|
Sikhs
are one of the most visible minorities. With his beard and turban,
a Sikh can be identified in any crowd. Still they are perhaps the
least understood as a people. Not many people know about the beliefs,
practices and ethics of the Sikhs, and still fewer will understand
their significance.
The
Sikh religion originated in India in the fifteenth century. Guru
Nanak, the founder of the religion, preached oneness of God and
brotherhood of man: "One Father and we are all His children." At
that time Hinduism and Islam were the predominant religions in India;
and relations between the two communities were not very cordial.
Guru Nanak preached dignity of man and tolerance for the viewpoint
of others: "The World is burning, O Lord, Save it, O Save it, by
whichever door it pleases thee."
Guru
Nanak was followed by nine successor gurus, when the Holy Book,
popularly known as Guru Granth Bahib was ordained as the perpetual
Guru of the Sikhs, by the last and tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh.
For the Sikhs, Granth is the only object of veneration. That does
not make them worshippers of the book, or bibliolator. The book
Granth is not the guru. In Sikh thought the Word is the Guru and
not any corporeal object.
During
the eighteenth century Sikhs suffered great persecution at the hands
of the local rulers, but by the end of the eighteenth century they
had established their rule in northwest India. By the middle of
the nineteenth century, the kingdom collapsed, and it was incorporated
into British India. After some lapse of time relations between the
Sikhs and the British improved, and they joined the army in great
numbers. The valour of Sikh soldiers during the two world wars was
internationally recognised. But that itself has created stereotypes.
Most people associate the Sikhs with the army and sometimes with
violence. This is a very inaccurate picture and misleading.
In
essence the Sikhs are a peaceful people, their ethos grounded in
the universality of their beliefs - equality of man, the Fatherhood
of God, to live by honest earnings, to share with those in the community
and with those who happen to be less fortunate, tolerance for others,
acceptance of the universal values irrespective of their source.
Here it will be worth mentioning that the Granth incorporated writings
of a number of Moslem and Hindu saints.
The
immigration of Sikhs into Canada started at the beginning of the
century. They had to face a great deal of opposition and discrimination.
In the late forties after the Second World War and the independence
of India, most of the legal disabilities that the Sikhs suffered
were removed. Later, in the sixties immigrants came to be selected
on a point system regardless of race. The earlier immigration was
to the west coast, mainly into British Columbia.
Before
the fifties there were very few Sikhs in Ontario. In 1938 there
were only three Sikhs in Toronto. Until the late fifties there were
only about ten families. It is apparent that almost all the Sikh
population of Toronto has been here for less than twenty years.
The earlier Sikh immigrants were mostly farmers and ex-soldiers,
but the recent immigrants more often belong to the professional
classes - engineers, doctors, etc.
The
community is still in the process of settling down. The usual community
structures are, as yet, not in place. Wherever the Sikhs go their
first community activity is the building of a Gurdwara - Sikh temple,
literally, house of the Guru. In Toronto the first Gurdwara was
established in 1969.
At
present there are four Gurdwaras in Metropolitan Toronto with their
own buildings. For the Sikhs the Gurdwara is very important. Grounded
in the teachings of Granth, their community life is centred round
the Gurdwara. To celebrate births, marriages, deaths and their holy
days, they gather in the Gurdwara.
top
|
The
Gurdwara is an open place of worship, i.e., any person, regardless
of caste or creed, can visit a Gurdwara. The Granth occupies the central
place in the Gurdwara. It is wrapped in silk cloth with a canopy overhead.
Whenever there is a service, an attendant stands by the Granth. Sikhs
treat the Granth (Word) as the True King.
Another
aspect of the Gurdwara is the free kitchen-refectory. To every Gurdwara
is attached a kitchen where people bring food and distribute it
among all. Any person - Sikh or otherwise - can go to the refectory.
All are served together, sitting on the floor with no regard to
social status.
The
Gurdwaras provide religious services, but they have not been able
to provide those other services that a community needs - socio-cultural
activities for the young, counselling services, etc. There is no
common forum where the management from the various Gurdwaras can
get together to discuss common issues facing the community. To fill
this vacuum the Sikh Social and Educational Society was established
in 1977. This society is not Gurdwara-based. The objectives of this
society are threefold:
1)
to create a forum where Sikhs from various centres in Ontario and
various Gurdwaras can hold multi-religious services; followers of
all then meet regularly to discuss the issues affecting the integration,
development and progress of the Sikh community;
2)
to create structures whereby the Sikh community can interact with
society at large and with various socio-cultural and public agencies;
3)
to create an environment where young people can take pride in their
own heritage, not in isolation but as full-fledged members of the
Canadian mosaic.
In
pursuit of its objectives the society arranges every year in the
month of April a cultural program - dance, folk songs, etc. The
function is open to all. The primary objective of the society is
to establish structures whereby Sikhs can periodically come together.
The
first step in this direction was the holding of the Sikh Conference
in 1979, at the Inn on the Park, Toronto. The conference was a great
success. More than 400 people attended, there was active participation
by a number of non-Sikhs as consultants and participants. In a sense
it was a multicultural event, with the Sikhs playing the leading
role. Then there was the Sikh Heritage Conference held in September
1981. An exhibition of lithographs and pictures depicting the history
of the Sikhs. The conference ended with a multi-religious service;
followers of all the major religions participated, indicating the
openness of the Sikh people.
There
is slow and steady progress being made in developing communication
between various centres of the Sikh population, creating infrastructures
for the Sikh community within the city's social framework. But there
is still a long way to go. There are a lot of misunderstandings
and stereotypes held about the Sikhs, and the Sikhs themselves hold
misgivings and stereotypes about the host society.
The
process of integration could be somewhat easier if the host society,
especially individuals in leadership roles, try to understand the
practices and ethos of the Sikhs and not jump to hasty conclusions
if they do not approve of the actions of a particular individual.
This is equally true for the Sikhs. They should not isolate themselves,
but take active part in the social and political activities of the
broader spectrum.
|
