Monday 21 January 2008
sikh girls and bollywood
Bollywood probes sex trade yet again By Priyanka Khanna, New Delhi, Oct 7: Lives of the women of the street have been recounted in myriad Hindi films but it is a subject that the dream merchants never seem to get weary of.
Joining the long list of films based on sex-workers will be "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" that is slated for Friday release.
The film, being produced by Bollywood's biggest dream merchants Yash Raj Films, hopes to push the envelope further by portraying the life of a small town girl who willingly chooses sex trade as a career.
Hindi cinema's interpretation of the so-called oldest profession in the world has been ever evolving. While earliest films like "Pyaasa" painted a picture of abject tragedy, films like "Umrao Jaan", "Pakeezah" and "Devdas" depicted courtesans as women with refined sense of music and poetry. Their exploitation was often glossed over and they came across as tragic, gorgeous women of taste who sacrificed their lives for the men they loved.
Shoma A. Chatterji, author of "Woman: A Study of the Portrayal of Women in Indian Cinema", explains that the virtual domination of male filmmakers in Bollywood then had meant that patriarchy and markets dictated how sex-workers and the politics of prostitution are projected in the Hindi film industry.
More recently, Madhur Bhandarkar's "Chandni Bar", Sudhir Mishra's "Chameli", Manisha Koirala's "Market", Deepak Shivdasani's "Julie" and Kalpana Lazmi's "Chingaari" have tried to demystify and deglamourise the lives of sex workers.
In "Chandini Bar", Tabu performed the sexy dance sequences inside the club much like any mechanical, routine job and worked hard to educate her child. Kareena Kapoor in "Chameli" was a foul-mouthed young woman, who is cynical about relationships but knows how to invest her hard-earned money for a secure future. For all her curtness she still has a soft side to her as she tries to educate a young boy and prevents him from taking to vices like smoking.
In fact, with the exception of Rehana Sultan in B.R. Ishara's "Chetna" and Shabana Azmi in Shyam Benegal's "Mandi", nearly all celluloid versions of sex-workers have been self-sacrificing and victims of circumstances, and in spite of claims to the otherwise "Laga Chunari Mein Daag" may end up being no different.
In the film, Rani Mukerji is a middle-class, fun-loving and happy-go-lucky girl in Banaras who takes to prostitution. Director Pradeep Sarkar of "Parineeta" fame cites financial crisis in the family as the reason for her to "make the sacrifice". Clearly, the filmmaker wants to add a touch of nobility to defuse the stigmatised profession.
There are two million women sex workers in India with most coerced into the trade by abduction or deception. An estimated two in five sex workers are below 18 years of age. Those involved in the sex trade are demanding the legalisation of the profession. They claim that a legal status will bring the multi-million dollar industry out of the dark, improve the living conditions of the women and their children, fight HIV/AIDS and prevent induction of children into the trade.
But such serious issues hardly ever find mention in our Hindi films. Here is hoping that come Friday and "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" will up the level of discourse and not remain merely a reminder of the pathos of Waheeda Rahman in "Pyaasa".
Actress-turned-filmmaker Revathi says: "I met many commercial sex workers. Spoke at length with them. I realise now that there is no point in telling them to not get involved in it. Instead, you should ensure they are not exploited by middle men and their basic rights of health care and education for their children are met with."
For Rani Mukerji, who missed bagging the coveted National Award for her performance in "Black" by a whisker, "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" offers a second chance.
The act of a sex-worker has fetched the coveted award for many leading ladies in the past. Yesteryears star Sharmila Tagore was bestowed the National Award for walking the street in "Mausam", Rekha had got it for her courtesan role in "Umrao Jaan" and recently Tabu had bagged the prize for "Chandni Bar".
Vyjantimala's role of a golden-hearted courtesan in Bimal Roy's "Devdas" and Shabana Azmi's no-holds-bar act as a woman who wants sex trade to flourish in Shyam Benegal's "Mandi" have been other memorable performances. Rani would no doubt be hoping that her act is similarly recognised.
The film also stars critically acclaimed female actor Konkana Sen and veteran Jaya Bachchan in a pivotal role. The men in the film include Abhishek Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
Abhishek and Rani, who had emerged as a hit pair after "Bunty Aur Babli", will be seen together on-screen after a long gap. Though both have not had much commercial success lately, the film is more crucial for Rani.
