ISS-Magazine_v7

Foreword
Over the 70 years since its inception, Istri Sat Sang Singapore (ISS) has played an important function to Sikh women in
Singapore.
As a platform for them to network, socialise, build social support structures and practice their religious and traditional
values, ISS has been unprecedented in its reach and relevance to Sikh women here. As with any other organisation
though, milestones also provide an opportune time for reflection. In this regard, ISS has progressively leveraged on its
70th anniversary celebrations to both commemorate its history and contributions thus far as well as review its relevance
and chart its new directions.
The need for celebrations is more obvious than the impetus for a review and thus that strategy deserves greater
elaboration in this foreword. To begin with, the roles and profiles of Sikh women in Singapore have evolved significantly
since ISS was formed. Sikh women now have generally participated in education and the workforce more than their
predecessors had the opportunity to do so.
The pioneers of ISS were often restricted to domestic roles, due largely to the socio-economic status of many Sikh
immigrant families at that time. They therefore required a specific and separate platform for their social and community
involvement needs. This is no longer the case, as the Sikh women of recent times have other platforms for social and
support structures. During the earlier history of ISS, Sikh women in Singapore were also largely Punjabi-speaking since
many of them were not educated in other languages. As a result, this would have somewhat hindered their ability to
build significant networks among non-Sikhs, thereby creating a greater need for them to find more opportunities with
fellow Sikh women. ISS provided this convenient and comfortable platform. In more recent times though, Sikh women
have become conversant in English and other languages and, with the access they have to non-Sikhs in schools and
workplaces, they have various options to meet their social needs.
Another factor that has had an impact on ISS in contemporary times is the proliferation of other platforms where Sikh
women can contribute to, participate in and manage. Within the Sikh community alone, several gurdwaras (Sikh temples)
here have developed their own Istri Sat Sang wings, in addition to ladies wings established by other organisations in
the community. The emergence of other organisations in the community in the last three or four decades has also given
women more opportunities to participate in the community and since the principles of Sikhism advocate gender equality,
as you will read in a chapter in this publication on ‘The Position of Women in Sikhism’, they had access to such platforms.
In fact, Sikh women today fulfill leading roles in many of these organisations. Therefore, ISS has the challenge of keeping
pace with the changes in society.
In an effort to examine some of these challenges and to assess how ISS can continue to play a meaningful role within
the community, the organisation held a strategic retreat session in January 2016 to examine its challenges and to chart
the way forward. Some of these challenges and strategies going forward are covered in the chapter on ‘Defining the
Future of ISS’.
On this positive and forward-looking note, the year also gives us reason to celebrate the history and contributions of ISS.
In line with this, it has decided to hold a dinner event to bring together members, pioneers, partners and supporters to
commemorate and revel in these celebrations. At the same time, it wanted to document the functions and roles of ISS in
the Sikh community and some of the leading figures who have played instrumental roles in guiding the organisation over
these 70 years. The concept of this publication thus emerged out of this need to produce a document aimed at inspiring
current and future generations of Sikh women to pursue this vision, spirit and commitment to community development
that has been embodied by ISS and its members.
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