List of converts to Sikhism

The following is a list of people who converted to Sikhi. The religion of Sikhi emerged from 15th century South Asia. The first Sikhs came from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds from the Punjab region.{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pritam |title=Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=9781134049455 |quote=A large number of Hindu and Muslim peasants converted to Sikhism from conviction, fear, economic motives, or a combination of the three (Khushwant Singh 1999: 106; Ganda Singh 1935: 73).}} Following 20th century, the growth of the Sikh diaspora enabled the spread of Sikhism, thus allowing for more people to similarly embrace the faith. Overall laterally in the period of 16th century India, it have been astonishingly witnessed more than One—third of the Sikh population are sizeably reinforced from the following member of Jat community due to idealistic way of teaching professed by the campions of Guru Angad.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuMDAQAAIAAJ&q=Jat+aslo+start+following+Sikhism+in+16th+century |title=Contributions to Indian Sociology |date=1986 |publisher=Mouton |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Banerjee |first=Anil Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1qfXAAAAMAAJ |title=The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Religion |date=1983 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |isbn=978-81-215-0149-1 |pages=345 |language=en |quote=There was no such problem for the Sikh Gurus in the sixteenth century. The second change was an internal transformation of the Sikh community as a result of the numerical pre-conversion of the Jat people}}

15th century

Bhai Mardana – Rubabi convert from Islam to Sikhi.{{Cite web|url=https://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=702050232&cat=&n_date=20070205|title=Pak delegation arrives to celebrate Bhai Mardana's 550 bith anniv - News - Webindia123.com|website=news.webindia123.com|access-date=2019-08-04}}
Bhai Bala – childhood friend and companion of Bhai Mardana and Guru Nanak. {{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5100963 |title=Early Sikh tradition : a study of the janam-sākhīs |date=1980 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0-19-826532-8 |location=Oxford |page=15 |oclc=5100963}}
Rai Bular Bhatti – Muslim Rajput noble of the Bhatti clan during the latter half of the 15th century who was inspired by the Sikh Guru Nanak and donated half of his land.

17th century

Bhai Dayala – accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur in martyrdom at Delhi.{{cite book |last1=Gandhi |first1=Surjit |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold II: 1606-1708 C.E |date=2007 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-269-0858-5 |location=New Delhi |page=605}}
Bhai Mati Das – accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur in martyrdom at Delhi.{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Bakhshish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQpDAAAAYAAJ |title=Proceedings: Ed. Parm Bakhshish Singh, Volume 1 Punjab History Conference |date=1998 |publisher=Punjabi University |isbn=9788173804625 |location=Patiala |page=113 |quote=He was connected with Mati Das and Sati Das , the Mohyal brahmins who according to him had acted as the diwans of Guru Tegh Bahadur and suffered martyrdom.}}
Bhai Sati Das – accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur in martyrdom at Delhi. {{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Bakhshish |title=Proceedings: Ed. Parm Bakhshish Singh, Volume 1 Punjab History Conference |date=1998 |publisher=Publ. Bureau, Punjabi Univ. |isbn=9788173804625 |location=Patiala |page=113}}

18th century

Banda Singh Bahadur – Born into a Hindu family as Lachman Dev (later Madho Das Bairagi), after meeting with Guru Gobind Singh he became a Sikh warrior for the Khalsa Army.

19th century

File:Colonel Alexander Gardner,.jpg

Alexander Gardner – American Sikh Soldier in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army.{{Cite web |last=Dalrymple |first=William |date=2017-05-11 |title=Ripping yarns |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/ripping-yarns/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives, Sathnam Sanghera on Alexander Gardner |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0924kwx |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}

Maharaja Duleep Singh – Born in a Sikh family, but converted to Angilican Christianity as a ward of the British state. Rejoined as a Sikh in 1864.
Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841–1913) – senior administrator of the British Raj who was posted in the Punjab; prolific scholar and author. Chided as "turning a Sikh" and died reciting the Japji Sahib prayer in 1913. {{cite web|url=http://sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=207&cat=18 |title=sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | Max Arthur Macauliffe - He Introduced Sikhi to the English-Speaking West |publisher=sikhchic.com|accessdate=2015-01-03}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/english/tadhg_foley.html |title=National University of Ireland |publisher=nuigalway.ie |accessdate=2015-01-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207082413/http://www.nuigalway.ie/english/tadhg_foley.html |archivedate=2012-02-07 }}

20th century

Bhagat Puran Singh (1904–1992) – great visionary; accomplished environmentalist; founder of the "All India Pingalwara Charitable Society; being deeply influenced by the teachings of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, he converted to Sikhi. {{Cite web |title=Bhagat Puran Singh |url=https://pingalwara.ca/bhagat-puran-singh/ |website=Pingalwara |quote=He was born and brought up in a Hindu family of village Rajewal (Rahnon) in Ludhiana district}}
Sahib Singh – renowned Sikh academic who made a tremendous contribution to Sikh literature.

