Below is a fascinating video with a long discussion with Cynthia Mahmood.
"I have been studying this community since 1980. Studying for an Anthropologist doesn't just mean reading books about it but we live among the people, we become intimately involved and engaged with the subject matter. In fact, over these amount of years, I've practically become a Sikh. Those of you who know me, know the extent to which this is true. What I mean is, the quest of the Sikh community has become my quest as well."
These were her opening words and when you watch the video it is very interesting to hear her suggestions on how the Sikh cause can be advanced.
Here are some interesting points:
-The younger generation of western Sikhs have more in common with her than perhaps their own parents being both western born people.
-The Sikh community is mostly inward focused, typically not aware of the history of other minorities.
-Trends, like the female dastar, sometimes start in the west and spread to India
-She was raised as a Mennonite, a people who prefer not to engage in the world. The Gurus did not advise this approach for Sikhs instructing that one should engage in the world.
-She notices that young Sikhs like to engage in activism but when they start family life they can no longer continue doing it. "We have to work out a way that you can be an engaged Sikh all through your life."
-What happened between the Indian state and the Sikhs should be of interest to all Indians as it was a failure of human rights.
-Hotel listings do not include gurdwaras while they do include synagogues, churches and mosques.
-Sikhs do not regularly go to other religions house of worship.
-Why not have regional youth committees that look at reaching out to different religions.
-We may not really know how many Sikhs there are in the world. Maybe Sikhs can raise the money to do a professional legitimate survey to find exactly how many Sikhs are in the world.
-Do not just make a regional decision, find the talent among other Sikh communities to utilize and grow the ability to be inclusive.
-Why not go to a Muslim conference, for example, and offer information about Sikhs.
-Hire expert lobbyist to represent Sikhs. Hire the best firm regardless if they are Sikhs are not.
-Think about forming museums to preserve Sikh heritage.
-Promote scholarship to expose and explain Sikhs to the academic world. Make it liveable for scholars to study Sikhs. (Though Cynthia feels this is a most important subject she may not be able to continue to study Sikhs because she can't afford to because there are not grants available for this subject.)
After her presentation ended she engaged the group in a question and answer section which was very informative and insightful. She is refreshingly knowledgeable about Sikh culture and offers a great perspective.
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Panthic Efforts for a Global Presence Retreat 2010 | ||
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Published on Feb 26, 2013 Speaker: Cynthia Mahmood (IN) | ||
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