It remains to be seen whether she can deliver once again both commercially and critically.
Joining the long list of films based on sex-workers will be "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" that is slated for Friday release.
The film, being produced by Bollywood's biggest dream merchants Yash Raj Films, hopes to push the envelope further by portraying the life of a small town girl who willingly chooses sex trade as a career.
Hindi cinema's interpretation of the so-called oldest profession in the world has been ever evolving. While earliest films like "Pyaasa" painted a picture of abject tragedy, films like "Umrao Jaan", "Pakeezah" and "Devdas" depicted courtesans as women with refined sense of music and poetry. Their exploitation was often glossed over and they came across as tragic, gorgeous women of taste who sacrificed their lives for the men they loved.
Shoma A. Chatterji, author of "Woman: A Study of the Portrayal of Women in Indian Cinema", explains that the virtual domination of male filmmakers in Bollywood then had meant that patriarchy and markets dictated how sex-workers and the politics of prostitution are projected in the Hindi film industry.
More recently, Madhur Bhandarkar's "Chandni Bar", Sudhir Mishra's "Chameli", Manisha Koirala's "Market", Deepak Shivdasani's "Julie" and Kalpana Lazmi's "Chingaari" have tried to demystify and deglamourise the lives of sex workers.
In "Chandini Bar", Tabu performed the sexy dance sequences inside the club much like any mechanical, routine job and worked hard to educate her child. Kareena Kapoor in "Chameli" was a foul-mouthed young woman, who is cynical about relationships but knows how to invest her hard-earned money for a secure future. For all her curtness she still has a soft side to her as she tries to educate a young boy and prevents him from taking to vices like smoking.
In fact, with the exception of Rehana Sultan in B.R. Ishara's "Chetna" and Shabana Azmi in Shyam Benegal's "Mandi", nearly all celluloid versions of sex-workers have been self-sacrificing and victims of circumstances, and in spite of claims to the otherwise "Laga Chunari Mein Daag" may end up being no different.
In the film, Rani Mukerji is a middle-class, fun-loving and happy-go-lucky girl in Banaras who takes to prostitution. Director Pradeep Sarkar of "Parineeta" fame cites financial crisis in the family as the reason for her to "make the sacrifice". Clearly, the filmmaker wants to add a touch of nobility to defuse the stigmatised profession.
There are two million women sex workers in India with most coerced into the trade by abduction or deception. An estimated two in five sex workers are below 18 years of age. Those involved in the sex trade are demanding the legalisation of the profession. They claim that a legal status will bring the multi-million dollar industry out of the dark, improve the living conditions of the women and their children, fight HIV/AIDS and prevent induction of children into the trade.
But such serious issues hardly ever find mention in our Hindi films. Here is hoping that come Friday and "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" will up the level of discourse and not remain merely a reminder of the pathos of Waheeda Rahman in "Pyaasa".
Actress-turned-filmmaker Revathi says: "I met many commercial sex workers. Spoke at length with them. I realise now that there is no point in telling them to not get involved in it. Instead, you should ensure they are not exploited by middle men and their basic rights of health care and education for their children are met with."
For Rani Mukerji, who missed bagging the coveted National Award for her performance in "Black" by a whisker, "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" offers a second chance.
The act of a sex-worker has fetched the coveted award for many leading ladies in the past. Yesteryears star Sharmila Tagore was bestowed the National Award for walking the street in "Mausam", Rekha had got it for her courtesan role in "Umrao Jaan" and recently Tabu had bagged the prize for "Chandni Bar".
Vyjantimala's role of a golden-hearted courtesan in Bimal Roy's "Devdas" and Shabana Azmi's no-holds-bar act as a woman who wants sex trade to flourish in Shyam Benegal's "Mandi" have been other memorable performances. Rani would no doubt be hoping that her act is similarly recognised.
The film also stars critically acclaimed female actor Konkana Sen and veteran Jaya Bachchan in a pivotal role. The men in the film include Abhishek Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
Abhishek and Rani, who had emerged as a hit pair after "Bunty Aur Babli", will be seen together on-screen after a long gap. Though both have not had much commercial success lately, the film is more crucial for Rani.
