Reply to “Becoming Canadian”

March 17th, 2006 by admin

Vaheguru ji ka khalsa,
Vaheguru ji ki fatheh!

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There was a great reply to our “Becoming Canadian” post by the grandson of one of the individuals mentioned in the excerpt we presented. We’d like to post this comment for the benefit of the readers and to encourage all of the Sikh youth. Thank you to the Singh that made this comment.

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Vaheguru ji ka khalsa,
Vaheguru ji ki fatheh!

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WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

” Mr. Kuldeep S. Bains had a similar experience: ” My two brothers were working at Sooke Lake in the sawmill. They came to see me the day after I landed in Victoria. First thing in the morning, Bunt said, ‘Let’s go to town.’ We went to town to a Japanese barber. They made me sit down and get a haircut.

He said, ‘I don’t want you to wear this turban around here.’ ”

I would like to first start off by saying, the man who made this statement Mr.Kuldeep Bains,is my grandfather’s(Nana Ji) brother. So in this statement the man who told him to get a haircut and to not wear a Dastaar(Turban) is my grandfather.

It’s funny how people would deny their very own religion and culture just to try to get some acceptence.The Canadian people in those days were racist no matter if you had a turban or cut hair.

The majority of Sikh men who came to Canada in those days cut their hair. As they will tell you themselves, it really did not help them any,because they still had brown skin,they still had “funny” accents, they were still “paki’s,hindu’s,smelly” in the eyes of Canadians.

By them cutting their hair and trying to become “Canadian” they basically set a very bad example for their sons, daughters, and grandchildren. They were denying the spirit and history of who they were.

I am speaking from first hand experiance, as my family has been in Canada for 83 years. The majority of Sikhs who came here to Canada in the early 1900’s tried to hide who they were, and did not pass down any sort of history to their future generations.

As both of my parents were born in Canada, they have told me,that growing up they were embarrassed of who they were,where they came from and of their parents who had the funny “accents”.

The Sikh kids in those days, were picked on and bullied by the white Canadian kids, they would not stand up for themselves, but I guess they were just following in the footsteps of their elders, who were not standing up for themselves, and were cutting their hair, trying to “adopt” the Canadian form of appearance.So what were the kids to do, they did not have the honour to stand up because their honour was cut and disregarded like it was nothing.

It was so bad in those days, people were so lost, that people used to enter into Guru Ji’s Darbar without their head even covered.

I am 3rd generation Canadian born, and I have talked to many other 3rd and 4th generation “Sikhs” and believe me they know nothing of who they are or their history. To them the only history they have is from when their ancestors first came to Canada,they know nothing of Sikh history, nothing of the struggles and sacrifice’s Sikhs had to go through throughout history. They are basically walking around as lost humans because they have no background, or foundation of religous or cultural values.

Many of these 3rd and 4th generation Canadian “Sikhs” believe that there is no need to cover your head at the Gurdwara,they figure if the Sikh Pioneers did not have to cover their heads,why should we. They do not see the reason why we should sit on the floor in Guru Ji’s Langar, they figure it’s just an crude ancient Punjabi thing, that has no place within “modern” Indo-Canadian society.

There was alot of Sikhs who came to Canada in those days,who did not cut their hair, who wore the Dastaar’s proudly, who did Sikhi Parchar in the Gurdwara’s, so there was some strong Gursikhs who kept Sikhi going, and let me say the only reason why they were strong is because they had the blessings of Waheguru Ji, because they were living up to the ideals of Sikhi, they were being true Sikhs. They kept their Kes, their Turbans and they fought hard to gain equal rights for Sikhs in Canada.

If you look at the pictures from those days, at all the meetings and rallies for Sikh rights, you will see the Amridhari/Kesdhari Gursikhs in the forefront of all the movements to gain equality for Sikhs.

Even for the Independance for India movement, Canadian Gursikhs sent Shaheedi Jatha’s to India,to help out in the struggle for freedom.There was no “monay Sikh Jatha’s” being sent. So it just goes to show that when a Sikh cuts their hair and trys to become a part of the so called “mainstream” they lose a HUGE part of their will to fight and stand up against tyranny and oppersion,that we are commanded by the Guru’s to raise our voices against.

I am very glad that not all of my ancestors who came ot Canada in those days, not all of them cut their hair, alot did cut their hair, but alot kept the gift of untouched Kes.

Those Sikhs who came to Canada and cut their hair basically poisoned the minds of their future generations. I know when I started keeping my kes,and wearing a Dastaar, my parents were so against it, they were saying to me that your grandfather and great grandfather came to Canada to make a better live, and now you wanna take 10 steps back and undo all the hard work they have done to fit into Canadian society.

My parents and many of the other children and grandchildren of those Sikhs who first came to Canada, are so confused and ashamed to even be connected to Singhs and Singhniaa who wear Dastaars.

In the minds of the 3rd and 4th generation “Sikhs” Amritdhari Sikhs, are misguided and are not living in the modern world. That basically all they are doing is ruining all the hard work the pioneers have done to make Sikhs acceptable to Canadian society.

I know alot of 3rd and 4th generation “Sikhs” do not even like being called Indo-Canadian, they want to be known just as Canadian, they do not want to have no connection to Punjab, or to Sikhi. They want to be looked upon as every other Tom, Dick and Harry.

I feel that these children and grandchildren of the Sikh pioneers were doomed from the start,as they had no foundation of self respect and honour as the majority of Sikh pioneers, were scared to say they were Sikhs and they were so willing to give up their hair and turbans that so many Gursikhs have died for.

All I can say is that I am so greatful that I have been saved by Waheguru Ji and been blessed with Amrit. Hopefully I can erase some of the misdeeds of my ancestors, and bring back the respect and honour of Sikhi and Gurmat to my family.

Bhull Chuk Maph.

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

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