ABSTRACT
The first wave of Sikh migration began spanned the 1860s and 1890s, when the favored position of Sikhs in the Indian army attracted them to foreign lands. The second phase of migration began in the 1880s and lasted beyond World War II. The oil boom of the early and mid-1970s provided the major demand-led Sikh migration. A major reason for Sikh migration to the West has historically been the Sikh participation in the British armed forces during the period of British rule. To discuss the Sikh entry into the Western world, this chapter focuses on Gurharpal Singh and Darshan Singh Tatla, experts in the field of Sikh emigration. The patter of going abroad to better oneself might be the natural outgrowth of Punjab's highly competitive frontier society; it have deeper psychological roots that go beyond conventional social science explanations. While economic factors have undoubtedly played a major part in Sikh migration, thus the chapter acknowledges the role of cultural factors.