It remains to be seen whether she can deliver once again both commercially and critically.
Friday 18 January 2008
Amandeep Garewal Kaur
My name is amandeep kaur garewal I was 16 years old living in coventry, we had just finished our last GCSE exams. i use to hang with my so called sikh friends how use to refer to themself as sp(sikh gang shera punja)and sas (sikh awareness socity) they said we to have stik with our own kind and i use to love their bable.i started going to a clubs and gigs as a group with them, as we knew we would not have been allowed to go in the night. There were 4 of us, best of friends, we decided to go, although we knew we would get into trouble if are parents found out, but we thought that we "only live once" and as it was a special occasion, and so we went. This was the first time any one of us had done something like this, it was an experience. When we got there we could not believe how many people our age were there from all over Birmingham, all Asian! I was shocked more than my friends, there were people drunk, boys/girls smoking, this was the new generation of Asians enjoying the western world freedoms. I remember saying to my friends, "We need to stick together and defend our sisters, no matter what happens the way we were as we always danced at wedding parties). I went over to them to see what had happened; they totally ignored me and encouraged me to drink which I then did. My dad would drink a lot so I assumed it be ok). We left the club at the end, it was about 4 o' clock, and I remember thinking how the hell are we going to get home? We were giggling, and we were late and drunk. I knew my gran would, phone my mum at work if I did not get home in the next 20mins, (I was normally home about 3:50pm, and it was already ten past four, I was in the middle of Birmingham City centre,40mins away from home by bus! I was so scared, I knew I was going to get into serious trouble once I got home, and I smelt strongly of smoke and alcohol. My dad was going to kill me. We did not know what to do? Then the guys, who we were dancing in the club, came over and asked us if we were alright? or if we needed anything, i.e. a lift home, because we were so desperate, we said yes. They dropped us home, we exchanged numbers and they went. I got slapped that day, my dad went absolutely mad, because I had lied, went to a club, danced with boys and got drunk! The whole family was really upset. I remember thinking I will never do anything like this again. My friends got the same treatment. It was not until a couple of weeks later, that some one kept ringing my house number, anonymous caller, I answered, it was that guy from the club. I didn't know what to do. I was scared and yet anxious to what might happen. He wanted us to meet up again, he wanted to know how we were? This was going to be my first relationship. I got to know "jags" over the next couple of months, we would arrange, the best times for him to call me, it was exciting, no one knew about him, I felt needed and loved. my friend from sp (shera punjab) told me that he was apart of their organisation and he was good guy and he was a "apana".He was 18 at the time, and I had just turned 16. He drove a really nice car and worked for his uncle, in I.T. It got to a stage were we would meet up in the middle of the night, I would sneak out of my house, he would pick me up at the bottom of my street, and we would go everywhere together I was loving every minute of it and every time we would not see each other, I felt like dying I was truly in love with him. I did notice that he was Punjabi, he dressed like a normal Punjabi boys that age, and he didn't drink and smoke. He knew a lot of hindus, but I decide to ignore that fact, as I was having the time of my life. I had a funny feeling he was hindu, but he wore a Kara and had khada chain in neack? and I never had the courage to ask him, because I didn't want to ruin anything between us.
But finally that day came when he revealed that he must go to the mindir, I loved him too much to let him go. , we would spend a lot of time together, he got me job at his uncle's firm, they all treated me with respect although I was a Sikh, and all of them were hindu, they were so nice to me. I felt wanted and at home with me boyfriends family. We saw each other for over two year's(all through college) and then came the time for me to leave my home and go to university, I went out of town a good few hours away, I wanted to live as far as away from my family as possible, as they were the obstacle, in my life from him. I always wore my Kara and my gold khanda necklace. I also stopped going to the Gurdwara, because I did not want to offend him, and I would use that time instead to be with him. I loved him and would do anything for him, anything. At university. Things got a bit serious, I lived in halls, This was a really good experience for me, and I felt vulnerable and weak. Things started to change a lot during the first few weeks at university. I quit uni, and moved into a flat with him, he got me another job, and again his cousin helped us financially. I never told my parents that I had done this, they would phone me, I would say everything was going excellent, and I would lie to them. During this time, I started to stop going home, I would say that I had too much uni work to do, and so I couldn't come home.Then,I stopped answering my phone from my family and friends, because I knew all they would say is to stop seeing him, and come home etc.so I changed my number, that's not the only thing I changed, a few months later I changed my name! We were happy together, we were in love, and we were made for each other. I was happy then to finally be apart of something that was so great, everyone loved me, and I was finally at home and peace.
