Guest Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Karva Chauth: Henna bolo bolo? [ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2003 08:50:21 AM ] The count down has begun. No it's not astrophysics. We are talking about inhabitants of planet Venus vying with the moon. With Karva Chauth only twenty four hours away, womenfolk are sprucing up jamming the salons and queuing at mehandiwallas. And why not when the marketing mantras are promising more than a moon! Saas Bahu Jugalbandi…The jinxed jodi gets a breather. Age no bar and relationship quotient absolutely no bar because now there are Sargi and Baya packages. (AP) Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll...ow?artid=230968 The school at which I teach has a number of teachers from different backgrounds, Muslims, Hindu's, Christians and Sikhs. A few days ago I was teaching in class and I saw many of the girls were wearing Mehndi on their hands and had definately worn some makeup and gold jewellery, as it's not allowed in the school I asked them whether it was a special day as in a wedding or something. These '11' year old girls said 'No Miss, it's Karwa Chauth and we're fasting'. I was taken aback. Maybe it's weird but I have never come across this before. These 11 year olds were fasting so that when they marry, the guy they marry is good looking. These are Sikh children, studying in a Sikh school. When I went downstairs for my break I saw three teachers all dressed up with Mehndi (Sikh teachers) also fasting. There are two other Amritdhari teachers in the school, and a few Sikh teachers. I was amazed that these people follow these rituals which our Guru's fought against. Why do Sikh bibiyan enjoy celebrating such a sexist, degrading ritual for their husbands? Where have we gone wrong? Young children, sixth formers and even year 7's were at it. It was truly shocking. When I asked a few of the teachers, they laughed and said they were 'Multifaith' :roll: What's next? Circumcision?! kabeer har kaa simaran shhaadd kai ahoee raakhai naar || Kabeer, the woman who gives up meditation on the Lord, and observes the ritual fast of Ahoi, gadhehee hoe kai aoutharai bhaar sehai man chaar ||108|| shall be reincarnated as a donkey, to carry heavy burdens. ||108|| varath naem such sa(n)jam poojaa paakha(n)dd bharam n jaae || By ritualistic fasts, vows, purities, self-disciplines and worship ceremonies, they still cannot get rid of their hypocrisy and doubt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherni-E-Punjab Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Nothing in regards to the topic... Wouldn't be able to fast.. Can't live a minute without eating :cry: :cry: LOL, I am more interested in what type of school is this?? Sikh Students ... What you teach? and all the next stuff that goes about a school? and EtC.. Never heard anything like this ..before.. So, gurpreet kaur penji let me know more about the school... :wink: :wink: Please! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOYce Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Salutations, Yes, a question, where have we go wrong. U has raised a good question my dear fellow Lady. As per my approach this is nothing but the all the power of duplication which coz leads our society (no matter it belongs to Sikhism or Muslim), nowhere but to only a well which hasn’t any water of Moral values & self esteem. It is not only Mehndi or not only Karva-Chauth in duplications question, but it is all from a new dress upto a new Merc-Benz, from diamond ring for engagement up to a very expensive marriage ceremony. It all belongs to the power of duplication. We can’t blame our children to have such reaction from them coz we encourage them to do so. Where we wrong is only the lack of moral values in ourselves, which R must required to prevent such practices and we can’t expect all those to nourish from the children. But if we really expect such values from our children then we have to adapt them in our behavior. It is not our book-wounding which coz or lead us to do so. It is a in Human Psycology that all our children/fellows/disciples (sometime even our friends & elders) follows only our action and not our words. Thanx Joyce 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Desikuddi Penj, This is the first Sikh school funded by the Government in Europe. All the national curriculum subjects are taught in addition to Kirtan, Punjabi and Sikh History. I teach Biology there. The students for their uniform wear white Punjabi suits with navy blue dastars or chunnis for head coverings, as Guru Sahib parkash is done in the main hall at all times, so at any time during the day you can go there for a few minutes and pay your respects to Guru Ji inside the Gurudwara. The Sixth formers uniform is kesri and black, suits for girls and trousers with black dastars or black rumaal for the boys. The morning assembly is an integral part of the school day, the children recite Japuji Saheb, sing the shabad Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ehe, finishing off with Ardas and Guru's Hukam. All of this is performed by the students, it's truly an inspiring experience. I studied in the school and now I'm teaching there too. Many students from varying backgrounds are in the school, we have english kids, Hindu's and a few Muslim students. The teachers are mixed, a couple of Amritdharis, some Sikhs, Sri Lankans, English and so on. The school has achieved the highest results in the board exams taken by Key Stage 3, 4, GCSE's and Sixth Form A'level exams. It was opened in 1993 by Sant Baba Amar Singh Ji, from the Nanaksar Sampardaya, and is now one of the best schools in the county. PM if you want more info Ji. Back to this Karwa Chauth stuff, Bik posted something on another forum about the history behind this ritual, I hope he doesn't mind but I'm going to plaigarise and C&P this bit here which I found interesting, well if he does mind then too late The story behind the Karva Chauth is that the husband of a lady called Karva was caught by a crocodile. She managed to bound the crocodile and asked Yama to send the crocodile to hell. He refused so Karva threatened to curse him if he didn't. As she was a devoted wife Yama feared her curse and relented and sent the crocodile to hell. Thus saved she and her husband lived a long life. The Karva Chauth fast entails a range of rituals and superstitions which are totally against the teachings of the Gurus. The women fast from sunrise to sunset, pray to idols of various Hindu deities as well as worship their husbands. As with all Hindu rituals behind the supposed spirituality and good will to the husband there was a more mudane reason for the Karva Chauth. In ancient times the status of a Hindu women was dependent on her husband and on her ability to give her husband a male child. If her husband died before her than the woman would have to commit Sati or walk into the fire of her husband's funeral pyre. During Karva Chauth women would ask the deities to ensure that they died before their husbands so that they would not need to commit Sati. By creating the Khalsa Guru Gobind Singh ensured that a Sikh woman became a person in her own right. She became a 'Kaur ' a princess whose status was not dependent on anyone else. Unfortunately by taking part in false rituals such as Karva Chauth, Sikh women are forsaking all that the Gurus gave them and sinking deeper into the mire of superstition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Javanmard Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 read A. Malhotra's book on Gender and religion in the Panjab, intesting read! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khalsacrazed Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 I don't think sikh women practice karwa chawth. As per karwa chawth its a hindu ritual where woman fast the whole day until the moon comes out. Well some crap like that I haven't seen sikhs practice this so what are u talking about 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 ud be suprised at how many "sikhs" actually do this 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khalsacrazed Posted December 6, 2003 Report Share Posted December 6, 2003 how many? well they dont do it here so its all good 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr §ingh Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 I know a couple of women who do it here :? acctually its rue..even Chotiya Kuriya Fast thats SICK agree with Bhainji's post raelly sad :cry: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khalsacrazed Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 edited* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moderator note -- Please use appropriate language. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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