According to Times of India “ Guru Nanak’s message of universal humanism and equality transcended the barriers of caste, creed, race, region and even language in the Indian subcontinent, and his followers, the Nanak panthis, came from diverse backgrounds, even though Punjabis were more in number. Around the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the Sikh faith reached the West. The ‘white Sikhs’ in US were an addition to the racial diversity among Sikhs. However, there has been little visibility of ‘black Sikhs’ or Sikhs of other ethnicities, says IP Singh.
No black or white, all equal
Guru Nanak’s message of inclusiveness and universal humanism — he was opposed to social stratification and discrimination on any basis — is being celebrated, cutting across ethnic divides. People from diverse ethnicities are embracing Sikhism, adopting His pa(n)th. He identified himself with the lowliest of the low, sided with the oppressed and refused to stay neutral on issues of social stratification or atrocities. In Indian context, caste has been the root of discrimination and social stratification, whereas at the global level, ethnicity and race have been the root of discrimination and oppression. Some blacks, too, embraced Sikhism around half-a-century ago but their number is small... Gurpreet Kaur (21) THE ‘AFRODHARI’ WRITER
It was less than three years ago that Texas resident Gurpreet Kaur, who has just turned 21 and is a business student in University of Texas, Austin, became a Sikh (in January 2017) and her book, “My Journey into Sikhi: A Tell-All by an African American Convert,” reveals how a baptised Christian girl converted to Sikhism, the churning within, and how she finally found in Gurbani what she was looking for both at social (considering all humans equal) and spiritual level.
She pointed out that she decided to become a Sikh after reading Guru Granth Sahib instead of going by what religious preachers would say.
She has coined a term Afrodhari for herself and “I’m proud to be Black, Sikh, Amritdhari, Afrodhari,” is her punchline as she writes frequently on issues concerning black Sikhs.
She also runs a website, “Embracing Sikhism” and goes by the credo “bridging the gap between east, west and across all cultures.” “I am an Akal Takht-following Sikh,” she says.
“What inspired me to receive Amrit was a dedication to life as a servant of humanity (as well as having spiritual discipline). A year after I received Amrit, I was part of the Panj Pyare at one of the gurdwaras in Texas,” she told TOI.
She has also penned a poem “I’m lonely at the Gurdwara” and has dedicated it to those who have left the fold. She pointed out instances where dominating Punjabi Sikhs have failed to appreciate the cultural differences and outlook of Sikhs from other races/ethnicities.
Lathan-Dennis Singh (72) AEROSPACE ENGINEER
Lathan, a Jamaican friend of singermusician Bob Marley and who followed Rastafarianism was a student of aerospace engineering at University of Michigan when he spotted a turban-sporting “tall, handsome” Sikh man. The fascination for the turban led him to become Lathan Dennis Singh, an Amritdhari Sikh. “I saw him from 100 yards and I asked him how he tied the turban. He looked at me and gave me address of a gurdwara in Michigan and asked me to see Dr Naunihal Singh,” recalled Dennis Singh, now a resident of Virginia. “Beauty of the turban attracted me so much that I went to the gurdwara with hope that I will get a turban, but Dr Naunihal Singh did not give me one. My fascination for turban and the Sikh faith started growing. For three months, every Sunday I would be at the gurdwara. He had also given me a cassette of English translation of ‘Japji Sahib’ (prayer) and I would listen to it daily. He wanted to know whether I was fascinated with Sikhism or only with the turban. He was very patient and told me about Guru Nanak’s message of equality. I would go to the gurdwara every Sunday, do sewa and participate in the prayers. After three months, one Sunday, he came with another gentleman and they proceeded to put a turban on my head. On my request, they also initiated me into Sikh fold and I was given Amrit,” he said.
When he returned to Jamaica, Denis’s old friends and local community were awed by his turban and said he looked like a prince.
Ahead of the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak, he has received an invite from an Amritsar-based NGO. “I am trying to get an Indian visa and am very keen to visit Darbar Sahib,” he said. His dream is to establish a langar in Jamaica along with a gurdwara. “It is a way to take Guru Nanak’s message there,” he said. He is also trying to learn Gurmukhi. “One must know Guru’s tongue and I hope one day it shall come to me,” he said.