I am about to tell you, is no exaggeration in any way, this is exactly how it happened, and the metropolitan police are well aware of it. Whilst I was on the flight over to india, I was so excited, I was finally going to get married to the love of my Life.When we reached india, there were a few people there to greet us, They were so happy to see me. We were then herded into a 4x4. We then stopped at what seemed to be a police station or the local sheriff's office, the luggage was taken out of the jeep, and
these men came and took the luggage away,jags came over and took my personal belongings, everything, my passport, money even my toothbrush, he said come out sikhini the hindu wanted to see your sikhi, in case.I remember laughing at first, but when looked at his face, but i said you are all sikhs this india its our country.he smiled and said this a hindu country and we are hindus.he was deadly serious, I gave him everything to him and then I was taken to a room, where I was told to wait.
They were talking to jags it seemed like ages, while I waited in that room, on my own. I was getting very worried for jags. During this time, two more cars and a jeep had come to this place station. Finally, a middle aged man came over and started to ask
me personal questions. I had trouble understanding what he was saying, he spoke so fast, in hindi. I kept asking him to take me to jags. He said "jags has gone", those three words stopped my heart beating, I was alone in a remote village in
india,
with no belongings and locked up a room. I did not know what to think?
What was happening? This was not supposed to happen?
Where had jags gone? I cried, and pleaded with the men there to take me to delhi, they would
simply laugh at me and beat me say hindustan zindabad i never understood.
a few days, I did not eat or sleep, I was disorientated, and I did not know what to do? I became ill, I was very weak, a doctor was called, he gave me some medicine, with which all I did was sleep. The next thing I remember was, when I woke up in a room, with a small barred window, and a small door. This door was locked from the outside, I started to scream, a women came rushing over. I was relieved for a moment that women had come over to my aid, until she started to shout at me and curse me. I didn't know what was going on. I just sat there in that small, cold room, with blank mind. They would give some bread and water three times a day. I was allowed to go to the toilet only once a day.
By now I had realized, I was not going home and
jags was not coming to my rescue. The building I stayed at was 3 storeys, and was very big. It must have had more than 30 rooms. It was the only building there, there was nothing
anywhere around this building, just fields and 1 tarmac road. It was a brothel.
I was not a lone there were 10 other girls (Sikh) that were in the same situation as me. We were all kept on the top floor, we were all given one room each. The other girls had been there longer than me, we would get a chance to speak during the night. They told me of their stories and how they got here, they sounded
familiar. It would be very cold during the night. They told me, on the 3rd day, what happens here. This where, the shiv sena members and locals came to enjoy themselves. I was very frightened. This is where they would come to quench their desires. I remember how they treated us, they would treat us like animals, they would rape us, and then spit on our faces after they were done.they will always say were is guru nanak or gobinb singh now and other stuff which i never understood.my dad was an exindian army and so was my grand father they always told me to beloyal to india.but this not place tolove we all found out.It was a living
nightmare, with no escape. I spent 15 months here, over that period of time,
I have seen 36 more girls been brought here, I have seen 7 commit suicide, by jumping of the building and 20 odd taken away by rich businessmen who would use them in their own brothels. I saw and lived in HELL, I saw young girls being
raped, I heard the screams of these girls and their
frustration, that no one would help them. When I first saw the police approach the building, I thought that we had been saved, was I proved wrong, they beat a girl to death right in front of us all, to show us who was in charge, and what would happen if we didn't co-operate. If you think for a second, that what I am saying is lies, go and approach the Scotland Yard, they have the full details of who the girls were and where they were from. I saw this with my own eyes, and no-one ever helped us.
A time came when me and another girl, got the opportunity to escape, we had been taken to a local tribesman's house, a fight had broken out, in his house, in the confusion Guru ji gave us an opportunity to escape, we took a jeep, and set out on the roads, we didn't know where we were going, we just went, where ever the road took us. We got close to a town Called Eminabad, here we informed the police of what had happened to us, they helped us, we were handed over to the British embassy and sent back to the UK. Once back in the UK, the police tried to hand us back to our families, OUR OWN families had disowned us, my family told me to go away, that I had brought shame to the family name, I tried to apologise, and they would not accept it.
