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The Position of Women in Sikhism Harsimar d/o Gurdip Singh 1 Sikhism is one of the few religions to describe God as gender neutral. Thus, in Sikhism, women are accorded the same status as their male counterparts. In Sikh ideology, there are no differences between males and females as both are considered to be spouses of the Eternal Lord, Suhagins, as the gender difference perishes with the physical body. (Prahlad Singh, 1999: 74) Through equal rights of amrit (holy nectar) initiation and by declaring them as equal spouses of the Eternal Lord, Sikh women have been relieved of these barriers of gender bias. The first Guru of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, laid the foundation for the equality of women. A notable social reform achieved by him was the emancipation of women. (Pruthi & Sharma, 1995: 1) For him, men and women were equal not only before God but also before one another. He rebutted the practice in the Hindu and Muslim faiths that saw women as lower in position and professed that they have to be on the same platform. Elevating women to the same platform as men, Sikhism also strived to end the atrocities committed upon them, especially in India. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his successors strongly condemned female infanticide that was rampant in India during that period of time. Hence, gender equality effectively ended female feticide within Sikhism and also saved widows from being compelled to live a life of deprivation. Similarly, women have the liberty to perform all religious tasks in the gurdwara (Sikh temple). There is no task or religious function from which women are barred from participating in or attending at any point of their lives. (Anand, 1996: 38) Even in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, many teachings on the role of women can also be found. There are many other quotes and verses that sing the praises and equal treatment of women. In history as well, there are many women who till this day symbolise bravery, valour and self-sacrifice, values usually associated with their male counterparts. (Prahlad Singh, 1999: 75) Thus, as portrayed in the teachings of its Gurus, its ideology and in its history, women have been given the same status as males in every aspect of Sikhism. Perhaps, the biggest accolade that can be awarded to women is described in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji which shows the clear teachings of gender equality in Sikhism. The verse is as follows: “Thou O Lord, art my Father and Thou my Mother. Thou art the Giver of peace to my soul and very life.” 2 This verse shows that in Sikhism, God is both masculine and feminine and that His qualities can be found in both a mother and a father. Sikh women are not subservient to men in any field and are accorded equal status and respect. Endnotes 1. The article is part a chapter of an Honour thesis submitted by Ms Harsimar Kaur d/o Gurdip Singh as part of her requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) to the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore (2002/03). The thesis is titled “Three Generations of Sikh Women”. 2. See http://www.sikhs.org/women_q.htm. References Anand, T. K. 1996. The Essence of Sikhism. New Delhi: Madhuban Educational Books. Pruthi, Raj & Sharma, Bela Rani. 1995. Sikhism and Women. New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. Singh, Prahlad. 1999. “Blest are the Sikh Women” in Abstracts of Sikh Studies, Vol. 1, Issue 3, July-September. Ed. Dr. Kharak Singh. Chandigarh: Institute of Sikh Studies. Pp 72-77. 8
Tracing the History of <strong>ISS</strong> Introduction 1 The earliest known gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Singapore was established by the Sikh police contingent at Pearls Hill. Religious services were initially held at the barracks as the congregation was limited to the Sikh policemen and their families. However, as the community grew, the temple facilities in the police barracks became increasingly inadequate. The civilian section of the community wanted its own gurdwara and a decision was subsequently taken to establish another temple outside the police premises. In 1912, with the assistance of a Sindhi merchant named Wassiamul, a group of Sikhs bought a bungalow with a large compound at 175 Queen Street and turned it into a gurdwara. The gurdwara became known as Central Sikh Temple (CST). In 1937, the government decided to set up a corporate board of trustees for the temple. In 1940, the Queen Street Gurdwara ordinance was enacted. In the 1920s and 1930s, an increasing number of Sikhs made their way from Punjab to Singapore. As the Sikh community grew, more gurdwaras were set up to meet the religious and social needs of the community. One of the key social functions of the gurdwaras was the provision of the langar (communal meal) to one and all. In addition to serving as a place of religious worship, the gurdwaras functioned as community centres, where social, educational and other charitable activities were carried out. They were also rendezvous points where Sikhs converged to discuss events in Punjab and the affairs of their community. Establishment of Istri Sat Sang Singapore At the turn of the century, the Sikh community in Singapore was predominantly male; its women population was very small and comprised mainly wives of Sikh policemen. The kinds of work available in Singapore, living conditions and the uncertainty of life in an alien environment restricted the migration of females in any significant numbers. Most importantly, however, the early Sikh migrants were of the transitory type who had no intention of settling permanently in Singapore. It was a common practice for those who came in search of work to leave their wives behind, and for the single ones, once they have earned enough money, to return to India to get married. 2 9
Page 1: ISTRI SAT SANG SINGAPORE 70th Anniv
Page 4 and 5: Foreword Over the 70 years since it
Page 6 and 7: Message Istri Sat Sang Singapore (I
Page 8 and 9: ISS' Vision and Mission Vision An i
Page 12 and 13: Over time, an increasing number of
Page 14 and 15: The Stalwarts of ISS Mdm Dyal Kaur
Page 16 and 17: The Stalwarts of ISS Mdm Basant Kau
Page 18 and 19: The Stalwarts of ISS Mdm Kartar Kau
Page 20 and 21: ISS' Key Initiatives and Programmes
Page 22 and 23: River Cruise In 2010, ISS organised
Page 24 and 25: Teeyan da Mela Celebration Sawan is
Page 26 and 27: Unveiling the ISS Logo Three key pi
Page 28 and 29: As a result of these two reasons, t
Page 30 and 31: Acknowledgements The Executive Coun
Page 32: Istri Sat Sang Singapore Central Si

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