Many of you will recall the protests which emerged in 2004 when Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti went to stage her second play, Behzti. The play, which covered issues such as rape and violence within the setting of a gurdwara, caused an uproar in the Sikh community in Birmingham and was later canceled. Many community members welcomed the decision to cancel the play, while others argued that limiting the playwright’s free speech was actually detrimental to the Sikh community. It was nicely put in a Guardian article stating that, “The dispute became a classic conflict between the artist’s right to freedom of expression and a community’s wish to have their faith treated with dignity.”
The Rep had taken the unusual step of inviting Sikh community leaders to a private preview to air their concerns, after which they agreed not to oppose the play if the setting was moved to a community centre. Bhatti refused. “I wanted to write a play about religious hypocrisy,” she explains, “for which the setting in a gurdwara was non-negotiable. The attempt to establish a dialogue with the Sikh community was well intentioned, but ultimately misinterpreted as an invitation to rewrite my play.” [link]
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti later found a card among her Christmas mail that read: “Seasons Greetings. This will be your last Christmas. You are a disgrace to the race. Sending you lots of hate.” Bhatti was forced to go into hiding. Behzti sparked protests and death threats, and now the playwright is attempting to address the controversy in her new play, Behud – which translates colloquially as “beyond belief”. (more…)
Guest blogged by Ajj Kaim
Two of my friends invited me to a Holi party in San Francisco last Friday(03/05/10). They told me the DJ was great and he always played awesome Bollywood/Bhangra music. Being an ardent dance lover this was enough motivation for me to say yes. The venue of the party was Supperclub, which seemed a lot different from any other club that I have been to. Once I was at the venue I found out that the event was organized by Asha (organization which promotes education of underpreviliged children in India) and Trikone (non-profit organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people of South Asian descent) .
Over the past several months I have been accustomed to the crowd at Rikshaw Stop for Non Stop Bhangra party every month so this atmosphere was a lot different for me. The DJ kick started the evening with a good mix of Bhangra and Bollywood music. The regular flow of the party was disrupted by two “artists” who tried to entertain the crowd with tasteless mix of bollywood dance, vulgarity and modern art. I had a hard time understanding what was being appreciated by some of the on-lookers. This break lasted for about 10 minutes and after that DJ Precaution started belting some more amazing tracks. It seemed like a perfect way to unwind after a hectic week at work. And then this happened.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th each year and is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. We have previously posted about well known examples of women in our history who have made huge contributions to Sikhi. Perhaps on this day we can take the time to continue recognizing the numerous Sikh women who stood alongside Sikh men to help our qaum. I recently read about twenty Sikh women in a document titled, “Noble and Brave Sikh Women” by Sawan Singh. The author writes,
Bibi Rajinder Kaur and Bibi Sahib Kaur both belonged to the royal family of Patiala state. Their bravery in the battlefields and their skills in administration saved the state from being ruined. Mata Kishan Kaur and Bibi Balbir Kaur took part and suffered in the Akali movement for the control of Gurdwaras. Bibi Balbir Kaur even sacrificed her own life and that of her innocent child in this movement. Bibi Harnam Kaur has done wonders to spread female education among the Sikh women a hundred years ago. Mai Bhag Kaur has proved that Sikh women can lead and organize the Sikh men and win battles. Women martyrs of Shahid Gunj of Lahore like Bhghel Kaur cannot be found in the literature of many religions. Bibi Sharan Kaur and Bibi Shamsher Kaur have proved their skills in the battlefield and in administration. Bibi Anoop Kaur, Bibi Shushil Kaur, Bibi Harsharan Kaur, Bibi Basan Lata and Bibi Nirbhay Kaur have faced odds and sacrificed their lives to save their honor and faith.
The document is a great starting point to begin learning about the immense history of Sikh women that often goes untold. Are there any events in your community being planned for International Women’s Day? How do we, in general, recognize the contributions of women in Sikh history?
