November 9, 2014: Inside the Fresno Sikh Institute on Sunday, two lines formed: Men to the left, women to the right.
Once at the front of the line, they raised their hands in prayer, dollar bills pressed between their fingers. Each person dropped the bills into an offering container, then knelt down and touched their head to the floor in respect. Behind it, on a raised platform and covered with an embroidered red cloth, was the Sikh holy book. That room, where 150 or so people sat cross-legged on the floor, was equally divided — an array of colorful turbans on one side and bright, flowing scarves on the other.
Sikhs in Fresno and around the world celebrated the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of what has become the world’s fifth largest religion.
The Sikh Council of Central California, which represents 13 gurdwaras (temples) throughout the Central Valley, presented a seminar Sunday about education and Sikhism. Last year, the event focused on the bullying of Sikh students in school.
Nanak, whose birth date was Nov. 6, was the first Sikh guru, or spiritual teacher. He promoted equality, diversity, compassion and tolerance during the 15th century in the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan — teachings that have become the core principles of Sikhism.
November is also significant to Sikhs in California because, since 2010, the Assembly has declared it Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. Fresno Unified School District, Fresno State and many cities including Fresno, Selma and Fowler, passed similar proclamations.
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| Kitty Catania, deputy superintendent of educational services for the Fresno County Office of Education, speaks to members of the Sikh community during a one-day seminar held by the Sikh Council of Central California to voice concerns that face the Sikh people like bullying, at the Sikh Institute in Fresno Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. CRAIG KOHLRUSS — THE FRESNO BEE |
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| Members of the Sikh community listen to speakers during a one-day seminar that was held by the Sikh Council of Central California at the Sikh Institute in Fresno Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. CRAIG KOHLRUSS — THE FRESNO BEE |
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| Harinder Singh, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Sikh Research Institute, speaks to members of the Sikh community during a one-day seminar held by the Sikh Council of Central California Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014 in Fresno, Calif. CRAIG KOHLRUSS — THE FRESNO BEE |
Organizers of Sunday’s celebration had hoped for speeches from Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent of public instruction, and Jim Yovino, superintendent of the Fresno County Office of Education. On the agenda, the leaders were set to talk about Modesto City Schools’ World Geography-World Religion class, which was adopted in May as a requirement for ninth-graders. The class examines six major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Modesto City Schools is possibly the only school district in the state that requires students to learn about world religions, according to the legislative resolution.
Neither Torlakson nor Yovino were able to attend. Kitty Catania, deputy superintendent of educational services for the Fresno County Office of Education, spoke briefly in Yovino’s place. She said the county held a cultural awareness day in October 2013 with administrators from different districts, during which they talked about the resources available to teach children about different cultures and increase collaboration and appreciation among students. In October, she said, the Office of Education passed a resolution observing anti-bullying toward Sikh-Americans.
“Superintendent Yovino is a strong supporter of the Sikh community and especially the anti-bullying awareness campaign that we’re trying to institute in all the school across Fresno County,” she said.
Pashaura Singh Dhillon, education coordinator for the Sikh Council, said it’s especially important to remember Nanak’s message of peace among people of all faiths and cultures in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Five hundred years later, he said, those teachings continue to be relevant.
“The popular image of the terrorist as made out by the media after 9/11 is the turbaned man with a beard, which most resembles the outer markings of a Sikh,” he said. “And it is Sikhs who continue to bear the brunt of these hate crimes.”
More than 30,000 Sikhs live in the central San Joaquin Valley, where followers have worked to create a better understanding of their religion. A national survey released in March showed Sikh students living in Fresno County are regularly bullied at school, and many of them said educators do nothing when such aggression is reported. Among the four cities surveyed in 2012 and 2013, including Boston, Indianapolis and Seattle, Fresno had the second-highest percentage of students saying they had been bullied — 54.5%.
Harinder Singh of the Sikh Research Institute directed his message to the younger Sikhs in the audience: “The ultimate weapon you can carry with you is knowledge. How many of us are carrying that weapon?”
Singh said that what people believe in isn’t important; it’s how they use their knowledge to better the world. He flowed easily between two languages, sometimes mid-sentence, explaining the values Nanak promoted in English, then directly quoting the guru in Punjabi.
When educating the next generation, he said: “Let’s not teach them what to think. Let’s teach them how to think.”
Navpreet Kaur, 28, of Fresno attended part of the seminar. She said she liked that it focused on the youth, who tend not to be as involved in the religion in this country.
“I’m sure that’s a concern for the older people, that the kids are going to start turning away from our religion because they just don’t want to be bullied,” she said. “That they’re not going to wear their turbans. Obviously that’s not the most important thing, but it is part of our identity.”