My Sikh Sense
Hari Singh BIrd
Tribalism from the top
Sat Nam. The July 14, 2018 article below that appeared in the Times of India is another indicator that tribalism is alive and well at the top of the Sikh community. Tribalism of course is diametrically opposed to Guru Nanak's teachings and life-example of pluralism.
SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
By Yudhvir Ran, Times of India
Yudhvir Ran
 Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh women leadership have objected to Bollywood actress and one-time porn star Sunny Leone's upcoming web series ‘Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone’. They are upset with producers using ‘Kaur’ in the series.
SGPC’s additional secretary and spokesperson, Diljit Singh Bedi, said on Friday, “Kaur is a very respectable and exalted name given by Sikh gurus to Sikh women. A person who doesn’t follow the teachings of Sikh Gurus shouldn’t use the word Kaur as this could hurt Sikh religious feelings. Sikhs will not allow her to use it. She should tender a public apology.”
Echoing similar views, president of the Istri Akali Dal, Bibi Jagir Kaur, said, “She is using the word Kaur for making her biopic a success, unaware of the fact that the same could hurt Sikh religious sentiments. -- Source. See More.
Read on. 
My Sikh Sense
Jaswant Singh Gill
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic 
Kaur is not a monopoly of Sikhs. Many non-Sikh women in Haryana and Rajasthan use Kaur as suffix to their name. The word Kaur existed even before creation of Khalsa.
Let us not promote useless films by creating unnecessary controversies. Kaur may be essential for Sikh community, but we can't stop others from using it. Many of Sikh names are similar to Hindu gods and goddesses such as Ram Singh, Sham Singh, Krishan Singh. --
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Hari Singh BIrd
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
Sat Nam. I agree with Sardar Ji Jaswant Singh above.
Furthermore, the SGPC's stand on the use of 'Kaur' issue is an expression of tribalism, pure and simple.
"Tribalism: The social tendency to live in loyalty to a tribe, social group, club, clan or gang (a tribe within a tribe or tribal hierarchy; a kind of pervasive and insidious group infection), especially when combined with an unfair treatment or strong negative attitude toward marginalized people outside the tribe. Religious organizations are particularly prone to tribalism. The Shiite vs Sunni of Islam, Baptized vs Non-baptized of Sikhism, and this Muslims vs Sikhs conflict, are just a few examples." ACTForDiversity.com
My experience is whenever the subject of tribalism comes up in conversation many people, especially Sikhs, relate to it as if tribalism is a four-letter word. 'Tribalism' often evokes a negative response, a psychological reaction, an emotional squirming, if you will. If you are one of these folks, I challenge you to watch this video, to look within, and to come face to face with your sensibilities.
Karenjit Kaur aka Sunny Leone
Karenjit Kaur Vohra, aka Sunny Leone, was born May 13, 1981 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Karenjit Kaur is an Indian Canadian actress and model, and former pornstar, also possessing American citizenship. She also used the stage name Karen Malhotra. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003, was a contract performer for Vivid Entertainment, and was named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010. She has played roles in independent mainstream events, films and television shows.
Her first mainstream appearance was in 2005, when she worked as a red carpet reporter for the MTV Video Music Awards on MTV India. In 2011, she participated in the Indian reality television series Big Boss. She hosts the Indian reality show Splitsvilla. In 2012 she made her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 (2012), and then shifted her focus to mainstream acting, which was followed up with Jackpot (2013), Ragini MMS 2 (2014), and Ek Paheli Leela (2015).
Apart from her acting career she has been part of activism campaigns including the Rock 'n' Roll, Los Angeles Half-Marathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society and has also posed for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ad campaign with a rescued dog, encouraging pet owners to have their cats and dogs spayed and neutered. Since 2011, Leone has been married to Musician Daniel Weber. On July 21, 2017 came news about Leone and her husband Daniel Weber's baby girl - Nisha Kaur Weber - from Latur, Maharashtra. -- Source. More Sunny Leone.
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Jagpal Singh Tiwana
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
SGPC and Akali Dal should not worry about Sikh actresses who use Kaur with their name, but worry about those who have discarded using Kaur with their names, such as Taapsee Pannu, Mandira Bedi, Poonam Dhillon, Neha Dhupia, Isha Deol, [etc]. -- See SikhWomenWearTurbans.com.
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Hardev Singh Virk
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
I am surprised at the attitude of Sikh bodies (SGPC and AKJ) to ban the use of 'Kaur' in the biopic of a Canadian Sikh girl, Karenjit Kaur, who was forced by circumstances to drift into pornography. If Ganka, the prostitute, and many other criminals turned saints, got so much respect from SGGS, then why is there so much hue and cry in Sikh circles about the biopic of Kirenjit Kaur?
