Introduction / History

Their name is related to making mats since they have traditionally made mats from grass reeds. The Sirkiband are a scheduled caste which means they have low, but not really low status. They live in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. The Sirkiband in Punjab speak Punjabi.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most of them are landless. They make ropes and mats for a living. Some of them are laborers. They have a low literacy level, so the gospel will need to be presented in oral forms. The Sirkibands in Haryana speak Haryanavi. They make grass thatch from grass. They live in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Although there are Hindus among them, there are also many Sikhs. 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?

They need to accept the blessings of Jesus Christ, the one who came to give life to the full.

Prayer Points

Pray that Indian believers will lead them into a disciple making movement.
Pray that gospel recordings and the JESUS Film provides them with the chance to taste and see that the Lord is good.
Pray for faithful intercessors and loving workers.

Scripture Prayers for the Sirkiband (Sikh traditions) in India.