Second-generation black Sikhs in US
Awtar Singh Khalsa and Har Krishan Kaur Khalsa, both of African-American origin, joined the Sikh fold in the mid-1970s under Yogi Bhajan’s influence. The couple’s sons, Siri Chand Singh Khalsa and Lakhmi Chand Singh Khalsa are among the very few second-generation black Sikhs.
Lathan, a Jamaican friend of singermusician Bob Marley and who followed Rastafarianism was a student of aerospace engineering at University of Michigan when he spotted a turban-sporting “tall, handsome” Sikh man. The fascination for the turban led him to become Lathan Dennis Singh, an Amritdhari Sikh. “I saw him from 100 yards and I asked him how he tied the turban. He looked at me and gave me address of a gurdwara in Michigan and asked me to see Dr Naunihal Singh,” recalled Dennis Singh, now a resident of Virginia. “Beauty of the turban attracted me so much that I went to the gurdwara with hope that I will get a turban, but Dr Naunihal Singh did not give me one. My fascination for turban and the Sikh faith started growing. For three months, every Sunday I would be at the gurdwara. He had also given me a cassette of English translation of ‘Japji Sahib’ (prayer) and I would listen to it daily. He wanted to know whether I was fascinated with Sikhism or only with the turban. He was very patient and told me about Guru Nanak’s message of equality. I would go to the gurdwara every Sunday, do sewa and participate in the prayers. After three months, one Sunday, he came with another gentleman and they proceeded to put a turban on my head. On my request, they also initiated me into Sikh fold and I was given Amrit,” he said.
When he returned to Jamaica, Denis’s old friends and local community were awed by his turban and said he looked like a prince.
Ahead of the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak, he has received an invite from an Amritsar-based NGO. “I am trying to get an Indian visa and am very keen to visit Darbar Sahib,” he said. His dream is to establish a langar in Jamaica along with a gurdwara. “It is a way to take Guru Nanak’s message there,” he said. He is also trying to learn Gurmukhi. “One must know Guru’s tongue and I hope one day it shall come to me,” he said.
Second-generation black Sikhs in US
Awtar Singh Khalsa and Har Krishan Kaur Khalsa, both of African-American origin, joined the Sikh fold in the mid-1970s under Yogi Bhajan’s influence. The couple’s sons, Siri Chand Singh Khalsa and Lakhmi Chand Singh Khalsa are among the very few second-generation black Sikhs.
Krishna Kaur (80) THE YOGA TEACHER
When Harbhajan Singh Yogi, popularly called Yogi Bhajan — a master of Kundalini Yoga — started teaching yoga in the US after settling there in 1968, hundreds of people would throng his Yoga sessions, and some of these students embraced Sikhism. While most of these “American Sikhs” were whites, Los Angeles-born Krishna Kaur was one of the first African-Americans who joined the Sikh fold by partaking Amrit at Akal Takht in 1971. “I knew another Afro-American Sikh whose name was Ojas Singh,” she recalled.
“I was on a spiritual quest when I met Yogi and found that Sikhism and the Sikh community had what I was looking for. My family accepted it happily.” Krishna Kaur has been teaching Kundalini Yoga across different countries for the last 49 years and maintains a busy schedule at the age of 80. “I played kirtan at the top floor of Darbar Sahib in Amritsar in 1980s and it would have been my fifth or sixth trip to India,” recalled Krishna, a minister of Sikh Dharma International. “I can’t converse in Punjabi, but I can read Gurmukhi and do my nitnem (daily prayers) from Gurmukhi text apart from using the Sikh salutation and common words,” she said.
Krishna said that Sikhs have been very supportive of her devotion to the faith. “As we are celebrating the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak, we must remember that he gathered from different cultures, regions and practices and merged the best things beyond rituals and visual style of practice,” she says.
Already planning yet another trip to Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib and other places, Krishna “feels a very deep connection with Guru Nanak and the mission he started”.
When Harbhajan Singh Yogi, popularly called Yogi Bhajan — a master of Kundalini Yoga — started teaching yoga in the US after settling there in 1968, hundreds of people would throng his Yoga sessions, and some of these students embraced Sikhism. While most of these “American Sikhs” were whites, Los Angeles-born Krishna Kaur was one of the first African-Americans who joined the Sikh fold by partaking Amrit at Akal Takht in 1971. “I knew another Afro-American Sikh whose name was Ojas Singh,” she recalled.