A while back I remember someone posing the question, “Can you be a good person without being part of a religion?” What an excellent question! While recently talking to a government official about allowing Sikhs to work in his agency with our Sikh articles of faith, he told me that he always felt judged by people of faith for not self-indentifying with a religion. What an interesting situation!
Now, I am neither a theological expert nor a saint-I would identify as a Sikh who is a “work in-progress with many moments of procrastination”. However, in both situations, the bottom-line for me is the power of Waheguru. Of course, a person can be “good” without being part of a religion. However, in my opinion, the difference between being an atheist and a good person vs. aspiring to be a good person and being a Sikh is that as Sikhs, we should attribute our goodness to something higher and more powerful than us-Waheguru. An atheist can attribute his/her goodness to himself/herself, which from my perspective can become a very selfish act that feeds ego.
My response to the government official was that the aim of a Sikh is not to judge the level of “goodness” in any person, but to focus on identifying his/her good characteristics. For Sikhs, those good characteristics are the sources of Waheguru’s existence in each person. However, our existence in this world often feeds our ego, lust, greed, attachment, and anger which prevents us from seeing the good in others. Thus, the goal of Sikhs is not to judge someone else, but to be in control of these five vices so we can see the “good” in others and identify with Waheguru. And, taan-tah-dah, he should allow Sikhs to work in his agency with our articles of faith because we would not judge him. 
(Of course, I did not say that to him.)
While thinking about these experiences, I started to realize how as Sikhs we have become very judgmental and selfish. Is it because we are more likely to have a stronger political and cultural affiliation with Sikhi than a spiritual one? Then how can we identify as Sikhs when the fundamental premise of Sikhi is how we relate with each other?
There has been much in the news in Sikhdom with repercussions for years to come. The news of Professor Darshan Singh Ragi, former head of the Akal Takht, and even the Nanakshahi deserve time and commentary. I will leave those for another day.
In some ways with even greater repercussions has been the announcement by members of Dera Sach Khand Ballan of the removal of the Guru Granth Sahib from their places of worship. It is key to point out that NOT all people that identify themselves as Ravidasia are part of Dera Sach Khand Ballan and many vehemently oppose some of their policies and tenants. Still their following is significant and important. Talk of the removal of the Guru Granth Sahib had been in the works since the unfortunate events in Vienna last year. Even at that time, I had asked the question, “How large is the tent that is the Sikh Qaum”?
I commended the Singh Sabha for their achievements in their time and place:
Despite the various attacks on the Singh Sabha movement for only promoting Khalsa hegemony and other spurious slanders by neo-Sanatans, post-colonialists attempting to form neo-Brahman ‘intelligentsias’, those that believe they ‘own’ the Sikh identity, some Hindu chauvinist groups, and various beatniks, the movement was in fact very broad-minded and fought to enlarge the tent that is the Sikh Qaum.
They understood the difference between public and private aspects. In private, people may have their own practices, beliefs, etc. and while the Singh Sabha sought to bring these more in line with the practices and principles of Gurbani, they did allow some diversity in private. In public, we come together and stand by the Panthic rehat maryada.[link]
The Dera Sach Khand Ballan has now made the political move to ‘declare’ a new religion and call for the removal of the Guru Granth Sahib. It is important to NOTE that the move is being pushed by a section of the Ravidassia community and has found much opposition as well.
A few months ago, RP Singh wrote a very timely post on compassion and what it means to Sikhs. In Gurbani, the word Daya often translates to compassion, a trait which is long known in our history. One of the Panj Pyara or beloved five was Bhai Daya Singh and thus, Compassion along with Justice, Courage, Discipline and Leadership are important elements of the Khalsa.
As a reminder of this and as we get ready to begin a New Year – I wanted to share with you the Charter for Compassion – “a call to bring the world together.” It is stated that, The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect. [link]
I would encourage you to watch the video below and sign the charter. It might be a passive form of activism, however, let it be a nudge to hold ourselves accountable in the coming years – to live compassionately and emulate Sikhi in one of it’s purest forms.
