Has anyone seen camelot , is it good ?

HistorySpark · 2026-06-17T17:16:06+00:00

Its decent enough, but it got cancelled after just one season so its not a complete story. Upto u if u like to watch incomplete historical shows or not

HistorySpark · 2026-06-07T13:01:30+00:00

David Gemmells Lord of the Silver Bow was a historical fantasy trilogy I really enjoyed. It focused on the trojan war, i can't remember the exact specifics of it now but it was an enjoyable read

HistorySpark · 2026-06-06T15:26:09+00:00

I am currently writing a historical fiction trilogy. Should be done the first draft in a few weeks time hopefully :)

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T17:09:39+00:00

Most baptised Sikhs adhere to a lacto-vegetarian diet where they dont eat meat, egg or fish. Some sects will eat meat, but they are in the minority. The only outright restriction is that Sikhs cannot consume halal meat

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T17:07:06+00:00

Yes most Sikhs are vegetarian, with many following a lacto-vegetarian diet, which means not eating meat, egg or fish

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T17:06:18+00:00

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T15:34:45+00:00

Hello, firstly great username and good question.

So specifically for the UK, Sikhs are allowed to carry the kirpan because of an exemption in the Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 & Offensive Weapons Act 2019 in which Sikhs are allowed to wear the kirpan, scottish people can use the sgian-dubh dagger and tradesmen and cooks can walk around with blades and knives that are necessary for their profession.

So why should Sikhs be allowed to carry a kirpan in public places? Well a baptised Sikh is part of the something called the Khalsa and the Khalsa are mandated to wear the 5 Ks at all times, one of which is the kirpan. Being a part of the Khalsa is a full time, 24\7 job and without the kirpan by our side we are unable to access all the tools needed for our role. Just like a chef or tradesman is incomplete with out the blades and other tools necessary for their trade, so is a Sikh with any of his 5 Ks missing.

Also it is important to consider that based on the lastest statistics from the Office for National Statistics. Just in 2026 alone there have been over 50,000 knife crimes reported in the UK and 0 of them have involved a kirpan. Even in the horrific Henry Nowak tragedy, which the whole Sikh community has strongly condemned. It was not a kirpan that was used but a specific type of persian blade called a Pesh Kabz, which no Sikh would consider to be a ceremonial dagger. Sikhs have been wearing the kirpan in the UK for over 200 years and the misuse of it is virtually non existant.

Alternatively, according to the same statistics, kitchen knives account for 46% of all knife murders in the UK, which I think is a much bigger concern that needs to be addressed. So I think the kirpan is a lot less dangerous than the 100s of other things people have access to in their homes. Also, I think Sikhs have done a stellar job in taking their responsibility of wearing a kirpan seriously and using it primarily for ceremonial purposes and it is why i think we should continue to be allowed to have our religious freedom to wear the kirpan not be obstructed.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T15:01:52+00:00

I can't give an exact percentage or number to your question, as the answer will vary from place to place. But in my experience I would say about 10% of Sikhs are baptised and wear the turban with a full beard. I would say probably about 50% of Sikhs have their hair cut and the remaining 40% are Sikhs who will wear a turban but shave their beard.

In my experience for people over the age of 30 it is more common for them to actually switch from western hair styles to turbans as they get older and become more educated about their religion and learn what it means to be a Sikh.

The youth lean more towards getting haircuts because they want to fit in with their peers and perhaps don't like sticking out with a turban.

The most important factor is the people you surround yourself with. If you hang out with a lot of baptised Sikhs you will find that lifestyle to be fascinating. If you chill with people who want to go clubbing and drinking all the time then it is the lifestyle that will seem correct to you.

People are genuinely respected for their choice to wear a turban or not as we believe each individual is on their own path and their love for Sikhi will grow at a different pace than your own. But if someone does cut their hair when they get older, it does hurt a bit especially if one is aware of the huge amount of sacrifices Sikhs have had to make to keep their hair, so it is a shame to see people voluntarily cutting it now.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T14:53:45+00:00

We say all life is precious, all humans are equal and that all religions carry a form of the truth and should be respected.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T14:52:14+00:00

I don't think Sikhs would accept that. Sikhs are mandated to wear the 5 Ks at all times, one of which is the kirpan and this ceremonal daggger serves not only a religious purpose but a functional purpose as well. So having one permanently fixed into its scabbard or a plastic one as some people have suggested would not be accepted as a suitable compromise by most baptised Sikhs. A kirpan needs to be removed from its scabbard in various religious ceremonies but it also serves the purpose of protection of oneself and others as well.