Let me tell you frankly, I supported Harinder Singh Sikka's film Nanak Shah Fakir, and asked my friend, Tarlochan Singh, Ex-MP, to support him.
Amandeep Singh, author of Lost Sikh Heritage in Pakistan, reveals in his videos that Nanakpanthis are keeping Sikhi alive in remote corners of Pakistan, without botherinng about SRM and Sikh bodies.
Puran Singh writes somewhere that Sikhi of Gurus is Universal. He advocates [letting] Muslims read their Namaz; Hindus their Aarti; and Christians sing their Holy Psalms inside the Golden Temple!
But we have restricted Sikhi to Amritdharis [baptized Sikhs] only. (I am one of one of them but I never flaunt it.) If Sikh Gurus used the services of Muslim Rababis in Harimandir, then why did SGPC ban it? A Pakistani Sikh Sindhi/Hindu [who] wants to recite Gurbani inside the Golden Temple, but he will not be allowed under SRM. What a tragedy, keeping Nanakpanthis out of the Sikh fold. -- See Tribalism.
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Balvinder Kaur Saund
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
I joined the BBC AsiaNet debate a few days ago about the Sunny Leone stage name of Kiranjit Kaur Vohra, an ex-porn star.
Before the religious groups in India took exception to the use of word ‘Kaur’ in her biography and film, we had not known who this person was. By making a mountain out of a molehill, they have given her free publicity, which will sell her books and films even more. We have scored on our own goal.
The Delhi Gurdwaras Management Committee [DGMC] objection is that by using the word 'Kaur', she has brought the Sikh religion into disrepute. Of course, she is a woman, so it is easy for the Sikh community to pick on her. But now she has left her past behind and is open about her profession as a porn star in blue films she took part in when a young girl.
We are quick to denigrate her, but what about all the men who bring the 'Singh' name into disrepute with their criminal activities. We do not get upset about this and tell them to drop use of 'Singh'. These so called Sikh leaders do not bat an eyelid at the female infanticide, rapes, incest, dowry murders and gender inequality.
Twenty years ago, when I first became JP, our court list every day had a dozen Singh names on it for drunk driving. These lists were well publicized in local newspapers, but when the Government tightened the drink driving law, the men started to drive responsibly.
Not every Sikh woman with the word Kaur in her name is baptized but Sunny Leone is being vilified and judged harshly.
Men watch porn, but this is okay. But then women are judged harshly every time something happens. If a man drinks or takes drugs, it is his wife’s fault. She should stop it, even though the man’s parents could not stop him, and married him off, hoping he will come to his senses.
How quick we are to blame others for our own weaknesses and pick on this woman who has now turned her back on porn films and gone on to become a successful Bollywood actress. She has been married to one man, become a mother of three children, and named her daughter Nisha Kaur Weber.
Good for her for surviving the world of male corruption in an industry where women are still seen as a piece of meat. Even Jesus forgave a prostitute and inspired her to turn over a new leaf.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji looked after the lepers, so I am sure our Guru’s would have been more forgiving than these so called Leaders and Guardians of our Sikh faith, who have succeeded in turning away our youth in droves from Sikh religion completely by behaving like intolerant holier-than-thou Religious Police. --
See Stop Killing The Future of Kaurs.
Read on.
My Sense
Chandni Doulatramani*
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
Why can’t we leave Sunny Leone alone?
Bollywood actress and former adult-film star Sunny Leone has yet again been targeted, and this time it’s for her birth name, Karenjit Kaur. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC), an organization that manages gurdwaras and Sikh places of worship, has issues with the usage of the word “Kaur” in the title of her biopic Web series, "Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone", alleging it would hurt Sikh sentiments. Notably, Leone has made no comment on the matter. And seriously, good for her!
Even before the Indo-Canadian model, actress and former adult-film star debuted in Bollywood in 2012 with Pooja Bhatt’s, "Jism 2", Nationalist Congress Party legislator Vidya Chavan thought the movie posters were obscene and vulgar. Upon her complaint, then Mumbai mayor Sunil Prabhu ordered that the advertisements be removed from all BEST (Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport) buses and bus shelters. And BEST complied.
In 2015, Communist Party of India leader Atul Anjan said Leone’s endorsement for condom brand Manforce would increase the number of rapes in India. Never mind that the use of condoms helps the practice of safe sex, Anjan said the ad destroyed sensibility.
Last year, an outdoor ad for the same brand was released during Navratri, a Hindu festival, and the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) demanded a ban in Gujarat state, saying it was derogatory. “In the lust [for] earning huge money, these brand ambassadors (Sunny Leone) can go to any level irrespective of the pious and religious occasion of Navratri even,” said CAIT national secretary Praveen Khandelwal.