A few weeks back, while skimming through the news, I found an interesting report on Canadian Prime Minister 
Stephen Harper’s recent visit to the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. Although I didn’t care much for the hoopla around his visit, I did find it interesting that he “offended” Sikhs by refusing to accept parshad or langar.
As I understand it, the preparation of parshad (grace) is unique in that it is ceremonially touched by a kirpan (kirpan bhet), which serves as an indication of the Guru’s acceptance and blessing. It is then distributed to 5 Amritdhari Sikhs representing the Guru Khalsa Panth. A Sikhs’ consumption of parshad displays a submission to the Guru. So accepting parshad is essentially “accepting His grace.” I’ve also been taught that parshad should be distributed after the hukamnama is read, as accepting parshad symbolizes acceptance of the hukamnama.
Now, whether or not Sikhs themselves understand the hukamnama, or even listen to it is another post for another day – but, if accepting parshad is accepting the Guru’s hukam, should a non-believer accept it? Although the Rehat Maryada states that parshad should be offered to everyone equally (as it should), should we be offended if someone rejects it? If a non-Sikh understands the meaning behind our practice and politely refuses it out of respect, shouldn’t we appreciate it instead?
I remember years ago at a Sikh Day Parade in Washington DC, as a handful of us were walking through the sidewalks handing out “Who are the Sikhs” pamphlets and answering questions from onlookers, an elderly BibiJi was darting through the crowd distributing parshad to random strangers. As shocked as I was to see this, it couldn’t compare to the shock on the face of those who received it. Most were not sure what to do with it, or joked about it with their friends, while others were seen throwing it away. I’m sure the BibiJi’s heart was in the right place, but what were we hoping to accomplish by this?
My question is…how can we value our traditions if we don’t even understand them?
And if we don’t value our traditions, how can we expect others to?
(more…)
We often lament the state of our gurdwaras but we should just as often stop and think about how much we have accomplished.
Tonight I had a chance to visit the famous Ontario Khalsa Darbar (aka Dixie) Gurdwara in Mississauga/Brampton, Ontario. On a frigid Friday night in December, the place was packed with sangat and programs.
In one hall, a Hindu Panjabi family was having a bhog for a deceased elder. On the other side agurmat sangeet teacher was having a kirtan for her daughter with beautiful kirtan being sung in raag by her many young students. In the adjoining halls, the United Sikhs organization was having their 2nd Annual Global Sikh Civil Rights Conference with tonight’s opening session focusing exclusively women’s issues. Upstairs, Harmeet Singh was holding his usual Friday session with hundreds of youth and their families. And to top this off Bhai (no longer Sant) Niranjan Singh Jawadi Kalan was performing kirtan to a packed hall in the main hall. Almost every program was in English or being translated into English on the screens.
So while we can (and should) continue to critically analyze the hardware (physical structures) and software (programs/initiatives) of our Sikh institutions, we need to simultaneously recognize when progress is being made.
Growing up I would have killed to have been a part of each of those individual programs happening at Dixie Gurdwara tonight (well maybe not the bhog) and today all of those functions were happening on the same day under the same roof.
On many days, it seems like we’re moving two steps back, but tonight I saw at least one step forward.
12/19/09
In the coming New Year spend January attending two Sikh events-one in Canada and the other in the United States. The Toronto Sikh Retreat and Surat Sikh Conference will be taking place during the first half of January 2010.
Toronto Sikh Retreat is a 4-day retreat in the outskirts of Toronto in a winter wonderland. It will take place from January 7-10, 2010. Sikhs of various ages from around the world come together to learn, discuss 
and reflect on various Sikh issues to better understand ourselves and the world around us from a Sikh perspective. With a limit of 65 spaces, the retreat provides an intimate environment for intellectual and spiritual growth through small group discussions, lectures, kirtan diwans, and creative projects (in-door and outdoor). Visit the retreat website and watch the video for more information. Registration is NOW open- take advantage of the early bird special!
