Khalistan Calling newsletter dated March 12, 2003

The three million strong diaspora Sikhs, unlike their 21 million compatriots captive in India, are free and prosperous and they are determined - as they believe it is their destiny and pray for it every day; Raj Karayga Khalsa; Sikhs will rule - to create a sovereign, democratic, egalitarian Sikh buffer state of KHALISTAN in South Asia, stretching from the Jumna river on the East, to the Pakistan border on the West, China on the Northeast and Kashmir on the North, playing its God-given role of a granary for countries of Central Asia and acting as a 'bridge of prosperity' between Central and South Asia.

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A TRIBUTE & A SALUTE

TO TWO BRAVE SIKH WOMEN

Bibi Mejinderpal Kaur & Bibi Lakhbir Kaur

who are championing the cause of gender equality

during religious ceremonies at the Harmandir Sahib Amritsar

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India's news magazine 'The Week' honours the duo

BY

Dr. Amarjit Singh

Khalistan Affairs Centre

956-National Press Building, Washington DC 20045 USA

Tel: 202-637-9210 :: Fax: 202-637-9211

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Washington DC: March 12, 2003: This column is a tribute and a salute to the two Amritdhari (translation; 'baptized') young women of the Sikh diaspora, Bibi Mejinderpal Kaur and Bibi Lakhbir Kaur who travelled from London, England, to participate in the daily evening 'Sukhassan' ceremony, Guruji di Palki Sewa (ceremonial carrying of Guru Granth Sahib in a palanquin in the Harmandir Sahib - 'Golden Temple') but were denied the honor by male attendants (SGPC Sewadars) because of their gender.

The problem of discrimination against Sikh women has been talked about for some time, but the issue came to the fore when the above mentioned two very educated and couragious Amritdhari Sikh women, domiciled in England, were forcefully prevented by Sevadars (attendants) from undertaking seva (pious service) in the Darbar Sahib in Harmandir Sahib on February 13, 2003. As a result of that incident the two brave young ladies threw down the gauntlet by starting an egitation. They have written letters of complaint to the Akal Takht Jathedar and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Commitee (SGPC) seeking immediate implementation of gender equality at Harmandir Sahib, in particular to the undertaking of all forms of seva, as accorded by Gurmatt and the Sikh Reht Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct).

According to the (February 15, 2003) Tribune, Chandigarh, Bibi Mejinderpal Kaur told Tribune News Service that, "when she along with Bibi Lakhbir Kaur tried to touch the ‘palki’, they were pushed back and the SGPC employees shouted that women were not allowed to perform this seva. The sevadars attending to the procession prevented them from joining the queue with the male members of the congregation. They said that only male members of the congregation are allowed to do so."

In their complaint letter addressed to the Akal Takht Jathedar and the SGPC (Shromini Gurdwara Parbandhak Comittee) the two ladies claimed that, "We travelled from London to do Guruji’s palki seva at Sri Harmandir Sahibji and would like to take the message back to the Sikh community that Sikh women are being allowed to do any seva at the Golden Temple as per the Guru’s tenets and that Darbar Sahib is now liberated from the mahants in the true spirit of Sikhism."

As a result of the ladies initiative and courage the Dharam Parchaar Committee of the apex Sikh body, the SGPC, met today, March 11, 2003, to consider the letter written to the organization by Jathedar Akal Takht, Joginder Singh, on women performing Seva in Darbar Sahib. The SGPC President, Kirpal Singh was reported to have said last week that the SGPC has never opposed the equal rights for women in the Sikh faith and their right to seva, including performing Keertan, in the Darbar Sahib. According to latest media and other reports from the Punjab, the Dharam Parchar Committee, under the Chairmanship of Sirdar Kirpal Singh Badungar has not only endorsed the Nanakshahi calendar but has also set up a five-member panel to resolve the issue pertaining to the performing of Seva inside the Darbar Sahib by women by submitting its report by May 15, 2003. The members of the panel will be the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Saib, Bhai Balwant Singh Nandgarh, two women members of the SGPC - Bibi Kartar Kaur and Bibi Amarjit Kaur - and two Sikh scholars, Dr. Kharak Singh and Dr. Darshan Singh.

Last Saturday Sikh intellectuals in the Punjab had also joined the fray. Seminars on, "Gender Equality in Sikhism," jointly organized by Voices for Freedom, Sikh Nari Munch and Sukhmani Society, were held and resolutions were passed which urged the Akal Takht Jathedar to ensure equal rights to Sikh women, in particular the right to undertake seva at Harmandir Sahib and all other Gurdwaras in accordance with the teachings of Sikh Gurus. The resolutions also demanded the inclusion of baptized Sikh women among 'Panj Piare". The US-based Voices for Freedom organization is doing a yeoman service in this cause of equal rights and gender equality by mustering support in the Sikh diaspora all over the world.