He not only thinks sexual intercourse is a derogatory act but believes he has the right to tell people when they can indulge in it, and obviously that cannot be during a “pious and religious occasion.”
The same year, a Mumbai woman filed an obscenity case against Leone and demanded a ban on her website sunnyleone.com. A year later, a Goa-based right-wing outfit demanded the same ban and said that “her popularity has become a threat to Indian culture.” In 2016, TV journalist Bhupendra Chaubey of CNN-IBN asked Leone judgmental and sexist questions on national television in an exceptionally condescending and insulting manner.
Some of the questions were: “So what is it about, Sunny? Is it just about the money?”
“Do you believe that your body will ultimately take you everywhere?”
“There are lots of married women who look at Sunny Leone as a threat to their husbands. You do not care about all this?”
“How many people would grow up thinking of becoming a porn star?”
Leone answered all his questions gracefully, unfazed.
In 2017, she was in Kerala to promote a smartphone brand, and a sea of people showed up to see her, in effect blocking roads in Kochi. Two months later, Bharitya Janata Party supporters used the same picture of Leone’s fans, edited it with Photoshop, and attributed it to BJP president Amit Shah’s Jan Raksha Yatra (People’s Safety Rally) in Kannur. She might not be “sanskari” (kosher), but even the government tapped in on her popularity and crowd-pulling skills for its image.
The same year, Bangalore police denied permission for a New Year’s event featuring a performance by Leone. A pro-Kannada group protested that it would “spoil Kannada culture,” but the police said it had nothing to do with that.
When Leone and her husband Daniel Weber adopted a baby girl from Latur, Maharashtra, she received a lot of flak because what-will-your-daughter-think-of-you-when-she-watches-your-porn-movies.
For Leone, the list is an endless one.
Male actors, though, are treated very differently. Malayalam actor Dileep was arrested last year for conspiring to kidnap and attempting to rape an Indian film actress. Shortly after, he was released on bail by the High Court. Since then, many of his movies have been released, including Kammara Sambhavan and Ramleela. The shooting of upcoming film Professor Dinkan was stalled upon his arrest, but will resume in Dubai now that he’s out on bail.
How does it become OK for a male actor who has been arrested for attempting to rape a woman to continue to act in films but when a female actor who, out of her own volition, without forcing or hurting anybody, acts in adult films, she is looked down upon?
Nevertheless, India’s most Googled person of 2015, Sunny Leone has come a long way from playing a cameo in the Hollywood movie, "The Girl Next Door to Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone."
Despite this, we don’t leave her alone.
A rapist propagates rape culture, not someone who acts in adult films. If you are a married woman and think Leone is a threat to your husband, honestly that’s between you and your husband.
Asking a woman uncomfortable questions based on a TV journalist’s judgment of her is not path-breaking journalism. It is bigotry. It is sexism. It’s the inability to be tolerant of anything that is not “normal.”
Nobody – no political or religious group or otherwise – can have any agency on Leone’s name or identity. If she has no objection to “Kaur” being used in the title of her biopic Web series, nobody else should. The harassment that has been meted out to her over the last six years is a definitive reflection on the regressive mindset of Indian society, but says even more about how strong Leone is.
Why can’t we just leave her alone? Why do we want so much of a say in her life? Why do we want to control and dictate her actions and then get angry if she doesn’t want to comply?
Sunny Leone doesn’t owe us anything that we ask of her, and we need to understand and accept that.
In the Netflix show Nanette, Australian standup comedian Hannah Gadsby makes an important point. She says, “If you were to plot my week, not a lot of 'lesbianing' gets done. I don’t lesbian enough. I cook dinner way more than I lesbian. But nobody ever introduces me as ‘that chef comedian,’ do they?”
Let that be a lesson, and let’s attempt to see Sunny Leone as more than a porn star. She is an actor, an entertainer, a mother, a wife, a woman, and a lovely human being. Why is it so difficult to see that? Why can’t we just let her be? -- Source.
*Chandni Doulatramani is an independent journalist and writer based in Kolkata and Bangalore.
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Jagpal Singh Tiwana
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
We have a tendency to leave the subject and start discussing other unimportant issues that are developed outside of the discussion.
The original point is, does SGPC have a case to object to the use of 'Kaur' by Karenjit, the name given to her by her Sikh parents?
Mrs. Balvinder Kaur Saund, J.P., objects to the sexist attitude of the SGPC, when the SGPC has not objected to the use of 'Singh' with the names of Sikh men who have done similar or worse things. Why is there an objection to Karenjit Kaur's use of 'Kaur'?
