Ricky Singh Arora wears a turban and a full beard, which frequently prompts people to ask, "What are you?"
"Normally, I tell them I'm American Sikh," said Singh Arora, a technology manager from Cottage Grove. "Then they ask, 'What's that?' "
Such questions are part of life for Sikhs in the United States, but this month they're making a concerted effort to demystify the faith. It is the 550th anniversary of the founding of Sikhism, providing a platform to let communities know it is the fifth-largest religion in the world.
Huge celebrations have filled the streets in northern India and Pakistan, birthplace of Sikhism and where the majority of Sikhs live. In the United States, dozens of Sikh temples, or gurdwaras, held open houses and street processions.
These "awareness campaigns" have spread beyond temples. At least a dozen states, including Wisconsin, this year passed proclamations promoting Sikh awareness.
"People don't know about us for several reasons," said Manjeet Singh, a board member of the Sikh Society of Minnesota. "Sikhism isn't taught in schools, even though it's the world's fifth-largest religion. So people just aren't learning about us."
"And we don't proselytize," added Singh Arora.
And although there are 25 million Sikhs worldwide, and an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the United States, they number just several thousand in Minnesota.