Kaur Project ~ Navdeep Kaur - Seeker, Cultivator & Curator of Light

Articulating Kaur* identity is complex, there is no simple classification. Kaur Project recognizes and celebrates Kaur identity as diverse and expansive.

Hearing the call, Kaur Project’s mission is the assemblage of an exhaustive catalogue of Kaurs – a magical blend of portraits and poignant, pithy storytelling. Using these mediums, Kaur Project aims to create an approachable and yet densely layered dialogue about Kaurs, ready to be unpacked.

How Kaur Project unfolded.

There is a great deal of discussion about women's equality, but we are steeped in an old patriarchal culture that makes us complicit in the erasure of women, past and present.

The few historicized Kaur stories, often are defined in relation to their male counterparts. Often their full contributions as thinkers, poets and warriors unto themselves have been eclipsed by historians, policy, and our communities.

But, a new generation of Kaurs exist as teachers, lawyers, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors, homemakers, filmmakers and more, all carrying on the movement of revolutionary women. They have found brave new ways to reflect their identities while offering their own unique voices to public discourse. We are proud to call them our contemporaries -- they are sources of inspiration, wisdom and leadership, who deserve to be known.

The Kaurs highlighted by Kaur Project are modern-day heroines - and for each Kaur story we share, there are thousands more, blazing their own paths.

*What is a Kaur?

These women share a commonality – the middle or last name of Kaur. They are not necessarily related. With the creation of the Khalsa Panth, Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Nanak), gave a way for each Sikh to drop their last names and utilize a collective name (Kaur for women and Singh for men) that liberated oppression of class, caste and social determinants of destiny. Further, adopting Kaur challenged the patriarchal system of women having to take their husband's name.

How are Kaurs chosen?

Mostly this consists of “kaur-spotting” and explaining the importance of celebrating the diversity and inclusivity of Kaurs. Kaur Project documents and celebrates this through photography and storytelling. Some Kaurs are flattered while others are suspicious. We always ask permission before taking a snap and sharing their story.

"I questioned my identity for many years. Other than in legal documents, I didn’t identify as a Kaur. I always wondered and questioned why it was there. I found there to be a paradox between my baptized grandparents, non-baptized parents, and a religion I was supposed to follow. No one took the time to explain it and I didn’t have the opportunity to dig deeper. I had what so many of us have… first generation syndrome, where we are unsure of where we fit in exactly. I always had a feeling of being an inner queen, but never really had the permission to let it out. I have a memory of being in India when I was four years old, holding my great great grandfather’s hand. He was a magnificent man, tall and dressed impeccably in his blue dastar, who was astonished that even at 4 years old, my mannerisms and speech were like a wise old woman. He would tell me my name should be Narayni, like an old woman and in response I would say no no, I am a maharani.” When my nana ji passed away five years ago, it jolted me to explore spirituality to confront my grief and my identity struggle. There was nowhere to turn, but inwards. I was at Amritsar and felt like I was embraced by something divine and untouchable, I was finally welcomed home. This was the kickstarter to understanding it is a privilege to be connected to this religion, which to me is really a way of life. It was then that I began to separate from the dogma about Sikhism and really explored the juice, depth, of the wisdom which is simply love. To me, being a Kaur is being purposeful. Using life to uplift people and the world. As time goes forward, a Kaur takes others with her. There is strength, grace and wisdom associated with being a Kaur, but there is also humility. Rather than wasting life and focusing on the dogma of the religion, being connected to the heart. I believe our main question should be, “are we being purposeful?” Up until these realizations, I never really felt like I fit in. This project has given me the opportunity to embrace that I too am a Kaur and that I don’t have to look a certain way to be accepted. We should be proud of who we are, connect, and embrace the queenship that we are bestowed."

All images and text are copyright of Kaur Project.