I even tried to get help
From the Gurdwara, they said they could not help us. We had to go back to the police, who then put us in a witness protection program.
The year is 2003, I was then 21. We both were given a new chance to start a fresh, the police helped us a great deal. In the program we were given a place to stay and they gave us new jobs, to rebuild our lives. I am now 25, married and a 3 year old girl. I re-initiated into Sikhism in 1998, me and my friend, we took Amrit and took an active role to combat what had happened to us and help others in the same situation.
There is not a single second that goes by, without me thinking about those poor girls locked up in india. I have
been scarred for life. But I must do everything I can to try to create awareness to help those girls that scream every night and go through that abuse. I am thankful to the Police who are trying to help those girls, but I think we as a community need to do much more. We must come out of hiding, and face the danger these girls now face. But what we find is a really negative attitude employed by all parties, the families, Gurdwara and the girls, to do anything about this. I know what happened to me and what is still happening to those that are in india. Accordingly to the latest figures, there are 300 girls there right now, facing constant abuse, who are getting drugged up everyday and then raped. One of them is your relative!! Just keep that in mind, your cousin who you have not seen for over 3 years, went to university and never came back! When you ask your uncle and auntie, where is your cousin who you nor your family have seen for so long, you get the reply, that she has brought a house there and she has found herself a good job, and so she is constantly busy. I beg you please stop these lies, please help my sisters’ in india, who no-one helps, their families are too scared, or they don't know where she is? We must put a stop to this, I saw what is happening there, believe me, I do not even wish this to happen my enemies, when you see a young girl being raped by savages, who beat her and then spit on her you remember God, believe me when all you can hear is her screams to stop and her cry for help all you can do is watch. Those girls need your help! I pray all the time to Guru, to please help, those girls, every time I get the chance. We must make sure not a single girl goes to that living Hell from today. We must educate every one of our girls and boys about our religion. We must take it upon our selves to educate ourselves and our own families about Sikhism and the dangers it faces constantly. We must thrive to make sure this never happens to any of our girls ever again. I hope Guru Ji helps us. I hope you at least help yourself and your own family. I hope all those that took those poor girls over to Pakistan, realise that God is within us all, and not just in the heavens, I wish they could just imagine for 1 single second, that one of those girls was their own sister! No one would ever want this to happen to anyone, believe me. We have altered the above account to safe guard our source. The name and locations have been changed and how our penji escaped has been changed dramatically for the simple reason not to jeopardise any other girls opportunity to escape.
But finally that day came when he revealed that he must go to the mindir, I loved him too much to let him go. , we would spend a lot of time together, he got me job at his uncle's firm, they all treated me with respect although I was a Sikh, and all of them were hindu, they were so nice to me. I felt wanted and at home with me boyfriends family. We saw each other for over two year's(all through college) and then came the time for me to leave my home and go to university, I went out of town a good few hours away, I wanted to live as far as away from my family as possible, as they were the obstacle, in my life from him. I always wore my Kara and my gold khanda necklace. I also stopped going to the Gurdwara, because I did not want to offend him, and I would use that time instead to be with him. I loved him and would do anything for him, anything. At university. Things got a bit serious, I lived in halls, This was a really good experience for me, and I felt vulnerable and weak. Things started to change a lot during the first few weeks at university. I quit uni, and moved into a flat with him, he got me another job, and again his cousin helped us financially. I never told my parents that I had done this, they would phone me, I would say everything was going excellent, and I would lie to them. During this time, I started to stop going home, I would say that I had too much uni work to do, and so I couldn't come home.Then,I stopped answering my phone from my family and friends, because I knew all they would say is to stop seeing him, and come home etc.so I changed my number, that's not the only thing I changed, a few months later I changed my name! We were happy together, we were in love, and we were made for each other. I was happy then to finally be apart of something that was so great, everyone loved me, and I was finally at home and peace.
