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ANALYSIS March 29, 2003 It was March 10th, 12am, when eleven Sikh women from the U.S. and India prepared themselves to enter the Darbar Sahib to do the cleaning seva. The year was 1996; a Hukumnama was issued a month earlier to allow women to perform the morning seva. Along with the eleven women were several men, including Jathedaar Manjit Singh, who was one of five people to sign the 1996 Hukumnama, and the Manager of the Darbar Sahib. As the women and men walked towards the Darbar Sahib, the group that usually did the seva started heckling them. The hecklers were the local male sangat that came daily to the morning seva. They had done this for so long that they had come to feel as if they had control over it. They felt that women simply had no right. The entire way into the Darbar Sahib, the women's group endured verbal abuse. One of the Indian women, Amarjit Kaur, asked, "Why are you disgracing yourself?" But they did not argue beyond that. The men were also shouting insults at Jathedaar Manjit Singh. But they all continued on. By the time they went inside the building, the milk had already been poured on the marble. The women then poured water and did the mopping and cleaning. Inderjit Kaur (married to Yogi Bhagan) was one of those women. She says, "We felt it was a blessing. We were in bliss." The women and the local sangat set up the sheets and rugs. By 3am, kirtan started. They all stayed till 7am, got prashaad and came back. "This was a big deal," says Inderjit Kaur. The women's seva was reported on BBC. The event was presented at the United Nations on the topic of women's status and human rights. "Everyone appreciated our unique religion," remembers Inderjit Kaur who is the 3HO Ambassador to the UN NGO and an out-spoken proponent on women's rights. Jathedar Manjit Singh was also honored there for his role in assuring that women were allowed to perform equal seva at the Darbar Sahib. The 1996 Hukumnama which he signed, stated, "In all Sikh institutions, for the purpose of performing any religious rites, every human being is considered equal." But that was the end of the women's seva at Darbar Sahib. There was no follow-up. Indian women did not continue to do the morning seva. Perhaps they were afraid of the local men. Perhaps they had been suppressed so much, all their lives, they did not have the determination to struggle for their rights. "It is a sad situation," says Inderjit Kaur. "We have to build public opinion. The younger generation of women can make the change." Many wonder what is the point of a Hukumnama if it is not honored, why is a Hukumnama even necessary when equality was the hukum of the Gurus themselves? It all comes down to bad politics. The SGPC itself should promote Sikhi. But by controlling the voice and actions of the Jathedar, it is suppressing Sikhi. The Jathedaar, Joginder Singh, had made numerous statements that women have the right to do seva, but he is powerless to act on it. Women's rights is still a struggle. "Every movement has its time," says Inderjit Kaur. The women's seva issue has been raised again, this time by two young women from the UK. It has snowballed into a real movement with support from human rights organizations, Sikh scholars, Gurdwaras, and Sikh women and men from around the world. The SGPC has set up a committee to decide, by May, how to implement women's seva rights. The time has come. |