Harbinder Kaur

Paper: Women Leaders from Sikh Religion

Abstract: In Sikhism, a woman has been given equal status as that of man in all spheres of life. According to Sikh thought, as all things are created and inhabited by God, there is no scope for discrimination on the basis of gender of an individual in the practice of religion in life. The Sikh Gurus condemned the notion of inferiority of women and respected women for she gave life to all human. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, in early 1500, had observed that women from whom kings are born cannot be considered inferior. Sikh Gurus did not approve of any inferior treatment to one-half of the humanity but rather encouraged the women who had become very meek and submissive by the sixteenth century to become courageous and independent. Consequently, women in Sikh religion have played an important role since the time of Guru Nanak.

The paper will present the role of Sikh women in different leadership positions, by drawing evidence from historical and living Sikh women. The focus of the paper would be on philosophical roots of the role that women should play in society, including marriage. Three Sikh women would be discussed – a) Mata Khivi, who took over management of Langar, community kitchen, in 1539 and provided hospitality, to the growing Sikh community; b) Sundar Kaur who provided leadership to Sikh community immediately after Guru Gobind Singh, from 1708 to 1747; and c) Dr. Inderjit Kaur, presently serving as Director of Pingalwara, Amritsar, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her selfless service to the sick and downtrodden.

Harbinder Kaur, Coordinator at Sherwood School, Bangalore, hails from a Sikh family, which traces its lineage from Guru Nanak. She holds a M. Sc (Physics) from IIT Roorkee, and M.A. (English) and B. Ed (Gold Medalist) from Chaudhury Charan Singh University, Meerut. She regularly participates in panel discussions on Sikh religion, and conducts classes for children on ethics and religion. She has served as a teacher and coordinator in schools and Junior colleges in Delhi, Meerut, Mumbai, Bangalore and Sydney.