One of India's leading English language weekly THE WEEK, in its issue of March 16, 2003, has carried the following story, headlined, "An unequal rite - Sikh women fight against gender discrimination in religious ceremonies," which we thought was very fair reporting by the correspondent, Ms. Vijaya Pushkarna and therefore deserving to be broadcast in this column. We commend the two ladies, Bibi Mejinderpal Kaur and Bibi Lakhbit Kaur for their deicated efforts which translate into real life the meaning of the 'Kirpan' bestowed on all Sikh women by the tenth Guru. We salute them. The article published in THE WEEK is appended below in full:-

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THE WEEK - March 16, 2003

"AN UNEQUAL RITE"

by

Vijaya Pushkarna

When Mejinderpal Kaur, a London-based criminal lawyer, decided to start her holiday in India with a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, she had no idea that she would soon be in the thick of a campaign for gender equality.

She, along with her friend Lakhbir Kaur, entered the holiest of Sikh shrines around 10 p.m. on February 13. Like many others, she felt spiritually elevated when she saw the Sukhasan Sahib and Palki Sahib rituals, wherein Sikhs carry the Granth Sahib in a procession from the temple to where it is kept for the night.

The two women enthusiastically moved forward to lend their shoulders to the Palki procession. However, they were stopped by sevadars (volunteers) who curtly told them that women could not do the seva. They insisted and one sevadar rebuked them for being stubborn.

"I had always taken my equality for granted, because my religion promised me that," said Mejinderpal. "Suddenly, I realised that we were moving back to the days of the mahants, and away from the Sikh rehat maryada (code of conduct) which makes no gender discrimination." (The Sikh reform movement had liberated the Golden Temple from the control of the mahants who had hung on to practices like untouchability and gender discrimination.)

She remembered that when Joginder Singh Vedanti, head priest of the Golden Temple's Akhal Takht, visited London, he had said that women had full rights to participate in all sevas.

After the showdown with the sevadars, both women sat in the temple premises. Nobody comforted them or spoke to them. One woman devotee, who came along, said that women had no right to take part in the Palki Sahib rite. While Mejinderpal and Lakhbir had no doubts about their rights as Sikh women, it was obvious that many others were confused.

It was then that they decided to launch a campaign to give concrete shape to rights that existed in the religion. Since then, Mejinderpal has been moving from place to place, living off a shoulder bag, seeking the support of the community. On the day of the incident, they dashed off letters to Vedanti and Prof. Kripal Singh Badungar, president of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC). They were not seeking the dismissal of the sevadar, but the immediate restoration of the Sikh women's right to participate in all the sevas at the Golden Temple. Vedanti assured Mejinderpal that he had already asked the SGPC to implement women's rights to do the seva in toto.

"I take pride in being a Sikh woman," said Mejinderpal. "I have been granthi (priest) in a gurdwara in London many times. The spirit of Sikhism is universal and it cannot have one form in the west and one form here." She is yet to meet the SGPC president, but the letter to him is unambiguous. "If the SGPC fails to implement the code of conduct with respect to Sikh women's right to undertake all forms of seva by March 8, the Sikh congregation shall gather outside the Akal Takht to do an Ardaas (prayer) for guidance and to take the issue to the Sikh congregation," she said.

Mejinderpal is determined to travel to every village to spread the message. The Delhi-based Sikh Women's Association offered to send bus-loads of women daily to the Golden Temple, to seek the implementation of the right to do seva.

Kiranjot Kaur, former SGPC secretary general and grand daughter of the legendary Master Tara Singh, has also been talking of women's right to participate in the Kirtans (singing of hymns) at the Darbar Sahib, for many years now.

"I would like to build up public opinion first," she said. "The public is in favour of women doing all the sevas in the Golden Temple. Only some men seem to have ignored what the Sikh rehat maryada demands."

Not for long, if Mejinderpal and Lakhbir Kaur have their way.

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KHALISTAN ZINDABAD - LONG LIVE KHALISTAN

Khalistan Calling weekly newsletter can be viewed on the South Asia Tribune site at: > http://www.satribune.com >

by clicking on the 'SIKH CORNER" on the Front Page. It can also be seen at: > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc03122003.htm <. The above newsletter has been published in the leading Punjabi-English newspaper of the Sikh diaspora, Surrey Canada-based CHARHDI KALA, Issue of March 12 - 18, 2003 :: Vol. 19 : No. 11. Last week's Khalistan Calling is available on the Khalistan Affairs Centre website at: ( > http://www.khalistan-affairs.org/Main/K_Calling/kc03052003.htm <) The Khalistan Calling newsletter was also published in the second week of March 2003, in the Vancouver-based PUNJAB GUARDIAN, and Akal Guardian, Toronto-based SANJH SAVERA, Calgary-based SIKH VIRSA and numerous other Punjabi/English weekly and monthly publications which cater to the three million strong Sikh diaspora in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia.

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