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Happy
Confluence
Narrating the
Sikh Story & Fourth of July
Gian Inder Singh
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American ideals are changing outlook of communities like the
Sikhs, and in many cases these communities are changing how
America sees its own ethics, politics, and religious
commitments. Occasions like 4th of July are best suited to
ruminate on this and tell the Sikh story |
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 In
Fremont, Bay Area Sikhs were handing out water bottles to
participants in the Fourth of July parade. In Carmichael, a posh
area of Sacramento County, dedicated Sikh businessmen were taking
the lead in handing out free soda, juice and water to parade
participants. Last month saw the Sikh Youth of America leading from
the front a nation-wide
Sikh Blood
Donation Drive.
It coincided with Sikhs' participation in
Union City's
interfaith festival. Two Sikh army officers are fighting for their
right to serve in the U.S. Army. Organisations like Saldef are
continuously engaging with concerns of Sikhs as well as Americans.
The spirit of
Fourth of July is all pervasive. Sikhs share with their American
brethren the idea of freedom, respect, equality, egalitarianism,
non-discrimination and dignity for all human beings. No wonder, the
efforts point in a direction where the community can find ways to
work together with an evolved democracy.
 The
spirit of joie de vivre this year is also an occasion for the
Sikhs to understand how they need to continuously learn and hone new
tools and tactics to tell the Sikh story. The world still has to
learn about the contemporary history of the Sikhs. As India emerges
as an economic power, its clout and capacity to muffle, muzzle and
push to the margins the voice, visibility and reasoning of a
community like the Sikhs is also increasing. It will gradually
become more and more difficult to counter each tactic, contradict
each story, clarify each version, and present the Sikh point of view
each time and to all interested parties all the time.
So
a proactive engagement with occasions like the Fourth of July is all
the more important. Particularly so because the community is still
watching many Americans struggling with questions that perplex
Sikhs: Are Sikhs Muslims? Are Sikhs Arabs? Does Osama Bin Laden have
anything to do with the Sikhs?
Sikhs understand
what the 4th of July means to an American. They themselves
experienced this as a collective on the Vaisakhi of 1699, when the
Guru founded the Khalsa. Complete freedom from fear, freedom from
slavery, freedom from discrimination. Total independence. All Sikh
men were lions, and all women were princesses! As religious
minorities in
United States
grow in numbers with immigration, as generations settle in, and as
new religious and cultural centers begin to develop critical mass,
religious immigrant communities are gaining footholds in civic life
in the
United States.
American ideals
are changing these communities' outlook, and in many cases these
communities are changing how America sees its own ethics, politics,
and religious commitments.
 The
Fourth of July is an occasion best suited for us to ruminate on the
issues involved.
The Sikhs'
engagement with America goes way back a hundred years when the first
turbaned men landed on its shores around 1900. A gurdwara had been
founded as early as 1915 in
Stockton,
California.
The first priority of these Sikhs at that time was not religion, but
the American dream of economic advancement, but in the last quarter
century, much has changed.
The
post-Operation Bluestar phase has made the community think in
different ways, and not only has there been an emergence of strong
local communities centered around numerous gurdwaras but also a
shared need to understand and engage the American values and lofty
ideals of Fourth of July.
Post 9/11, Sikhs
are learning ways to tell their story. The many local Sikh parades,
the activity in gurdwaras, the issues of identity, all point to this
wish to make clear who they are, and what they stand for. The
difference between an American Sikh and Sikh American is which
identity one considers a priority. Sikhs seem to have become more
aware of their Sikh identity after they migrated to the United
States.
 The
emergence of Sikh Youth of America is a welcome step in this
direction. There is a dire need to examine the assimilation of Sikh
youth into American culture, how Sikh youth keep the balance between
Sikh values based on families and the American culture,
enculturation of Sikh adolescence, the role of Sikh youth in
gurdwaras, the role of Sikh youth in Sikh politics, etc. The spirit
of Fourth of July also demands politicization of our youth and
development of an aware, concerned, engaged generation.
As this great
nation celebrated the Fourth of July and fireworks lit up the skies,
the Sikhs, along with other Americans, too resolved to remain wedded
to achieve the final goal of freedom for the pursuit of happiness
and prosperity. The Khalsa dream of Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere
Bhane Sarbat Da Bhala gels oh so beautifully with the spirit of
Fourth of July.
8
July 2009
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