This is the issue. --
See SikhWomenWearTurbans.com.
Read on.
My Sikh Sense
Hari Singh BIrd
Re SGPC: Can’t Use ‘Kaur’ in Sunny Leone Biopic
"It's all about them, not about us!"
Sat Nam. During an email exchange with a fellow Sikh minister about the fact no ministers to date have made any public statements regarding the SGPC's ban on the use of 'Kaur', they expressed the notion that the Punjabi community has a problem with accepting outsiders, whereupon I replied with the following statement.
Thanks for your feedback! The social attitudes and practices of SDI ministers, other Western Sikhs, and the Sikhs of Indian heritage are symptomatic of tribalism, which affects all organizations to a greater or lesser degree.
The Siri Singh Sahib taught that Guru Nanak is called the Guru of the Aquarian Age because he taught pluralism, i.e., Ek Ong Kar, the opposite of tribalism, as a primary way of life. The fact that Sikhs tout his teachings yet wallow in the practice of tribalism is a major hypocrisy that must be dealt with going forward. How can Sikhs criticize others and teach the Guru's message when they themselves fail to live to the Guru's standard?
Note: Kindly read on, including hyperlinks for greater depth of meaning.
Tribalism: The social tendency to live in loyalty to a tribe, social group, club, clan or gang (a tribe within a tribe or tribal hierarchy; a kind of pervasive and insidious group infection, a kind of group narcissism), especially when combined with an unfair treatment or strong negative attitude toward marginalized people outside the tribe. Religious organizations are particularly prone to tribalism. The Shiite vs Sunni of Islam; and the Baptized vs Non-baptized of Sikhism; the Muslims vs Sikhs conflict; and then of course the Democrats vs Republicans in the U.S. are just a few examples.
Whenever the subject of tribalism comes up in a conversation many people, especially Sikhs, relate to it as if tribalism is a four-letter word. 'Tribalism' many times evokes a negative response, a psychological reaction, an emotional squirming, if you will. If you are one of these folks, I challenge you to watch this video, to look within, and to come face to face with your sensibilities.
BTW: Discourse on any issue is not meant to stir up feelings of guilt. Discourse is meant to drive people to action against injustice. Question is, are we, especially Sikh ministers, mature enough to sit down and discuss this issue?
See The way out of tribal thinking. Also see My Sikh Sense.
Pages And Points To Ponder
See Partners Not Parents. See Sikh Tribes. See Turban Is Bana. See The 'Turbanators'. See Duality Optics. See The Essence of Kaur. See The Turban Is A Bigot Detector. See Broad Points. See But Where Are The Women? See The Role And Status of Sikh Women. See U.S. Sikhs Want Women To Sing At Golden Temple. See Bibi Kiranjot Kaur On Women's Rights. See A Muslim Woman Teaches Kirtan. See Women Are Not Allowed To Play Kirtan. See Sikhism And Homosexuality. See Why Do You Not See Any Sikh Women? See Sikh Identity Is For Men Only. See When Will Sikh Men Stand Up. See Sikh Women's Issues. See Women And The Sikh Religion. See My Response To The Sikh Minister Survey. See How To Make Yoga Classes LGBT Friendly. See Punjabi Sikh Optics Do Matter. See What's With Sikhs And Gender Equality? See Circumstance. See The Woman Pope. See Women Are Much More Than This. See The Question of Authority Within Sikhism. See Should Mixed Faith Marriage In Sikh Temples Be Banned? See Balvinder Kaur Saund. See Maharani Jind Kaur: Saint Soldier. See Sudha Kaur Chopra On Gurdwara Security. See Why Don't Sikh Women Tie Turban? See Life According To Hari Nam Kaur. See I Fight Like A Girl. See Dastaar For Sikh Women. See The Turban Is A Crown. See Life According To Joan Baez. See Menstruation From A Woman's Perspective. See Granny Stops Burglar. See Life According To Andrea Mitchell. See 'Sikh' And Ye Shall Find. See The Story Behind My Turban. See We Are We, We Are One. See Sikhs Shine. See Women Wimps Or Warriors. See Women Warriors. See Jai Jagdeesh Kaur's Ad Guray Nameh. See Refuse To Be A Victim Seminar. See Amazon Women. See How The Marines Transform
Me Into We. See Memories of Khalsa Women's Rifle Drill Team. See Definitions. See Sikh Definitions. See Glossary of Sikh Terms. See Stop Killing The Future of Kaurs. See Greetings, Names and Titles. See Life According To Hoda Katebi. See How We Define Tribalism. See GurdwaraSecurity.com. See Gurdwara Security Toolkit. |
