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Taslima Nasrin says, “I believe in absolute freedom of expression. Everyone has a right to offend and be offended.” The adage is synonymous with this brave personality who is not shy of offending a few individuals whilst expressing his viewpoints on all matters of culture, heritage and religion. Meet Khalsa Lakhvir-Singh, a creative soul who has worked with well-known advertising agen-
Please give us a brief background about yourself education, profession and other interests. After high-school, I dabbled with an interior design course and French lessons, but serendipitously, ended up being invited to hone my creative skills by Kul Graphics back in 1996, and thereafter, went on to progressively work for some of the top advertising agencies in the country - like Scanad, JWT Kenya, 3mice Interactive, Ogilvy Africa and Creative Edge. Since the last decade now, I serve as Creative Director at Scorpius, a creative branding agency that I co-Founded with my partner, Khalsa Navjit-Kaur. Besides work, I define myself as a creative, an author, a historian, a photographer, a visionary and motivational speaker - the attributes which are reflected across the various social media pages that I manage through my personal website www.kenyankalasingha.com. You operate by the pseudonym - KenyanKalasingha. Please tell us what the ideology behind that name is and how you adopted the name. The name was born from the need to assimilate two identities that are very dear to me - being Kenyan and being a Sikh (Kalasingha). Both these identities combined, have brought me immense honour from not only my friends but from strangers as well from across continents. It started as my first email address in 1998 and is today a growing brand that champions being Sikh and being Kenyan. I run an educational page on Facebook with the same name where I share and celebrate achievements of Kenya’s Sikhs, both from history and from contemporary times. With a following of over 5,000 fans from around the world, the page is helping inform, educate and awaken one and all on how we can be true to both identities - being Kenyan and Sikh. The intention was to instill patriotic fervour and appreciation in us that has of late been taking a beating owing to misinformation and innocent ignorance which leads to mistrust and dislike amongst each other as Kenyans from various ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. The KenyanKalasingha brand has potential to grow even further to a national and international level to further the cause of flying high the flag of Kenya, and to fill pride in Sikhs and in others about our achievements in helping build both country and community.
MAY / 15 - 21 / 2015
Khalsa LS, you are known to be vocal about matters of the faith and community. People don’t like that much. What’s your comment? My voice is borne out of honest concern and love for the faith that has given me much respect, honour and sense of inner identity. I usually raise various concerns affecting Sikhs and Sikhi on social media because it is the platform of the times, which has a potential to reach thousands within a click and gets people engaged in dialogue which is lacking in traditional platforms like print media or even in our own Gurudwaras. There have been both cheer and jeer to my views which I find is healthy, and I take it in my stride to refine my views and prose of presentation. Everyone’s views have something to teach, and I humble myself to continue to lead by example; that is why I take the brunt of criticism for standing up for values, principles and ethics which I love to share and inspire both young and old. I believe that what I am today is due to both appreciation and criticism alike, which has helped build myself as a person, and as a public figure - and to both I remain eternally grateful. I do understand that with time, I am refining my words, approach and message which will become more conducive in helping propagate my views of faith in a more harmonious way. In the end, it is hard to please everyone, but I remain committed to not hurting anyone’s self-respect, being true to self. It’s a fine balance I have to maintain, but that is exactly what Sikhi teaches us - to balance both spiritual and worldly matters in equipoise and inner peace. My views are never intentionally judgmental, but rather, are honest observations which I try to express in humility and respect. But in the end, one cannot do much about those that are committed to misunderstanding you, and I let them be and be at peace with myself. You were recently on TV discussing faith, culture and heritage. Do you think Sikh faith, culture and heritage has been spoken about or chronicled adequately? The live show on Indian culture aired on Citizen TV a few weeks back was a great initiative, but it did not do justice to who the Kenyan Asians really are, as the scope of the script was very shallow and there was too much to show in such little frame of time. I represented the Sikhs but felt there was not much
cies in Kenya. A self-proclaimed historian, photographer, visionary and motivational speaker, Khalsa Lakhvir-Singh dons many hats. In this interview, we find out more about his dynamic personality as we interview him on matters related to culture, heritage and faith.
