EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN SIKHISM

July 3, 2008 in USA

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Dya Singh's Diary - April 2006

AUCKLAND (New Zealand) SIKH YOUTH CAMP

Sevadhars – Daaljit Singh and Harcharanjit "Raja" Singh (of Malaysia) with Dya Singh at the Sydney Youth Camp in January 2006.

Surprise phone call from good friend Sukhvinder Singh, ex-Pradhan Sahib of Sydney Revesby gurdwara requesting us to assist in youth camp in Auckland. This camp is inspired by Yadvinder Singh (Jagie), younger brother of Baldave Singh who runs Leo Travels in Malaysia. Baldave Singh is the resident expert on 'yatra tours' of Sikh places of interest in the Indian subcontinent and runs regular tours from Malaysia. Yadvinder is a property dealer and Guru-Ka-Kirtania in New Zealand. He lives in Auckland with his lovely wife Kanchan and two adorable children - Jivan who is about 10 and Amrita who is about 15.

Dheeraj, Parvyn ad I duly arrived just after Vesakhi. Expected 100 youth ballooned out to almost 150 at one stage (day attendees and regulars). Camp started on Monday17th. to Saturday 22nd. culminating in a grand finish in sangat on Sunday 23rd. with all youth singing five shabads in five jathas, prizes being given out and some kirtan from us.

A very lovely stable Sikh community here in Auckland. A great country to live and especially for bringing up our kids in a beautiful natural and societal environment. Most children speak good Punjabi and the community is a lovely mix of academics, Punjabi village folk and some very good Guru-Ke-sewadhars. If I had to start all over again from say 25 years ago, I would seriously consider New Zealand !!! I am sure we will be back into the future.We have been duly invited back for next year's camp. I hope I can honour that.

Don't get me wrong, Sikh politics is alive and well in Auckland (especially) but they have learnt how to live and let live. The biggest gurdwara and a landmark of New Zealand is at Takanini, (in Auckland). This is 'controlled' by the more conservative and 'pendu' fraternity. There is also an impressive (Sant Baba Amar Singh) 'thath'. Of course we did not do any other kirtan in any other gurdwara because our visit had been sponsored by the gurdwara in Papa Toetoe.

The camp, therefore, was held at the gurdwara in Papa Toe Toe. Some amusing Maori names in New Zealand. Friends tell us of a 'Takeapenga' (Take-a-panga?). There is also a Papakura (Pa-pekora?) There are other names which sound rather vulgar if you know the Malay language!

Jagie and Kanchan were able to take us to Rotorua, which is famous for its geo-thermal activity and a fairly strong stench of sulphur, I must add. Nevertheless we had a great time in one of their famous hot spring spas. Parvyn went for a land/lake tour in an amphibious vehicle.

Auckland is situated at the narrowest part of the north of North Island. We travelled south about 200km. to Rotorua passing thru Hamilton which also has a sizeable Sikh community and a very nice gurdwara.

Sikhs have been in New Zealand for about 100 years but the main inflow of Sikhs is only about twenty years. We did meet one Ganges Singh who has been there for 46 years! Named Ganges because he was born on a ship called Ganges. He is turbanned and bearded and takes a very active part in the mainstream of the society and has faced all sorts of prejudices as was prevalent in the past in 'white' countries. He remembers when Maoris and blacks were not allowed in their local cinema! I hope he writes a book on his life in New Zealand!

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN SIKHISM

Dya Singh (Australia)13 April 2006

On coming across an issue of the new Sikh magazine 'Kaurs' from Toronto, Canada, I was inspired to write some thoughts down. Womenfolk are going to love this. Sikh men? I am not sure…

My older brother once commented in conversation that if on a given day all human males dropped dead, humankind will still go on, but if on a given day all womenfolk died, that would be the end of humankind … think about it.

I have three daughters…yes, and no sons. Every time I have to tell an old (Sikh) 'auntie' or 'uncle' this fact after being asked, I cringe, because their next words inevitably are - "chal koyi na" (translated - 'never mind'). It is like God has cursed me by giving me three daughters! On the other hand, I have friends whose sons are turning out to be rotters, envying me as my daughters come up to me, hug me and kiss me. I feel blessed, but not our older generation, which, incidently, includes my own venerable mother. She hates it when my daughters hug me and kiss me. Not the done thing you know! 'They will belong to someone else one day', she says like the whole older generation. No they shall not! If they do, they belong only to the house of God. They shall be free human beings and God-willing shall find equal partners - not belong to someone else. That 'age' is now officially over, whether the older generation likes it or not.

In the same issue of 'Kaurs' there was a feature article about an Ontarian (Canadian from Ontario I presume) - Mdm. Parveen Kaur - a housewife, a mother, a businesswoman and artist, who had wondered why there had not been a lady Guru, nor a lady 'bhagat/writer' within the Guru Granth Sahib. She had a point. Maybe the time was not right - in those days, perhaps, no one would have listened to a woman Guru. Perhaps there was no lady 'bhagat' either. I cannot imagine a lady bhagat being allowed to exist or looked up to, 400 years ago in a land and a culture where women were treated like slaves and God forbid if their husbands died, they had to throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyres! A living widow, an unmarried mother and even an unmarried woman, was a fate worse than hell!

But, that got me thinking. For example, how come the '40 Immortals' (Chali Muktay) - turncoats who returned, have been immortalised in the Ardaas, but the wonderful lady, Mai Bhago, who single-handedly shamed them into going back, fought by their side, was badly wounded and went on serving Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Panth till her dying day - IS NOT MENTIONED? Sikh male chauvinism?