“I was on a spiritual quest when I met Yogi and found that Sikhism and the Sikh community had what I was looking for. My family accepted it happily.” Krishna Kaur has been teaching Kundalini Yoga across different countries for the last 49 years and maintains a busy schedule at the age of 80. “I played kirtan at the top floor of Darbar Sahib in Amritsar in 1980s and it would have been my fifth or sixth trip to India,” recalled Krishna, a minister of Sikh Dharma International. “I can’t converse in Punjabi, but I can read Gurmukhi and do my nitnem (daily prayers) from Gurmukhi text apart from using the Sikh salutation and common words,” she said.
Krishna said that Sikhs have been very supportive of her devotion to the faith. “As we are celebrating the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak, we must remember that he gathered from different cultures, regions and practices and merged the best things beyond rituals and visual style of practice,” she says.
Already planning yet another trip to Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib and other places, Krishna “feels a very deep connection with Guru Nanak and the mission he started”.
Gurfateh Singh (28) PARCHAARAK
Liberia resident Gufateh Singh joined the Sikh fold 14 years ago, after a Christian missionary gave him a book on world religions. Today, he runs a Sikhs religious organisation in West African countries of Nigeria and Liberia and raises funds to rent a flat for a gurdwara and hostel for orphanage. Alleging discrimination at the hands of Punjabi-origin Sikh management of a Liberia gurdwara, Gurfateh says he is looking for some converted Sikhs who left the gurdwara due to the ‘anti-gurmat’ practices.
Liberia resident Gufateh Singh joined the Sikh fold 14 years ago, after a Christian missionary gave him a book on world religions. Today, he runs a Sikhs religious organisation in West African countries of Nigeria and Liberia and raises funds to rent a flat for a gurdwara and hostel for orphanage. Alleging discrimination at the hands of Punjabi-origin Sikh management of a Liberia gurdwara, Gurfateh says he is looking for some converted Sikhs who left the gurdwara due to the ‘anti-gurmat’ practices.
Gursoorma Singh (21) SIKHING SALVATION
It was in a world geography class that Gursoorma Singh (then Charles King), now 21, for the first time heard about Guru Nanak’s teachings and Sikhism. “I became a Sikh five years ago and partook Amrit on Baisakhi of 2019. I was contemplating suicide but the message of Gurbani changed my thinking and I decided to follow the path of Guru Nanak,” says Gursrooma, an undergraduate student at University of Texas, San Antonio.
He has also been posting videos — including one on how to tie a Dumala (a four-century-old traditional style of turban) — on photo and video-sharing platforms to create awareness about Sikhism. “I am working to create awareness about Sikhi and we have also started a Sikh Students Association and have named it Saadh Ke Sang. Recently, we held the first Diwan (congregation) on the campus and took the Guru Granth Sahib there for the first time,” he said.
When asked whether he had encountered any racism or discrimination from Punjabi Sikhs, he says, “Most of reactions from Punjabi community are positive but at times some people say stupid things. But I understand every other group has prejudice about black people.”
It was in a world geography class that Gursoorma Singh (then Charles King), now 21, for the first time heard about Guru Nanak’s teachings and Sikhism. “I became a Sikh five years ago and partook Amrit on Baisakhi of 2019. I was contemplating suicide but the message of Gurbani changed my thinking and I decided to follow the path of Guru Nanak,” says Gursrooma, an undergraduate student at University of Texas, San Antonio.
He has also been posting videos — including one on how to tie a Dumala (a four-century-old traditional style of turban) — on photo and video-sharing platforms to create awareness about Sikhism. “I am working to create awareness about Sikhi and we have also started a Sikh Students Association and have named it Saadh Ke Sang. Recently, we held the first Diwan (congregation) on the campus and took the Guru Granth Sahib there for the first time,” he said.
When asked whether he had encountered any racism or discrimination from Punjabi Sikhs, he says, “Most of reactions from Punjabi community are positive but at times some people say stupid things. But I understand every other group has prejudice about black people.”
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