The Khalsa is a brotherhood of Sikhs, who publicly take a vow to follow a certain spiritual discipline along with a physical discipline.

The five Articles of Faith are Kesh, which is uncut hair -- the Sikhs are required to keep uncut hair on their entire body, and this applies to both men and women; Kara, which is a steel bracelet worn on the hand, and reminds Sikhs to always do good deeds; the Kanga, which is a small wooden comb -- and its purpose is to remind Sikhs [of] the importance of cleanliness. The fourth is Kuchara, which are worn to signify the importance of chastity. And the last Article of Faith is the Kirpan. It's a religious sword that is worn to remind Sikhs that they have a responsibility and a duty to stand up for justice.

Sikhs are not pacifists, but, at the same time, we do not espouse violence.

The philosophy is that if all other means of achieving justice have failed, it's righteous to raise the sword. That philosophy comes out of this concept of "saint-soldier," where the common analogy given is that a sword is merely a tool. In the hand of a righteous man, it can be used to uphold justice; in the hands of somebody who is evil, it will be used to commit atrocities.

Being a Sikh is immensely spiritually uplifting. At the same time, it is also a challenge because you stand out in a crowd. But my faith helps me sustain, on a day-to-day basis, living a life of spiritual and physical discipline.