Long story short, I need to send some e-mail correspondence to a Sikh priest (for work). I have absolutely no idea how to address the guy, and as he is doing my client a big favor, I would like not to offend him. Help, please! I should send out the e-mail this afternoon. (I barely know how to deal with this issue in Christianity, let alone Sikhism!)
Yours in Jewish agnosticism,
Eva Luna
According to WikiAnswers it’s Granthi or maha pursh.
That’s pretty cool! Any idea whether there is a distinction between the two? Should they be capitalized, etc.? Do I start my e-mail "Dear Granthi [last name, although it seems like most male Sikhs have the last name Singh, which must make Sikh genealogy a real pain in the neck]?
The guy ought to be really impressed if I actually get this right, and I sure hope he will cut me some slack if I don’t get it 100%.
Apparently, all male Sikhs are named Singh:
(from SikhWiki)
Yeah, tell me about it - it must make Sikh genealogy a huge pain in the neck. (Not to mention immigration issues.)
“Dear Granthi ji” would be something like “Reverend sir”.
Which, well, doesn’t mean much to me, either, in terms of knowing how correct (or ludicrous) it is - the only clergy person I generally have the opportunity to address directly is Tom Scud’s father, and I call him by his first name or generally avoid addressing him other than just talking to him.
“Granthi” would mean a scholar of the Granth, the Sikh ‘Bible’ – more or less ‘Rabbi’. “Maha purush” (not pursh, unless it’s a dialectal variant) means “Great holy man”, used as an honorific.
Well, he’s the guy who runs my clients’ local temple and leads weekly services, so maybe I actually got it right!
Or, as my son would say, “Sick!”.