Master Tara Singh – prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century[http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/person/mastertarasingh.htm All About Sikhs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614152853/http://allaboutsikhs.com/person/mastertarasingh.htm|date=2008-06-14}}

File:Master Tara Singh-Tarn Taaran. March 1956.jpg

Teja Singh – active member of the Singh Sabha movement{{Cite book |last1=Kāṅga |first1=Kulabīra Siṅgha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uxQ2AAAAMAAJ&q=teja+singh+tej+ram |title=Teja Singh |last2=Singh |first2=Teja |year=1990 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=9788172010188}}{{Cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Harbans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhXYAAAAMAAJ&q=professor+teja+singh+khem+singh+bedi |title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: S-Z |date=January 1998 |publisher=Punjabi University |isbn=9788173805301}}
Muhammad Sadiq – Punjabi folk singer and actor turned politician. Currently serves as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha in Faridkot, Punjab{{Cite news |date=2019-05-29 |title=Sikh or Muslim? It's all about love of Guru, says Mohammad Sadiq |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sikh-or-muslim-its-all-about-love-of-guru-says-mohammad-sadiq/articleshow/69552202.cms |access-date=2025-01-27 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}

21st century

Babaji Singh – credited with translating the Guru Granth Sahib, the central Sikh scripture, into the Spanish language.{{cite web|url=http://worldsikhnews.com/29%20October%202008/Guru%20Granth%20Sahib%20now%20in%20Spanish.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104081915/http://worldsikhnews.com/29%20October%202008/Guru%20Granth%20Sahib%20now%20in%20Spanish.htm |archive-date=2010-01-04 |url-status=dead|title=WSN-Tercentenary of Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib-Guru Granth Sahib now in Spanish|accessdate=2015-01-03}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081027/main8.htm|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News|publisher=tribuneindia.com|accessdate=2015-01-03}}
Martin Singh – Nova Scotia pharmacist and businessman and candidate for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada in 2012.{{cite news|title=N.S. pharmacist Singh to seek NDP leadership|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/n-s-pharmacist-singh-to-seek-ndp-leadership-1.1118933|access-date=October 2, 2011|newspaper=CBC News|date=September 29, 2011}}

Ryan Hurst – American actor, practices Sikhi under the 3HO tradition as Gobind Seva Singh.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thethings.com/ryan-hurst-sons-of-anarchy-facts/|title = 10 Things You Didn't Know About Ryan Hurst on Sons of Anarchy| work=TheThings |date = 16 September 2020}}
Vic Briggs – British Blues musician, now Vikram Singh Khalsa; became the first non-subcontinental to perform kirtan at Harmandir Sahib[http://www.sikhsangat.org/publish/article_1554.shtml Sikh Global News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623183556/http://www.sikhsangat.org/publish/article_1554.shtml |date=2007-06-23 }}
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa – Yoga teacher; co-founder and director of the Golden Bridge Yoga Center in Los Angeles, California{{cite web|url=http://www.totallyzen.com/gurmukh-kaur-khalsa-moving-from-karma-to-dharma.html|title=Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Moving from Karma to Dharma | Totally Zen|publisher=totallyzen.com|accessdate=2015-01-03}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mrsikhnet.com/2007/05/09/gurmukh-kaur-in-vanity-fair-magazine/|title=Gurmukh Kaur in Vanity Fair Magazine | MrSikhNet|publisher=mrsikhnet.com|accessdate=2015-01-03}}
Vikram Kaur Khalsa – Former model and actress, starred in several horror movies{{cite web|url=http://www.yogatech.com/bios/elandrak.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031210084501/http://www.yogatech.com/bios/elandrak.html|archive-date=2003-12-10|url-status=dead|title=Yoga Technology - Kundalini Yoga Online Superstore|accessdate=2015-01-03}}{{cite web|url=http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/611/Kirsten+Lindholm/index.html|title=Kirsten Lindholm - The Private Life and Times of Kirsten Lindholm. Kirsten Lindholm Pictures.|publisher=glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com|accessdate=2015-01-03}}
Tyler Atkins – Also known as Tera Singh, is an Australian film director and actor. Most recently known for his completed production on his debut feature film, Bosch & Rockit, which he wrote, directed, and produced.{{Cite web |title=Tyler Atkins takes his Sikh faith to Hollywood in search of his big break |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/tyler-atkins-takes-his-sikh-faith-to-hollywood-in-search-of-his-big-break/news-story/a5947f0d8b71e519d2e1b97dc6372d46 |access-date=2023-07-31}}

References

Sikhism