The Surat Sikh Conference will bring together 180 Sikh professionals in New York City & New Jersey during Martin Luther King
Jr. long weekend (January 15-18, 2010) to share, learn, and reflect on the theme “A Journey Through Ardas”. Through guest speakers, workshops, and a nonprofit poster session, the goal of the conference is to provide a space of introspection for participants on how to view the world through a Sikh perspective. Participants attend kirtan diwans, have intellectual conversations and enjoy outdoor activities. Visit the conference website and watch the video under the “About” section for more information. Registration will open on December 5th!
Many politicians in America and Canada appeal to their Sikh constituents by visiting local Gurdwaras. Sometimes these visits include a brief speech and other times just a saroopa. Regardless, it’s usually an ask for votes.
What I particularly find powerful about Canadian politicians is that they will walk along side their Sikh constituency during Nagar Kirtans and visit the Harmandir Sahib. To me that is representative of the political power the Sikh community has in Canada. Politicians are not only appearing to give a “vote for me” speech or state a “thank you” for the saropoa. They need to do more to get the Sikh vote.
Sam Grewal of the Toronto Star writes:
“The Liberal party took us for granted and is now paying the price,” Gill says. “It would be a mistake for the Conservatives to think that simply appearing at functions is enough to win votes.”
An appearance by the Prime Minister, at the place most revered by Sikhs, may be the exception.
3 clicks are all it takes. JPMorgan Chase Bank partnered up with Facebook to have sort of an “American Idol” of charity giving. The 100 charities with the most votes by December 10th will receive $25,000.
CLICK HERE to vote for the Jakara Movement.
There are a great number of Sikh charities that are participating. The Jakara Movement has the most votes for the Sikh groups – and needs your support to bring $25,000 to our community to support projects by the Sikh youth. This weekend alone, the Jakara Movement had 6 events. There were 5 camps, titled, “A Nation Never Forgets” that were hosted in Los Angeles, Turlock, Stockton, Yuba City, and Orange County. Here are some pictures from just one.
In the Bay Area, the Jakara Movement helped host the forum “Women and 1984”, bringing scholars and activists such as Cynthia Keppley Mahmood (author of Fighting for Faith and Nation and a champion for human rights), Navkiran Kaur Khalra (daughter of the late Shaheed for human rights, Jaswant Singh Khalra), and Jasmine Kaur (a human rights lawyer and member of ENSAAF).
To keep programs, like this going – WE NEED YOUR HELP. We are asking for ALL Sikhs – whether in the US, UK, Canada, India, Punjab, Malaysia, Australia, Africa, and beyond to rally around the Sikh organizations and provide your support. Get your non-Sikh friends to vote too!
Log into Facebook and click HERE to vote for the JAKARA MOVEMENT. And with your 20 votes, do not forget to vote for other great Sikh organizations (ENSAAF, SALDEF, and many others) too. Inspire and be inspired; together, we are the movement.
Please forward and circulate this widely. We Need the Entire Community to Rally Behind the Sikh Youth!
I was really moved by this audio essay from Cecilia Muñoz titled “A Little Outrage Can Take You a Long Way” on NPR’s This I Believe segment.
In her reflection on activism, I connected with the statement about defeats outweighing victories, and how it motivates her to continue her work. Like many of the TLH readers, I too take time out my schedule for service activities. And after serving 100 or so meals at a homeless shelter, I go home feeling good about myself and the good deed I had done. Unlike Muñoz, I don’t stay awake thinking of the 100 or so people who were turned away that day at the shelter, or those who wouldn’t have a place to sleep that night. Maybe this is what separates me from real activists. To me, service has become an event or an activity – for an activist, service is a part of their life…part of who they are. They are constantly looking for ways to serve.
