ИСТИНА

Russia ranks among the countries with a very small Sikh community currently comprising, according to various estimates, from 300 to 1000 members; most of them are located in Moscow. For the past two decades, several factors have been influencing the life of the community in general and the young Sikhs in particular. Two main ones included 1) the USSR disintegration followed by the suspension of intergovernmental cultural exchange programs, which resulted in the dramatic reduction of students coming to study in Russia, and 2) exodus of Sikhs from Afghanistan to many countries including Russia, with the escalation of civil war after the collapse of Najibullah’s government. The paper discusses the impact of these and other factors on the community composition, and the importance of Moscow-based Cultural Sikh Center (Gurdwara) for social and religious life of the young Sikhs.