Normal
It's always painful and saddening to read of such attacks.However, I always wonder the same thing: the Sikh was wearing his kirpan, why didn't he try to use it to defend himself? After all, if there was ever a time to use it, that was it. Perhaps it was a very sudden attack and he was caught unaware, or perhaps he didn't have enough time.And that also raises another point. Nearly all of the kirpans I've seen coming from India are very flimsy, made of a thin strip of metal with a very dull blade. A butter knife would be more effective. I'm sure that is not what the 10th King had in mind.The other issue is how to use the kirpan. Anyone can brandish a weapon, but if you're trained in martial arts, you will know how to disarm someone coming at you with a weapon. Perhaps it is incumbent upon all Sikhs to learn martial arts. I keep remembering the following story written by Macauliffe in "The Sikh Religion, Vol 5". Amazing how relevant it is even today:
It's always painful and saddening to read of such attacks.
However, I always wonder the same thing: the Sikh was wearing his kirpan, why didn't he try to use it to defend himself? After all, if there was ever a time to use it, that was it. Perhaps it was a very sudden attack and he was caught unaware, or perhaps he didn't have enough time.
And that also raises another point. Nearly all of the kirpans I've seen coming from India are very flimsy, made of a thin strip of metal with a very dull blade. A butter knife would be more effective. I'm sure that is not what the 10th King had in mind.
The other issue is how to use the kirpan. Anyone can brandish a weapon, but if you're trained in martial arts, you will know how to disarm someone coming at you with a weapon. Perhaps it is incumbent upon all Sikhs to learn martial arts. I keep remembering the following story written by Macauliffe in "The Sikh Religion, Vol 5". Amazing how relevant it is even today:
