Prabh Harmandir Saajya (God decorated the Harimandir)...
There is this incident that happened when I visited Harimandir Sahib in 2002 when I was carrying Juju. (The fact that I have visited Harimandir Sahib twice in the past 5-6 years and both times I was few weeks pregnant without knowing it, is nothing short of a miracle). I am mesmerized by that place - so much that I cant quite describe the feeling. You have to go there to know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, not even the Harimandir is untouched by human pettiness. The morning & evening services there are relayed live by one of the TV channels. Which results in hordes of poeple trying to fit into spaces where the camera coverage is max. We however managed to find space in the camera's blind spot. The kirtan there is something amazing, so I inched forward till I was sitting right next to the railings which separate the Granth Sahib from the sangat. I was actually told by the priests there to move back because the place could only be taken by Panj Piarey(In this context, this meant sikh men who are in the true sikh for i.e. hav not cut their hair & wear turban)! Naturally, I shifted back but I was apalled. When this holy place was established by Guru Ram Das in mid 1500's, there were no panj piarey at all. Would he not have allowed women to sit wherever they mighty well pleased & listen to the words of the Guru's who are as much mine as they are any men's.
I always thought that Sikhism being one of the few new religions, is very modern & relevant in today's world. It certainly has very progressive views on women.
So when, Bibi Jagir Kaur, whatever her personal faults may be, when she tried to introduce reforms in terms of introducing women priests, I for one supported wholeheartedly.
There is this incident that happened when I visited Harimandir Sahib in 2002 when I was carrying Juju. (The fact that I have visited Harimandir Sahib twice in the past 5-6 years and both times I was few weeks pregnant without knowing it, is nothing short of a miracle). I am mesmerized by that place - so much that I cant quite describe the feeling. You have to go there to know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, not even the Harimandir is untouched by human pettiness. The morning & evening services there are relayed live by one of the TV channels. Which results in hordes of poeple trying to fit into spaces where the camera coverage is max. We however managed to find space in the camera's blind spot. The kirtan there is something amazing, so I inched forward till I was sitting right next to the railings which separate the Granth Sahib from the sangat. I was actually told by the priests there to move back because the place could only be taken by Panj Piarey(In this context, this meant sikh men who are in the true sikh for i.e. hav not cut their hair & wear turban)! Naturally, I shifted back but I was apalled. When this holy place was established by Guru Ram Das in mid 1500's, there were no panj piarey at all. Would he not have allowed women to sit wherever they mighty well pleased & listen to the words of the Guru's who are as much mine as they are any men's.
I always thought that Sikhism being one of the few new religions, is very modern & relevant in today's world. It certainly has very progressive views on women.
So when, Bibi Jagir Kaur, whatever her personal faults may be, when she tried to introduce reforms in terms of introducing women priests, I for one supported wholeheartedly.
posted by Random Impressions at 2:23 AM
2 Comments:
The proverbial glass ceiling..baah!
Agreed!
But in terms of religion its all in the heart.. other than that there is no place left...
Our prestigious Golden temple is no exception.
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