guru knew it but would not hinder her will. The Guru preached respect to women and at this cost he drew the lesson home.

A thousand tales survive to tell us in what seriousness the Sikhs stood by the Guru's word and example.

Hundreds perished while trying to rescue the Marhatta women held captive by Ahmed Shah Abdali the conqueror at the third battlefield of Panipat. After having put them in the saddles of their own horses, ran along side for hundreds of miles to the remotest villages of Maharashtra chivalrously clutching the stirrups. After restoring them to their parents and husbands they saw them off as they were used to seeing off their sisters. Many bearded and ill-clad soldiers were to be seen standing in the streets of Maharashtra frantically searching their persons to find a rupee coin to meet a customary brotherly obligation towards the lady they brought home. Nor would they tarry a while to rest their tired limbs because to eat at a sister's place was not considered proper in those days.

Rattan Singh (Bhangu), the grand son of the celebrated martyr Mahtah Singh (on hearing whose name you must always bow your head in deep reverence, my daughter) has a similar little tale to relate. A powerful Sayyid of Lohari, near Delhi, once forcibly carried away a beautiful Brahmin girl. Her father approached many with a prayer to recover the girl but in vain. Finally he came to the semi-nomadic Khalsa armies camping in Majha areas of the Punjab and requested for help. The Khalsa hesitated because a huge Mughal army was stationed at Delhi, the capital of the country and the place was hundreds of miles away.

The Brahmin again asked for help and this time in the name of the Guru. The deliberations were at once stopped. Everyone knew what was to be done. A Nihang in the gathering arose and going up to the Nagaara (drum) struck it proclaiming the decision to march.

Soon Satluj was crossed and then the Jamuna and in a few days time Sikh armies were poised for an attack. In the customary prayer before the attack, every Sikh prayed for the honour of falling in so noble a cause. The wishes of many were fulfilled but the battle was won. Immediately the Khalsa summoned the husband of the rescued girl to take her home. But he refused because she had lived with a Muslim, although involuntarily.

The Khalsa declared the girl to be their adopted daughter and promptly marched towards her village - this time on a mission of peace. There someone spread a blanket inviting everyone to give the daughter of the Panth a fitting farewell present. Soldiers filed past the blanket adding their mite and very soon there was a huge pile of gold and silver on it. The Brahmin saw that the bravery of the Khalsa was equal only to their generosity and both had no parallel under the sun. He, for the first time, understood their slogan deg teg fateh (generosity and steel both constitute a formula for complete victory) and soon lost the will to resist. The Khalsa turned the reins of their horses homeward after giving thanks to God for the favourable conclusion of the battle.

The same story was repeated at Kasur guarded by twenty-two stubborn fortresses. Five Sikh Misls marched to rescue a similarly abducted young lady. Here also they were eminently successful.

This tradition has come down to the present day.

If you look up my scrapbook you will find in it a small newspaper cutting of a great news item. It relates to a war for liberation of Bangladesh (1971). Many times Sikh soldiers came across women who had fallen prey to the atrocities of Pakistani armies. Quite often they were found stripped naked. Overflowing with compassion the Sikh soldiers would promptly take off their turbans and tearing them into two would wrap a part around the girls.

Thus like the mantle of Nanak our turbans shielded our sisters from an evil eye. When you are grown up enough to appreciate the philosophy behind the gesture, you will no doubt join me in prayer and will end it as I do now, perhaps with the same words, "May it ever be thus".

Author's note: Sardar Gurmit Singh of Dubai wanted to know whether I have written something for children and whether I could share it with his child? This article was written for my daughter on February 2, 1974, though she could not have read it then. The intention was to inform children about the position of women in Sikh society. It has been published earlier.

The intention of giving it here is to bring it within the reach of little ones of today. The generation previous to theirs liked it. With all the fondness of one who loves children it is presented, particularly to young girls and boys below sixteen years of age. If they like this one I promise to repeat some more writings of this sort. But only if they like it!

Sardar Gurtej Singh, designated Professor of Sikhism by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, is a former officer of the competitive, elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and is a post-graduate in history. He is the author of "Tanduv of the Centaur: Sikhs and Indian Secularism" and "Chakravyuh: Web of Indian Secularism". In addition he has co-edited "Shahid-Bilas Sant Jarnail Singh".