I am about to tell you, is no exaggeration in any way, this is exactly how it happened, and the metropolitan police are well aware of it. Whilst I was on the flight over to india, I was so excited, I was finally going to get married to the love of my Life.When we reached india, there were a few people there to greet us, They were so happy to see me. We were then herded into a 4x4. We then stopped at what seemed to be a police station or the local sheriff's office, the luggage was taken out of the jeep, and
these men came and took the luggage away,jags came over and took my personal belongings, everything, my passport, money even my toothbrush, he said come out sikhini the hindu wanted to see your sikhi, in case.I remember laughing at first, but when looked at his face, but i said you are all sikhs this india its our country.he smiled and said this a hindu country and we are hindus.he was deadly serious, I gave him everything to him and then I was taken to a room, where I was told to wait.
They were talking to jags it seemed like ages, while I waited in that room, on my own. I was getting very worried for jags. During this time, two more cars and a jeep had come to this place station. Finally, a middle aged man came over and started to ask
me personal questions. I had trouble understanding what he was saying, he spoke so fast, in hindi. I kept asking him to take me to jags. He said "jags has gone", those three words stopped my heart beating, I was alone in a remote village in
india,
with no belongings and locked up a room. I did not know what to think?
What was happening? This was not supposed to happen?
Where had jags gone? I cried, and pleaded with the men there to take me to delhi, they would
simply laugh at me and beat me say hindustan zindabad i never understood.
a few days, I did not eat or sleep, I was disorientated, and I did not know what to do? I became ill, I was very weak, a doctor was called, he gave me some medicine, with which all I did was sleep. The next thing I remember was, when I woke up in a room, with a small barred window, and a small door. This door was locked from the outside, I started to scream, a women came rushing over. I was relieved for a moment that women had come over to my aid, until she started to shout at me and curse me. I didn't know what was going on. I just sat there in that small, cold room, with blank mind. They would give some bread and water three times a day. I was allowed to go to the toilet only once a day.
By now I had realized, I was not going home and
jags was not coming to my rescue. The building I stayed at was 3 storeys, and was very big. It must have had more than 30 rooms. It was the only building there, there was nothing
anywhere around this building, just fields and 1 tarmac road. It was a brothel.
I was not a lone there were 10 other girls (Sikh) that were in the same situation as me. We were all kept on the top floor, we were all given one room each. The other girls had been there longer than me, we would get a chance to speak during the night. They told me of their stories and how they got here, they sounded
familiar. It would be very cold during the night. They told me, on the 3rd day, what happens here. This where, the shiv sena members and locals came to enjoy themselves. I was very frightened. This is where they would come to quench their desires. I remember how they treated us, they would treat us like animals, they would rape us, and then spit on our faces after they were done.they will always say were is guru nanak or gobinb singh now and other stuff which i never understood.my dad was an exindian army and so was my grand father they always told me to beloyal to india.but this not place tolove we all found out.It was a living
nightmare, with no escape. I spent 15 months here, over that period of time,
I have seen 36 more girls been brought here, I have seen 7 commit suicide, by jumping of the building and 20 odd taken away by rich businessmen who would use them in their own brothels. I saw and lived in HELL, I saw young girls being
raped, I heard the screams of these girls and their
frustration, that no one would help them. When I first saw the police approach the building, I thought that we had been saved, was I proved wrong, they beat a girl to death right in front of us all, to show us who was in charge, and what would happen if we didn't co-operate. If you think for a second, that what I am saying is lies, go and approach the Scotland Yard, they have the full details of who the girls were and where they were from. I saw this with my own eyes, and no-one ever helped us.
A time came when me and another girl, got the opportunity to escape, we had been taken to a local tribesman's house, a fight had broken out, in his house, in the confusion Guru ji gave us an opportunity to escape, we took a jeep, and set out on the roads, we didn't know where we were going, we just went, where ever the road took us. We got close to a town Called Eminabad, here we informed the police of what had happened to us, they helped us, we were handed over to the British embassy and sent back to the UK. Once back in the UK, the police tried to hand us back to our families, OUR OWN families had disowned us, my family told me to go away, that I had brought shame to the family name, I tried to apologise, and they would not accept it.
I even tried to get help
From the Gurdwara, they said they could not help us. We had to go back to the police, who then put us in a witness protection program.