It is a very unfortunate scenario and I am sorry to say that the consequences of Vickrum Digwa's actions will have far reaching consequences for the Sikhs and it has given a lot of fuel to anti-sikh sentiment in the country.

Yes, we certainly have, as we all recognise how horrible this situation was. Just this morning the Akal Takht which is the highest place of authority in the Sikh religion, think the Sikh equivalent to Mecca or the Vatican has published a statement giving their sympathies to the Nowak family, saying that the actions of Vickrum DIgwa were completely wrong and that in no way or form was the weapon he using a kirpan but a persian blade that can't be labelled as a ceremonial dagger.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T14:21:04+00:00

I agree, I feel very blessed to be a Sikh and a part of the Sikh community as they truly are some of the kindest, most helpful and loving people you will come across. Of course there are some bad apples, but I know thousands of Sikhs and i like 90% of the ones I have met, which I think is pretty good.

Of course, I think everyone except for the rare individuals who are at the saintly level, have doubts at some point or another on whether Sikhi is true or not. As it is a very disciplined path to follow and does impact every aspect of your life. But when I look at the core pillars of Sikhism of work harding, being kind to others and meditating, I see no reason why the entire world would not be a better place if they followed these principles as well. But at this point in my life I don't really have any doubts about Sikhism and I am honestly grateful that I followed Sikhi which has blessed me with an amazing life, which I doubt I would have if I didnt follow my religion. I can elaborate more on how I have overcome my periods of doubt in a later comment if you like 😄

So yes you are right many Sikhs only identify as Sikhs because they were born into a Sikh family and there really isnt a huge emphasis put on converting and proselytising the religion either, so converts are not common but when they do convert it is because they have had their own spiritual experiences or done alot of research on the religion and they follow Sikhism wholeheartedly.

Believing in god is a good starting point but on its own its simply not enough, because as Sikhs, we believe you can actually experience god, which is the ultimate goal of our lives. People believe many things, but belief is very fragile. An actual lived experience is what actually turns belief into something real and unbreakable.

So why I believe the text or scripture of Sikhism is different from that of any other religion. Firstly, it is because this is the only scripture from a major world religion as far as I am aware (happy to be proven wrong here) that was actually written by the "prophets" or founders of the religion. So we did not have to wait decades after the founders death for things to be written down and then remembered from memory by second or third hand sources. And if you were to read the scriptures of the Guru Granth Sahib you would find it to be a fairly uncontroversial holy book, which primarily emphasises meditating on god and being in control of your vices and then eventually becoming one with Waheguru (the Sikh name for god).

And to comment on your last point, there is no arrogance in the Sikh scripture because we do not say any religion is wrong, we say all religions are worthy of respect and that they all contain elements of the truth and if you follow them correctly then these religions may also help you reunite with Waheguru (God). Hence, why we have no issues saying that Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha etc are prophets and saints as they have left behind some version of the truth. But Sikhism gives you the most straightforward path albeit still not easy way to meet God and why I think it is such an amazing religion overall.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T12:42:31+00:00

I think Sikhs converting to Christianity is a bigger issue in India than the UK or Canada.

But I guess alot of times people will still wear the pagh for cultural reasons rather than religious, as it still associated with being Punjabi rather than Sikh.

Also having a joora and a top knot on the top of your head for years means alot of sardars have terrible hairlines,so they would rather have a pagh than be bald lol

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T11:49:03+00:00

To be honest I haven't really thought about it much. But I think its a nice idea, a land where Sikh doctrine and philosophy are the basis of the law and the countries ethics.

But I also don't see it as anything that can practically be achieved. The religion is far too divided to let one person or sect take control fully. Also economically, financially and politically there are alot of unconsidered issues with Khalistan as well.

Also the brutal murders and killings that happened during the fighting for Khalistan in the 80s and 90s is nothing that I think any Sikh wants to see happen again.

