Role models for young girls are conspicuous by their absence.
Every generation needs positive role models and Snooki just doesn’t cut it for today’s teens.
In Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa’s Women of Grace and Power, Stories for Girls and Women of all ages, we, finally, have a book that showcases lives of heroic women, past and present, Indian, Black, and Caucasian.
Even better, it is written by a man.
Women of Grace and Power chronicles the stories of powerful women from the Gurus’ times to present day. They are mothers and missionaries, doctors and diplomats, freedom fighters and artists, women whose will and determination, courage and fortitude led them to success. The anthology is an excellent record of struggles and triumphs of women across six centuries.
Guru Fatha is an engaging storyteller. He gently brings us into the presence of goodness and purity in women of character. The collection opens with Bebe Nanaki, the first follower of her little brother Nanak in whom she saw a great Seer. Bebe Nanaki is heartbroken when a girl-child is killed and deeply moved when her brother recites the famous hymn that extols women and declares that “without a woman, there is none, only God.”
Stories of Sikh women culled from Sikh history are retold and the chardi kalaa of their spirit is celebrated. We learn that Bibi Amaro is designated a spiritual teacher by Guru Amardas and that Mata Kaulan was the daughter of a Muslim judge in Lahore who sought the sanctuary of Guru Hargobind because she was being persecuted for singing the hymns of the Sikh Gurus.
Then there is Mata Gujari the wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur and mother of Guru Gobind Singh whose sacrifices are unparallel in history. There are several other inspiring heroines who are great role models for young girls.
Rani Sahib Kaur, the princess of Patiala whose strategy and valor saved the kingdom and restored it to its rightful King, her young brother. Princess Sophia, the activist granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who fought for the right of women of the United Kingdom to vote and refused to pay taxes in protest against the inequality of women. Dr. Inderjit Kaur who joined forces with Bhagat Puran Singh of Pingalwara and has dedicated her life to care for the sick, the needy and the underprivileged.
And not to forget Dr. Kalpana Chawla , the daring astronaut whose special message for children ,”The journey matters as much as the goal. Listen to the sounds of nature. Wishing you the best on your trek towards your dreams. Take care of our fragile planet”, became tragically poignant when The Columbia crashed in space on the fifteenth day of its mission.
I was delighted to encounter a few dear friends: Dr. Nikki Guninder Kaur Singh well known for her scholastic acumen, devotion to Sikhi and an ever growing repertoire of poetic translations of Gurbani published by UNESCO; and London born Singh Twins, who battled racial prejudice, revived the Miniature Art form and became renowned artists whose work straddles their British and Sikh heritage.
I also remember the magnetic Krishna Kaur Khalsa, the African -American Sikh whose chanting mesmerized the Indian sangat during her visit to India in the seventies. She made history by singing at the Golden Temple.
The cover photo of Nyrmla’s Wedding, a well known painting by the Singh Twins, provides a befitting illustration for Women of Grace and Power which is a labor of love and devotion.
Guru Fatha Singh wrote the book after a visit to a local Sikh resource centre, a place that sells Kirpans and Gatras, CDs and tapes, and videos and books by the thousand. He went looking for a story book for the five-year-old daughter of a friend, a woman yoga teacher with Sikh sympathies but without a great understanding of our tradition. He wanted an inspirational story book about women role models for a five year old Sikh girl. He found only one book that related the story of a Sikh woman – Mai Bhago.
That was the moment he decided to create a collection of narratives that might excite the imagination of young Sikh women living in this century and show them the range of possibilities – doctor, artist, astronaut, scholar, martyr, scholar, human rights activist, wellness instructor, freedom fighter and more, open to them.
Women of Grace and Power will be cherished by men, women and children who seek to be inspired by women power.