By Javed Kana
room to speak more about our religion, culture, beliefs and faith. It is not possible to cover the subject on the Sikhs in just one episode, but requires concerted and well-studied series of episodes where there is interaction with wider audiences who have some really interesting questions to ask, to help them understand who the Kalasinghas really are. To be honest, half the world thinks Sikhs are Hindu, and the other half thinks we are Muslims! The blame lies squarely on us. The Sikh faith is 500 years old (the youngest and fifth largest of all major world religions) and Sikhs in Kenya have been a part of this beautiful country for over 100 years, and we still haven’t done quite enough to share our faith with others - on who we are, what we are about and what we stand for. This is because of two main reasons - firstly, that Sikhs do not proselytise, which means majority of the world has no idea who Sikhs are, and secondly, we have failed our own selves in understanding who we are. Meaningful education and awareness in our Gurdwaras has been waning and now sorely wanting, and we have not changed with the times in approach to dissemination of Sikhi knowledge other than the same old traditional forms which the youth can no longer relate to. The world will only begin to know and understand Sikhs when we first allow the same for ourselves in our homes, institutions and organisations. There are not enough dialogues on a local, national or international level which will help cut the divide in helping the world understand who Sikhs are. There is a growing generation which is not aligned towards matters of faith. People don’t go to mosques, temples, gurdwaras or churches for no reason as such. What is attributed to this shift from the previous pious generations? Today’s youth are very intelligent, rational and open to learning, but they are shying away from traditional religion. It is not that our religions are dated, but our ways of reaching out to them are outdated, unappealing and lack power to impress their impressionable minds. Faith and belief are timeless concepts and require lots of hard work within - prayer, contemplation and discipline - and youth need inspiration as an example. Role models are few and in-between, religious politics and leadership has also taken a toll on the youth as they get discouraged by what others tell them what to do, and not as they do. It is a mounting challenge to
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convince them that religion and faith hold all the answers to their disillusions in life, and that is why they turn to what is easier and escapist - indulgence in materialism, bad company and intoxications. If our leadership led by example, perhaps our youth would begin to return to their respective places of worship, and the allures of the world would have lesser effect on them. How can the youth be enticed to participate and represent the community in all its affairs? We need to reach out to their level and win them over with higher thought, just like we do with little children who cannot understand higher concepts but have to be explained to in their language which is simple and straightforward. Likewise, our youth can begin to take greater interest in community affairs if we set the pace and lead by example rooted in humility, selflessness, honesty and fair play, but at the same time, not expect them to emulate us in the same ways, but allow them the space to interpret the same efforts in their own ways, and guide them through. The youth hold immense energy and fervour and those powers need to be harnessed without disturbing the source, much like we extract power from wind, fire or water. Our wanting leadership is led by the same old faces over decades at a time and the youth are hardly involved in major decision-making and ideas, but are relegated to their own little teams to keep them busy and out of the crosshairs of the powerful. If we want to see change in our youth, we need to involve them in matters of faith and take their views and give them the benefit of doubt in doing things their way, but all along, guided by the timeless values as encapsulated in the scriptures of the respective faiths. Speaking of culture, the Sikh community recently celebrated a Black Diwali. Please enlighten us about the same. The Black Diwali was a day that Sikhs around the world used to express their hurt and bring awareness to the general public about the desecrations of their holy scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib) that were taking place in Punjab, and the miscreants not being honestly identified and brought to book by the authorities. Diwali is generally a Hindu festival, but in and about the same time, a major milestone is also commemorated by the Sikhs when their sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib helped release wrongly imprisoned Hindu princes at the hands of the tyrant Mughal rulers, circa 1600s. That milestone is referred to Bandi Chorrh Divas (Day of Liberation) and merely coincides with the Diwali of the Hindus, but majority of Sikhs are oblivious to their own history and celebrate the usual Diwali without understanding their own history first. This year in India, Punjab has been going through hard times as Sikhs have been facing increasing attack by miscreants. To highlight their grievances for rightful redress, Sikhs only named the event as Black Diwali to express their hurt and help raise awareness on what has been troubling them on a large scale. The quiet and peaceful protest had nothing to do with disrespecting the Diwali of the Hindus, but was only an opportunity for the Sikhs to reflect, pray and contemplate instead of engaging in celebrations whose noises would drown the cries for justice and legal redress that Sikhs in India have been asking for decades now. You designed a book on the Sikhs of Kisumu. Please tell us details about the content of the book and what Sikhs can achieve from it. Last year, Siri Gurudwara Singh Sabha Kisumu commemorated a century of the founding of the Gurudwara, and also marked the over 100 years milestone since the Sikh