The year is 2003, I was then 21. We both were given a new chance to start a fresh, the police helped us a great deal. In the program we were given a place to stay and they gave us new jobs, to rebuild our lives. I am now 25, married and a 3 year old girl. I re-initiated into Sikhism in 1998, me and my friend, we took Amrit and took an active role to combat what had happened to us and help others in the same situation.
There is not a single second that goes by, without me thinking about those poor girls locked up in india. I have
been scarred for life. But I must do everything I can to try to create awareness to help those girls that scream every night and go through that abuse. I am thankful to the Police who are trying to help those girls, but I think we as a community need to do much more. We must come out of hiding, and face the danger these girls now face. But what we find is a really negative attitude employed by all parties, the families, Gurdwara and the girls, to do anything about this. I know what happened to me and what is still happening to those that are in india. Accordingly to the latest figures, there are 300 girls there right now, facing constant abuse, who are getting drugged up everyday and then raped. One of them is your relative!! Just keep that in mind, your cousin who you have not seen for over 3 years, went to university and never came back! When you ask your uncle and auntie, where is your cousin who you nor your family have seen for so long, you get the reply, that she has brought a house there and she has found herself a good job, and so she is constantly busy. I beg you please stop these lies, please help my sisters’ in india, who no-one helps, their families are too scared, or they don't know where she is? We must put a stop to this, I saw what is happening there, believe me, I do not even wish this to happen my enemies, when you see a young girl being raped by savages, who beat her and then spit on her you remember God, believe me when all you can hear is her screams to stop and her cry for help all you can do is watch. Those girls need your help! I pray all the time to Guru, to please help, those girls, every time I get the chance. We must make sure not a single girl goes to that living Hell from today. We must educate every one of our girls and boys about our religion. We must take it upon our selves to educate ourselves and our own families about Sikhism and the dangers it faces constantly. We must thrive to make sure this never happens to any of our girls ever again. I hope Guru Ji helps us. I hope you at least help yourself and your own family. I hope all those that took those poor girls over to Pakistan, realise that God is within us all, and not just in the heavens, I wish they could just imagine for 1 single second, that one of those girls was their own sister! No one would ever want this to happen to anyone, believe me. We have altered the above account to safe guard our source. The name and locations have been changed and how our penji escaped has been changed dramatically for the simple reason not to jeopardise any other girls opportunity to escape.
Wednesday 9 January 2008
By Amanpreet Kaur
By Amanpreet Kaur
June 2003
http://www.realsikhism.com/testimonies/amanpreet.html
I am Amanpreet Kaur, a 22 year old girl born in Ludhiana, Punjab. When I was 19, studying BCA, I fell in love with a Hindu boy named Sameer. We would talk for hours and it was clear that he loved me back. We would always talk about living a happy life together but never really discussed religion.
Religion is a big part of life in India. Indians are very religious people. My family was religious but they hardly told me anything about Sikhism. Everything I learned about Sikhism was from the school in which I studied ‘till twelfth grade. I knew about Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his teachings and that Sikhs are to worship one God only. I knew a little bit of the history, Sikhs fighting with Muslim emperor Aurengzeb to save Hindus. But little did I knew about differences between Sikhism and Hinduism. All I knew was Sikhs do not believe in caste system and do not worship Hindu Gods like Brahma, Krishan, Ganesh, Durga, Kali etc, as mukti (salvation) can only be attained through the meditation on One God, who is above all.
Sameer told me that I do not have to convert to Hinduism in order to marry him. He told me that I can still practice Sikhism if I wanted to. Marrying a Hindu didn’t seem a big of deal to me but my parents told me that I should marry someone with the similar belief system, a Sikh. There arose a huge fight in our family but blinded by love I insisted to marry Sameer only.
Anyway, we got married. Our marriage was conduct according to Hindu marriage ceremony. Everything was going well for the first couple of weeks until his parents started forcing me to do Durga Puja (worship). I resisted but they said it is the practice of their family and I have to do it. I told Sameer and found him surprisingly in agreement with his parents. He said I can perform Sikh practices but being in their family I have to do Durga Puja.
The conflict started arising not only because of Durga Puja but also due to daily Hindu rituals. For example always referring to Hindu Gods while talking, fasting for certain periods, considering fire as sacred, and much more.
