Let Women Perform Kirtan At Golden Temple, Sikh-Americans Demand

At a time when there's no field that women haven't ventured into, Sikh-Americans are demanding an important religious right for women. They want women of the community to be allowed to perform Kirtan or sing shabads or hymns at the Golden Temple to make it a more gender-neutral society.

According to them, Sikh-American women have been in the shadow for a long time now and to recognise their importance and role played by them, they should get equal opportunities as the men.

Recently, such demands were voiced at a gathering in Maryland of young Sikhs aged between 7 and 17 from across the United States and Canada.

According to them, Sikh women are eligible to perform Kirtan at Darbar Sahib, too, then why this partiality?

"It is clear from many historical references that Sikh women were crucial to the success of the 5th largest religion and it is extremely important that we give them their deserving role in Sikh affairs, especially being able to sing shabads or hymns at the very heart of Sikhism, in Darbar Sahib, the Golden Temple," Rajwant Singh, one of the Sikh Americans who taught the campers said, reports PTI.

"This Panth would not be where it is today without the actions of Sikh women, so we should recognise their contributions," said Sehejneet Kaur, a counsellor who is pursuing dentistry.

The campaign was organized by Washington-based Guru Gobind Singh Foundation which helps children in channelising their concerns.

Picture Credit: Lonely Planet