settlement in Nyanza upon the completion of the historic Uganda Railway (1898-1901). The book chronicles the history of how the Sikhs came to Kenya and made it their home as they fell in love with the country and its peoples. Largely, Sikhs have no idea of their roots in Kenya; they only have surface knowledge but are oblivious on just how deep down their roots reach. We have never written our own history, and over the decades, lost out on our past as old records, documents and relics ended up in the trash without the realisation on the role they play in our future. It is not until Cynthia Salvadori authored her 1997 magnum opus - We Came in Dhows that Asians in Kenya realised just how much could still be salvaged in beginning to chronicle their own history. She set the pace and since then, the Asian families
Our wanting leadership is led by the same old faces over decades at a time and the youth are hardly involved in major decision-making and ideas, but are relegated to their own little teams to keep them busy and out of the crosshairs of the powerful. If we want to see change in our youth, we need to involve them in matters of faith and take their views and give them the benefit of doubt in doing things their way, but all along, guided by the timeless values as encapsulated in the scriptures of the respective faiths. have begun keeping and digging out their history for publication and preservation. It was fortunate that Siri Guru Singh Sabha Kisumu had preserved a lot of their own history which became the soul of their book that I got the privilege to conceptualise, design, layout and print. The coffee table book turned out brilliantly, and received tremendous response from Sikhs both in Kenya and abroad. Its intended purpose is to play a role in the recording of our rich heritage in Kenya and if the Kisumu side of it is anything to go by, one can imagine just how much history still remains to be told; there are over two dozen Gurudwaras in Kenya with their own history to narrate, record, publish and preserve for generations to come. The selfless efforts put in by its publishers and getting it done professionally is a message to other Gurudwaras on how equally important it is to professionally put together their history as it is to compile it. The book serves as an important record for Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike to get a glimpse into who the Sikhs in Kenya are and the role they have played in carving out a niche for themselves in the process of building both country and community. It is powerfully illustrated and narrated and should inspire more Sikhs to take a keen interest in their past which is important when it comes to helping them understand their faith, culture, principles and country as they chart out their collective futures. What steps should today’s generation take to ensure Sikh culture is preserved and followed in future
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generations? Sikh youth need to reach out to Guru Granth Sahib, the Living Guru of the Sikhs (in the form of Word) and endeavour to study, discuss, contemplate and apply the teachings in their daily living, because Sikhi is not just a religion, but a way of life. Because we are aloof of our ultimate guide in Guru Granth Sahib’s message, we ignore it and then turn to others to interpret the faith for us, who in turn may be as flawed or just as confused as the others, leading to further disillusion and eventual fallout from mainstream Sikhi. For a true seeker, Gurbani (Guru Granth Sahib) is the ultimate leader for a Sikh, and not in merely outward forms of respect and ritual, but in the diligent study and contemplating of the unadulterated teachings of the Sikh Gurus that are contained therein. Youth also need to understand that the outward identity is part and parcel of the message of Guru Nanak and that without Bana (outward image of the Sikh - uncut hair and turban) and Bani (Scriptures), a Sikh will never fully comprehend the message of Sikhi and the role it plays in helping us understand our immortal spiritual identity and mortal worldly sojourn. Preservation of Sikhi is the integral responsibility of all Sikhs and not the reserve of just priests alone. Future generations will only take Sikhi forward if we show them how, for we do not own it, but merely preserve it for our children. Sikhi is a beautiful and simple concept, but the most misunderstood, misused and abused. Youth need to read their history for themselves, seek the counsel of well-informed Sikhs so that they may be guided through what they cannot fathom and live Sikhi on a personal level. Sikhi is not just for the Gurdwaras, but for every home that becomes like a Gurudwara. Parents need to encourage their children to further into Sikhi, because many youth show interest in it, but get little or no support from family, so they abandon it or compromise with it. The youth alone cannot carry the weight of Sikhi on their tender shoulders but need the continued support of parents, seniors and leaders to strengthen their souls in living meaningful lives and in passing the baton to future generations. Any message to the readers of The Asian Weekly and the youth of Sikh community? The Asian Weekly is a very powerful medium that helps unify the Asian community through shared news and information. To its readers, I humbly request that they employ further study of what inspiration they find through it. As for the youth of Sikh community, my honest desire is to witness them flourish in all worthy arenas of life which will bring glory to the image of their Gurus. To them, I implore, that please do not engage in matters that our Guru would not approve of, for every wrongful thing we do as a Sikh, it is our Gurus that we bring dishonour to. Preserve their honour, come into true Sikhi, as we are here today because they preserved our honour in our darkest days in history. The ways of this world are misleading and to find lasting purpose, learn Gurmukhi, read Guru Granth Sahib, make the effort to understand what our Gurus taught us and live your daily lives as per Gurmat, Gurbani and Rehat. You were not born to fit in, but to stand out. Our very turban is our crown, as bestowed by the Gurus, so do not bring it into disrepute. Trust Sikhi, it is what has been blessed to us to cross over this terrifying world ocean in which countless continue to endlessly take birth and die. Your time has come to end this vicious cycle, make it count. Be the true Sikh of the Guru, and pay no heed to those that break you from the Guru for in the end, they will not be there for you, but the (Shabad) Guru will.
MAY / 15 - 21 / 2015