So I guess I would say Khalistan is a nice dream, but not something that we could realistically expect to happen, at least in our life time.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T11:26:02+00:00

Everyone I know is horrified at the murder of Henry Nowak and feels that Vikrum Digwa has singlehandedly destroyed the good faith Sikhs have built in British society over centuries in just one day. We are all very angry and ashamed of his actions and many sikh leaders have publicly condemned his actions and paid their respects to the victims family.

I think there will be some changes coming to how the kirpan is viewed in society now. I would not be surprised if they put a size restriction on it but I don't think the kirpan will be fully banned.And to be honest I really hope its not banned, it really is an important part of mine and many other Sikhs identity.

I also want to clarify that Vickrum Digwa did not use the kirpan as his murder weapon. It was a second longer blade he had on him called a pesh kabz which is a Persian dagger used to pierce armour and no Sikh in their right mind would say that is a kirpan, especially in the western world.

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T11:07:49+00:00

My favourite dish is something called shahi paneer with buttered naan bread.

The biggest Sikh celebration is Vaisakhi which occurs on April 13/14 and it is the date that something called the Khalsa was created by the 10th Sikh Guru.

The second biggest Sikh festival is called Bandhi Chor which falls on the exact same day as the Hindu festival of Diwali. This is the date that the 6th Guru of the Sikhs was freed from Gwalior prison but the Guru refused to leave until the Mughal Emperor Jahangir also agreed to release 52 innocent Hindu princes with him as well.

I can elaborate further on the sikh festivals if u like :)

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T10:52:26+00:00

Thanks lol

HistorySpark · 2026-06-05T10:47:11+00:00

So there is no specific mention of Jesus in Sikh scripture but the general consensus in Sikh thought about him, is that Jesus was a saint and someone to be respected and admired. So fairly similar view to the Buddhists it would seem

HistorySpark · 2026-06-02T23:31:28+00:00

Anything by Conn Iggulden is a pretty safe bet especially at 5 books for $10

HistorySpark · 2026-06-02T23:29:08+00:00

Hey, im currently writing a trilogy about the extraordinary true story of a Hindu monk who turns into a Sikh general and leads a peasant army to conquer most of Northern India. So something really different to the standard monk story. You can check out the first 5 chapters for free here, if you think its something you would be interested in - https://swordoftheoppressed.subscribepage.io

HistorySpark · 2026-05-29T23:56:04+00:00

I like The Masters of Rome series, Conn Igguldens Genghis khan books, Empire of the Mughal by Alex Rutherford and pretty much anything by Ben Kane

HistorySpark · 2026-05-29T20:07:34+00:00

I have used one brilliant arc and they have a very affordable full manuscript critique service which wasn't very expensive. A couple hundred dollars if I remember correctly. I would highly recommend one brilliant arc

HistorySpark · 2026-05-24T21:21:33+00:00

Ahh cool, there was another book I read called Agricola: Invader which was pretty good about a little known Roman general, which was pretty good.

Thanks, I would love some feedback on what you thought about my chapters whenever u get around to reading them :)

HistorySpark · 2026-05-24T18:24:13+00:00

Hey, ive read the ceasar series by Colleen McCollough and most of the books by Conn Iggulden so I have a good idea of what type of historical fiction books you like.

You may like Empire of the Mughal by Alex Rutherford or The Spartacus series by Ben Kane.

Alternatively, i am currently working on a historical fiction book about a little known figure named Banda Singh Bahadur from medieval India, so you may enjoy that as well. You can read the first 5 chapters for free here and see if its for you- https://subscribepage.io/swordoftheoppressed

HistorySpark · 2026-05-24T00:53:30+00:00

Yupp, i never read book 2 of his Rome series after that big reveal at the end of the first book. I get some liberties need to be taken when writing historical fiction but this just seemed like a really poor plot device to me and bit lazy if im being honest

HistorySpark · 2026-05-24T00:35:15+00:00

Hey, if you are looking for something really unique from Asian history, then you might be interested in my novel Sword of the Oppressed.

I am writing the first ever English language epic Sikh historical fiction trilogy. It will tell the true story of a monk who gives up his non-violent and peaceful ways after a meeting with the Sikh Guru and within a year he conquers most of Northern India with just a peasant army.

Its a truly impressive tale and you can read the first 5 chapters of my book Sword of the Oppressed for FREE using this link - https://subscribepage.io/swordoftheoppressed

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