It is no fault of the Gurus that Sikh women have always played a secondary role all this while - perhaps a subtle conspiracy by Sikh menfolk since the Gurus! Guru Nanak's eulogy on 'woman' in Asa Dhi Var is the starting point, as far as our faith is concerned. In brief, it says:-

A woman conceives and a woman gives birth and it is with a woman that man is betrothed and married. With a woman, man contracts friendship and with woman the system of propagation continues. When one's wife dies, another is sought, for it is through woman that a man can restrain his passions. Why then call her inferior who gives birth to great people (kings). From a woman, a woman is born, without a woman there can be none. O Nanak, only the One true Lord is without woman.

Let me quote one more reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, of interest to womenfolk (p371)

'Sabh parware mahen sresht Mati Devi dever jesht…' (She is the most noble of all the family. She counsels and advises young and old. How blessed is that household, in which she has appeared. O servant Nanak, she should pass her time in perfect peace and comfort.)

I will stick my neck out and go as far as to say that in Sikhism, God the Creator, is the 'eternal male' - AKAL PURAKH, and all of creation including mankind is feminine. In a Sikh marriage - Anand Karaj, not only is a man enjoined in holy matrimony to a woman, but the pair are considered as one soul in two bodies being enjoined as a bride to the Lord God.

Sangat (congregation) in Sikhism is considered the female - a group of girlfriends (saheliho) praying to their Lord and master, God. For example - 'Ao milo saheliho, secheda naam layehan…'

There is a famous hymn sung at birthdays and celebrations of children - 'Poota mata ki asees'. Blessings, in this hymn are given to children, not by the Guru, nor invoked from God, but invoked from the 'mother' - 'mata ki asees'. (Incidently, my translation of 'poota' is not just son, but son or daughter. I call my daughters 'puter').

This word 'puter' reminds me of the ceremony of 'dastaar bandhi' amongst some sections of Sikhs - mainly the 'Ramgharias' and Kenyan Sikhs. When a Sikh boy reaches the age of about twelve, he has a turban ceremonially tied in sangat and in front of the Guru Granth Sahib by his oldest maternal uncle. Great ceremony, but can someone tell me if there is a parallel ceremony for our girls? 'Nope'! Another example of male chauvinism amongst Sikhs.

Above are some examples of the high status of women in Sikhism. In fact, no other faith or religion accords a higher status to womenfolk than Sikhism. Women in Christianity are still fighting for rights to become lay preachers and priests. Islam lags even further behind and 'officially' holds woman to an inferior status to men, even according to their scriptures - the holy Koran. Hinduism in general is responsible for barbarous acts like 'suttee' (burning of widows on the pyres of their dead husbands) and female infanticide. Budhism is in general, a male religion. In fact some sects of Budhist monks are not allowed to touch females - even their own mothers!

Incidently, a little trivia. The term 'rule of thumb' apparently comes from a western law about 400 years ago which said that a man can beat his wife with a stick which must not be thicker than his thumb! So there you have it - 'rule of thumb'!

In spite of all this enlightenment within Sikhism, it is sad that we as Sikhs are still very far behind in treating our womenfolk as equals. Take the example of our holiest of holy Darbar Sahib. Women are still not officially allowed to do the washing sewa within the 'sanctum sanctorum' of the Darbar Sahib - only men can do that. WOMEN ARE STILL NOT ALLOWED TO DO KIRTAN IN THE DARBAR SAHIB. There are some 'sant deras and thaats' that do not allow womenfolk to do kirtan in their gurdwaras.

I know of very talented Sikh girls having their talents stifled as soon as they reach marriageable age and must learn how to be obedient and good housewives. We have lost a great many very talented female singers, painters, sports champions, interior designers, fashion designers, and dare I mention, even dancers, because of the full-stop in their lives called marriage, amongst Sikhs.

No doubt, woman plays a very important role as mothers and groomers of future generations of Sikhs, but must that be at the cost of stifling their own creativity?

I finish with a quote from Bhai Gurdas, the official scribe of the Guru Granth Sahib whose own 'bani' (inspired writing) has been given the status of being the 'key' to the philosophy within the Guru Granth Sahib, by fifth Nanak, Guru Arjan Dev Ji:

'Lok ved Gun Gian wich ardh sariri mokh duari…' (In social knowledge and pious qualities the better-half is the gateway to salvation) Never ever be mistaken ladies, you 'are' the better-half.

Quotation from 'Sikh Religion & Islam - A comparative study', by GS Sidhu and Gurmukh Singh)

As the roles of man and woman inevitably change into the future, you are going to play an even greater and responsible part. Sikhism has equipped you with the tools, even if the male fraternity might not fully have!

I know of male Sikh friends who would much rather attend 'Isteri satsang' programs in gurdwaras rather than attend the regular services that sometimes get very uncomfortable with political speeches and other forms of male powerplay. And they swear that they do not attend to ogle at the womenfolk, but find tremendous peace and happiness attending and joining the ladies in satsang. Of course, they claim that the womenfolk cook some great food at 'Isteri Satsangs'!!!

I personally look forward to the day that our lady-folk take greater part in the running of this wonderful faith. I am sure they would do a far better job than the men have so far. If there are Sikhs who still do not know that our hierarchy and general leadership at present is in tatters and gives no direction, then, they are asleep!

Blessings to my three daughters…and all daughters!

Dya Singh CD’s available for sale now at www.ethnicisland.com

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