Satinder Singh Sandhu, Ph.D.
It has been commonly observed that the writers and speakers mention vehemently the valor and sacrifice of Sikh heroes and forget completely the profound source of their traits, the Sikh ladies, working silently, day and night, to mold the heroes. History is full of such examples where the lady at home has imbibed the necessary spirit in the man to change the shape of the major events in the world. Leaving aside the role of kings’ wives and mothers in making or marring the destiny of nations, the daily ideological interaction of one person with its spouse in normal family has great impetus on the day today behavior of the individuals.. Every day coaxing and coercing of either partner does leave a dent on the mind of the other person at the close of the day and such frequent, if not daily, occurrences deepen the inflicted cut and with time the deformity blends into a real shape, forgetting the process of its evolution. Now the question arises who shapes whom? There is no easy answer to this as the issue is very controversial. However, the general consensus, on the basis of relation and environment, is not hard to come to. For instance, as a mother, the influence of the lady on her sons and daughters is supreme and there is no denying the fact that a religiously enlightened mother would raise the family with high morals and religious devotion. As a wife, the influence is unpredictable because of indeterminable variables. But one fact remains that a religious wife is an invaluable God given gift a husband can possibly have due to the contentment and peace she brings forth and sustains in the family during dark days.
According to Sikh tenets, a lady is a Sikh if she keeps her hair unshorn and observes other moral principles of Sikhism. Culturally, a colored mark on the forehead (bindi) is an insignia of Hindu rituals. As for dress, kameez and salwar have been the usual garments, but the religion does not lay any stress on a specific article of clothing. Saree is again a Hindudress. The idea is not to discuss the flimsy rituals, but to concentrate on the fundamentals of the Sikh religion. Basically, a Sikh lady should keep her hair unshorn and observe all Sikh principles along with her spouse.
According to Guru Granth Sahib, ladies have been given equal status as opposed to Hindu philosophy which advocates superiority of men to the ladies.
So kiyon manda aakheeye jit jame rajaan.
The term EQUALITY involves rights and responsibilities. At this juncture, what are the responsibilities of a Sikh woman? These are quite easy to enumerate:
Firstly, propagate Sikh principles in the family and friends by setting an example herself.
Secondly, stop birth control because, according to Sikh religion, the babies that come into the world have already been provided for by the Almighty GOD. So the worry how to feed the new mouths is absolutely baseless. If the numbers of children were the criterion to be or stay rich, then the small families wouldn’t be poor and large families wouldn’t be rich. God controls the universe in mysterious ways:
… Janni jane ta bhagatjan
ja data ja soor,
nahee ta janni_ banj rahe
kahe gawaaye noor.
It is the responsibility of the Sikh lady to raise the children with such devotion that they grow up to be saints, philanthropists or valiant soldiers, and never use birth control devices. Moreover, the Sikhs need to increase their population under the present circumstances.
Thirdly, she should be brave enough to fight the enemies of her family. There is no doubt that the ladies must have fought the killers in the recent holocaust in Hindu land, but there is an increasing need now to be equipped with more defensive or offensive measures in case an emergency arises or a calamity falls. Sikh history has several incidents where Sikh ladies led armies in battles and became martyrs of the nation. The fight with the Indian government is a battle for the survival of the Sikh religion. The Sikhs are slaves of the Hindus and it is incumbent on every Sikh to put his share of service to the Sikh cause to remove the yoke of slavery from the shoulders of our brothers in India. The women as equals have the same responsibility as their men folk to struggle for the freedom of Sikh nation. It is high time that the Sikh ladies came to the forefront to fight the mean and treacherous tyrants who have lynched and burnt alive Sikh men and children because they were Sikhs by faith. Hundreds of Sikh ladies have been raped by those whose daughters were saved from the clutches of invaders by the Sikhs not long ago. It is an appeal to the women folk of the Sikh world that be united and instill Sikh spirit in your families to give a crushing blow to the malicious intentions of the Hindus.
Lastly, the time has come when the Sikh ladies should come up to the stage and let the tyrants know in clear words how they feel the brutalities on the Sikhs during 1984. Let the Sikh thought take the place of idle talk about clothing, ornaments, and jewelry. The very survival of the Sikh religion is at stake. The Sikh panth needs contributions from the SARDARNIS as well in the struggle for freedom from the Hindus. In the 1984 holocaust the ladies were spared deaths, considering them the harmless among the Sikh folk they were rendered helpless, so they could be an easy victim to the sexual overtures of the tyrants. And, in fact, such advantages were taken of them. It would have been better if they had given away their lives fighting the hoodlums as this is the teaching GURU GOBIND SINGH gave to the Sikhs at the time of baptizing them with Divine Nectar (AMRIT). We are suffering because we have forgotten the instructions of our Gurus. Let us revise our long forgotten lessons and remember them in case another such eventuality occurs.
The better-half of the couple, all over the Sikh world, is urged to come forward and join hands with her family in an open support for the sovereignty of the Sikh nation in India. Let us take AMRIT on the coming Baisakhi day and pledge to GURU GOBIND SINGH, the Creator of the KHALSA, to follow His footsteps and sacrifice our lives for upholding his KESRI FLAG A Sikh Principles. The Sikh struggle for INDEPENDENCE is on and the sacrifices of the Sikhs back home are sure to bring the slavery of the Path to an end. Let us put our own share, everybody man or woman, in the DHARMAN YUDH and help the fighting heroes at home. The Sikh lady, the KAUR (Princess) of GURU GOBIND SINGH, has been given a challenge by the enemy. She is being made a widow right in front of her eyes. Her young ones are burnt alive. She cannot tolerate it anymore. She is coming out in her full fury to punish the culprits. She is calling her sisters and mother for support and encouragement. Come up and join her in the struggle, so that the name of the KAUR is written in Golden letters in the history of KHALISTAN.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 17, 1985