ABSTRACT
There are three major events which form a fundamental part of Sikh history and of the modern Sikh identity. The first was the April 13, 1919 massacre of innocent Sikhs by British soldiers at Jallianwala Bagh. The second historic moment is the killing of innocent Sikhs following India's independence in 1947. The third historical turning point for modern Sikhs took place in 1984. It should be noted that some Sikhs have not been entirely faithful to the Rehat, despite the clear significance of the Sikh turban and unshorn hair to the faith. The massacre was condemned even by Winston Churchill, who called for Reginald Dyer's dismissal. It was a moment that galvanized the Indian Independence movement and demonstrated the Sikh civilian sacrifice to the cause of India's freedom from British imperial rule. The turbans and unshorn hair that were made part of the Sikh uniform hundreds of years earlier gave them away.