And I agree with Muñoz, “a little outrage can take you a long way.”
Although I don’t believe Guru Nanak was motivated by anger, I do believe he was outraged. Outraged by a society complacent with the rigid caste hierarchy, outraged at the imbalance of justice, and outraged by the barbaric methods of the State to suppress a minority. You can almost hear the outrage, when Guru Sahib describes the horrific events of Babar’s invasion:
By neglecting art, we’ve been neglecting our spirituality. And perhaps vice versa. Perhaps we could practice receiving a little more, instead of doing, as we normally do.
Most of us, especially in Asian communities that so highly value scientific endeavor, and want the next generation to all be doctors, grossly undervalue art. Sadly, this might be stunting our spirituality.
How often have your teachers, parents, and other adults in your life impressed upon you the importance of active effort, purposeful thought, and discipline? The scientific methods we rely upon to explain our environments and the universe all rely on these traits and oh-so-important- rationality. Through decades of education, we’re pounded into submission, learning to accept that rationality is good, and irrationality, bad.
But that’s not entirely true. And in the last week, I noticed that both Japji Sahib and a popular American site (especially amongst techies) bypassed rationality to focus on the importance of a different kind of knowledge – intuition. And it rang true. Intuitively. Irrationally.
From the 13th Pauri of Japji Sahib:
The role of Sikh women often remembered in 1984 is that of victim. Yes women were raped, killed, and left to care for their families when their male relatives were kidnapped and killed. However, the strength and perseverance to move forward without justice is often glossed over. I find it powerful to hear Sikh women’s stories of “moving on” while continuing to speak out against the horrific injustices of 1984. Often there is talk about how Sikhs have been in a state of “victimhood” for the past 25 years. I believe the stories of the women below show how some Sikhs have empowered themselves to move forward with their daily lives in the past 25 years while living with the pain and not giving up on the demand for justice. This is agency and not victimhood.
Yes institutions, memorials, and marches show how Sikhs are attempting to move forward as a community; however, these women have done something that is far more difficult-picking up the pieces of their lives in the midst of devastation and mending them together as best as they could for themselves, their families, and their community. These women are inspirational and their lives for the past 25 years show why.
Watch the videos below in Hindi to hear their stories (hat tip: Mallika). One of the most powerful reflections of 1984 I have seen.
On Tuesday (November 3rd, 2009), various Panthic groups (’radical’ Sikh organizations, if you follow Indian newspapers) called for a peaceful shutdown of stores, businesses, and state services to protest the continued impunity in which the perpetrators of the Indian Government-orchestrated pogroms in 1984 still roam free today.
The ‘bandh’ was an overwhelming success in terms of its immediate call to action, although the larger purpose of its calling will probably continue to yield little results.
The strike call was given by the Dal Khalsa and was supported by the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), Damdami Taksal, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DSGPC), All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and Shiromani Panthic Council.
Gurpurab Greetings! As many of you know, today is Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s gurpurab. Guru Nanak Dev Ji bestowed much upon us, including the concepts of Naam Japna, Kirat Karni, and Vand Chakna.
Naam Japna: Guru Ji taught us to directly practice Simran and Naam Japna – meditation on the word of the Guru and thus remembering God at all times.
Kirat Karni: Guru Ji taught us to live honorable lives and to earn honestly by our own physical and mental effort while accepting both pains and pleasures as the Guru’s gifts and blessings. Within this, is a reminder to stay truthful at all times.
Vand Chakna: We are taught to share our wealth within the community - especially with those who are most in need. The community or Sadh Sangat is an important part of Sikhi and this spirit of Sharing and Giving is an important message from Guru Nanak.
While today is a day of celebration, it is also a reminder to each of us to consider how we choose to practice these teachings today. Let’s wish each other well on this day, just like we wish each other well on New Year’s Day, and let’s encourage one another to follow the Guru’s teachings in our own ways. In this light, how are you celebrating this day?