They kept forcing me and taunting me and I started performing Durga Puja. I felt very awkward worshipping the stone statue of Durga. One day I decided to search the online version of Guru Granth Sahib about what my Guru says about performing other worships. I found out that Guru Ji condemns the worship of anyone else except God.
As I read more and more of Guru Granth Sahib and some of the articles written by Sikhs, my eyes lit and I was amazed that my Guru offers such beautiful and true teaching. I felt embarrassed for not knowing it until now. Everything a girl could ever imagine is in Sikhism. Guru ji gave women equal status as of men, equal rights and self-respect. My Guru made me a princess by giving me the last name, Kaur. I felt really ashamed and embarrassed having betrayed my Guru.
The next morning I told Sameer that I will no longer perform Durga Puja. When my mother-in-law heard this from Sameer, she became furious and started cursing me. And started telling Sameer that he should leave me. That morning I did not perform Durga Puja. One day Sameer came home and told me to get ready. I asked him the reason and he said it is a surprise. I had no idea where he was taking me until he took me to a mandir (Hindu Temple). He had tricked me to go to the mandir to do Durga Puja. I refused to get out of the car. He kept trying and even tried to drag me. Watching my resistance, he became furious and drove back home. He did not say a word and when we went in our room he slapped me. The slap was so unexpected and hard that I fell on the ground. I started crying and he started yelling. I wept for the whole night.
Slowly our marriage grew apart and we got divorced. I still regret my decision of getting married to Sameer. Sometimes our emotions make us blind and all we want to see is what suits our eyes and we ignore everything else, unaware of what we ignored will come back to haunt us. My advice to all Sikh girls is to marry a Sikh so that there would be no room for religious conflicts.
Sikh Girls being Converted to Hinduism
Please do not ignore this message
Please do not ignore this message being sent out to you. The following is chilling and distressing but the time has come now to take drastic action. The following is NOT to insight racial hatred, but to highlight the major problems a MINOR few extremists are having on a the UK community and their human rights.
Young girls from the ages of 13-22 of Sikh, are being targeted,harassed,drugged,
They are GETTING AWAY with this as threats against their families are buying them their freedom to do this.
This is not a message solely for awareness. This is a message for action.
We need to NETWORK across the UK and STOP THIS NOW. Involving the police has had no real impact to date.Pressure for awareness must be applied.
We need you to contact us with any problems that you, your family, friend even your neighbour is having. It may seem innocent to you BUT boys are being PAID by much deep rooted extremists to collect non-hindu girls for future prostitution. THIS COULD BE YOUR YOUNGER OR OLDER SISTER IN THE FUTURE.
MAKE A STOP TO IT NOW.
CONTACT US WITH ANY INFORMATION OR HELP YOU REQUIRE.
CONTACT US IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT SOMEONE YOU KNOW.
CONTACT US IF YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT PRACTICES IN SUCH BEHAVIOUR.
THIS IS ALL CONFIDENTIAL AND WE WILL HELP YOU KNOW MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.
THESE MATTERS WILL BE DEALT WITH AND SUCH PEOPLE CAN NOT GET AWAY WITH IT.
WAYS TO STOP SUCH VULNERABILITY:
WARN youngsters, they need to the knowlege of this to be aware of it.
Pay an interest in what your friends, sisters and cousins are doing and who they talk to. They may be extremely vulnerable without you knowing it. BE aware of their school situations, some schools are HOTSPOTS. Not only INSIDE the schools, but also older boys/men roam outside colleges and schools in cars with the sole aim to start relationships. The abuse follows this together were pictures used for blackmailing.
Be extremely careful of websites such as Hi5 and MySpace, some men pose there as Sikhs to talk to and meet girls. MAKE SURE THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS AND NEVER MEET ANYONE OFF THE INTERNET. This also applies to certain non-Sikhs wearing Kara in clubs and also in the streets.
Drug Rape Drug
A common entrapment method; do not leave your drink unattended in bars/clubs.
Be vigilant with ANYONE that you feel is in contact with youngsters for the wrong reasons, do NOT sit back and watch it happen.
THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT SIKHS, WHITE AND HINDUS GIRLS ARE BEING TARGETED ALSO. ALWAYS BE WARY.
The time of waiting around and ‘hoping’ somebody else will stop this has come to an end.
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