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I've grown up as a product of the Sikh community. I don't call myself a Sikh, but I misleadingly wear a kara. I haven't seen the play but now I want to. If anything, this has been great publicity for the author. I don't want to sound too cynical. She has been threatened with death and kidnapping, which unfortunately is typical in certain elements of the community as I've experienced within my own family.
It's really sad for me to see Sikhs getting pictured in the media like this. It only takes a few extreme elements, some of them ignorant Brits, some of them naive traditionalists fresh off the boat from Punjab, to make a public mess. Sikhism is largely unknown even in Britain and it's a shame that this is how it's presented. The religion was formed as a struggle of freedom for all and was way ahead of its time in terms of promoting equality in all respects.
There are deep rooted problems, though. But that's the way with all faiths. Sikhism has people who desperately want it to survive in a traidtional form, at the hypocritical cost of certain freedoms and desires for expression. The problem is that it's hard to acknowledge this from the outside, because it's a relatively small, relatively new religion (despite the massive unsung contributions Sikhs have made to the world).
Things will change within the community as more young artists begin to express themselves. It's just a shame that these growing pains have had to cause such a damaging noise in front of millions.
I'm very annoyed about this. I have a dream novel I'd like to write one day set in the times of the religion's beginnings which explores some of the themes that have been fussed over, and I wonder if I can get a work like that out and still be able to talk to my mum and dad!
The resistance to the play is evidence enough of the play's importance, especially in its extreme, uncompromising form. Even if it's crap. Setting it in a Gurdwara is incredibly disgusting, and it's fair enough for people to complain about that. But the reaction and the closing down of the play completely negates the protests. That I find more disgusting.
Something I wrote which should be more palatable:
http://www.percythechicken.com/corner.php?show=12 |
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