The Anand MarriageAct has been discussed a few times on The Langar Hall. Years ago, I thought of the passage of the new act in Pakistan was one of the year’s greatest ‘successes’ by the community. In this year of 2009, the Sikh Research Institute plans to observe the ‘centennial’ of the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 in a big way.
Releasing a publication that can be viewed here and accompanied by the following the video with Harinder Singh, the PR campaign seeks to put limelight on the issue of Sikhs falling under the category of “Hindu” in the Indian Constitution. In fact it is emphatically stated in the publication.
Our hope in featuring this date in legislative history is to inspire Sikhs to demand acknowledgement as a distinct community, especially with regards to legal reforms.
While I believe the attempt is praiseworthy, an uncritical celebration of the colonist’s bill is also naïve and highly problematic.
While everyone seems to be pretty excited about Kamaljit topping the Billboard charts – it seems that Jay Sean is not the only musician from our community who is gaining a ton of attention lately. In the October/November 2009 issue of East West magazine, an article by Navdeep Singh Dhillon titled, “The Brown Underground” discusses the five new names in hip-hop worth knowing. While on TLH we have featured these names in previous posts and are fans of their work – we wanted to highlight this new article as it provides a very intimate look at these artists. Musicians, rappers, emcees or whatever you may call them – they, at the end of the day, are regular guys (believe me, they are). They work, they go to school, they feel strongly about adversities that are going on all over the world. Unlike many, however, they are using their talent to channel that emotion into creativity and into their music. We definitely like what we’re hearing and whether they know it or not, these artists are paving a path for generations to come.
The article highlights the work of Canadian-based Humble the Poet and Sikh Knowledge, D.C.-based Saint Soulja of G.N.E., Hoodini from Los Angeles and Mandeep Sethi from San Francisco. You can read about their quest into this industry and how being a Sikh plays a role (or does not) in their music. What’s clear about these artists is that while they are Sikh, they don’t necessarily only rap about Sikh issues or only about issues affecting our community and that’s what makes them stand out in my mind. Injustice to any group is an injustice to humanity and as Sikhs, that is something we should resist. We can rest assured that these artists are having that dialogue.
Gurmeal Singh, the British Sikh police officer who was humiliated for practicing Sikhi, will be compensated for “indirect harassment” and humiliation. Judge Murray Creevy ruled that the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) viola
ted his dignity.
The BBC reports that the Assistant Chief Officer at GMP, Julia Rogers felt that they had always acted in the best interest of Singh. However, GMP accepts the ruling and has already updated their policies.
After a heated conversation with his Sergeant about his inability to remove his turban while on the job, Singh feared that he would be made to look like a comic character on television by wearing a modified turban.
Ultimately the ruling according to Singh’s lawyer:
“… leaves him in difficulty in relation to his future career but will hopefully open the eyes of Greater Manchester Police. He joined the police because of his values as a Sikh. What is important now is what Greater Manchester Police will do to help him come back.”
Environmental issues have taken a backseat for way too long. Even under this administration – which promised to create jobs through new and clean energy initiatives, and rejoin the international community to reduce worldwide carbon emissions – environmental issues have taken a backseat to health care overhaul and reviving our frail economy.
Crisis
We should be especially concerned because the consequences of misusing resources are all too clear in the near-crisis state that Punjab’s ecology is currently in. Those who still have relatives in Punjab know that this past summer, electricity outages were a daily occurrence and lasted 8 hours at a time – the worst in many years. These shortages in electricity occur because the government subsidizes electricity for farmers so that it’s free or nearly so and they can pump water for irrigation to their heart’s content. However, this leads to electricity shortages, overuse of waterpumps, and water wastage. [Forbes-India]
An article in Forbes-India asked yesterday, “Is India running out of water?” For Punjab, the answer is yes.
And Punjab, as the breadbasket of the most populous nation in the world, may be an indicator of other similarly situated agricultural communities.
