Sikhs should reject the caste system
By Ken Herar,
I was sitting in a coffee shop and beside me was a young couple having coffee. It appeared to me that they were on a blind date by the tone of their conversation.Their voices were loud at times and questions were flying back and forth as if they were both applying for a job. I was thinking of moving to a different seat but the shop was full on that Sunday afternoon.The female was quite persistent in asking questions and the male looked like he was in a daze. It looked like a date from hell for him! I was minding my own business reading my paper having a coffee when things seemed to turn for the worse. In overhearing the conversation the female ask the male what caste are you from? Are you Jatt, she further adds? The male answers confidently, no I am not Jatt.. She replies, if you are not Jatt it is not going to work between us, my parents won't allow it.I am now thinking to myself, this is going to get interesting. Well, she gets up and leaves and says thank-you very much for the coffee and I will see you around. As she gets up he asks her if she could get her half of the bill. I am saying to myself, good for you guy, and he was still being nice about it.For those who might not know what is going on here, when potential partners get matched up in Indo-Canadian families, they like to marry within their own caste. Looking at it from the inside out it is basically a form of discrimination. Caste refers to ones occupational background through generational roots. The majority of the Sikhs who come from Punjab to Canada come from farming villages, otherwise known as Jatts. The caste system originated from the Hindu culture and when the Sikhs created their own religion over 500 years ago one of the first commandments was to stop the division of the caste system.The Sikh religion, one of the youngest religions in the world, was supposed to bring people together and to be an example how people from all origins are created equal. Coming from a Sikh background I still see the caste system practised among people in the Sikh community and even with today's youth. It almost seems like it is getting worse before it is getting better!Many of the people who practise this form of ignorance still call themselves church-going people when the religion clearly outlines in its first sentence treat people equally regardless of caste or creed. Sure, they are some Sikhs who don't practise this but they are many who are hypocrites like the girl in the coffee shop who call themselves Sikh but have no relation to it at all. People can call themselves what they want, Sikh, Christians or Jews, but if they don't practise what they preach who is fooling whom? Anybody can hide behind any identity but it's respecting basic human values that count.Equality of mankind is one of Sikhism's foundation stones but some people seem to view themselves as members of various castes as well as Sikhs. I am calling all Sikhs to put an end to this form of discrimination and the Sikh Temple to start playing an active role in promoting equality. It is taking our community too long to move on this issue.To be honest after all these years I never knew what caste I belong to. My parents never really discussed this topic with us and I thank them for that.The Sikh people have made many sacrifices for their religion and people are too quick to forget. In 1699, the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh created the Kalsa for the Sikhs. At a large gathering he asked for five heads in the crowd the call was open to all. All five beloved ones were of different castes but by becoming Sikhs they became brothers and equals. The caste hierarchy has no place in the modern day world of Sikhism.The young guy started a conversation with me later after the girl left. "Man, was she ever rude" he said. I told him, I hate to tell you I heard everything she said and she was crazy! I told him he did the right thing and held his cool in a difficult situation. I told him he gave me an excellent story and he encouraged me to write on it.To the girl at the coffee shop I like to leave you with a few words of wisdom for future encounters from the Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak stated, "Know people by the light illuminating them and do not ask their caste". The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind stated, "the caste of all mankind is one and the same".
KenHerar@gmail.com
© Copyright 2004 Maple Ridge News
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