People
Building Bridges in Norway On Vaisakhi Day
by NIKITA PURI
As celebrations redolent of makki di roti and sarson da saag announce the arrival of Vaisakhi on the main streets of Oslo, Norway, hundreds of Norwegians will celebrate the occasion in cream, saffron, blue and red turbans.
With blessings from the Norwegian government, the annual Turban Day celebrated on April 14 is turning three this year.
Born and raised in Oslo, 28-year-old Sumeet Singh Patpatia, a finance professional who is one of the organisers of the event, explains how the idea took root.
'The aim of the Norwegian Turban Day is to re-launch the turban as a symbol of solidarity, equality and religious freedom,' Sumeet said.
'The past years have been characterised by prejudices in public debate, and there is a growing tendency towards polarisation in all societies. We wanted to give Norwegians a chance to understand our community better.'
Apart from encouraging the local community to clear the doubts that they may have about the Sikh-Norwegian community, measures such as these, Sumeet added, also help in 'making it easier for a bearded young Sikh to be accepted in a different society with his turban'.
An initiative of Oslo's Sikh-Norwegian community, the event is spearheaded by the Unge Sikher (Sikh Youth) under the banner of the Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Oslo. Oslo's first gurudwara was established in 1984, although Sikhs had started arriving in the Scandinavian country in 1970s.
In the aftermath of India's anti-Sikh pogroms in 1984, many of them sought and got political asylum in Norway - the most notable case being that of the serving Indian diplomat, Harinder Singh.
Elaborating on the Norwegian Turban Day schedule, Sumeet Singh said: 'After the nagar kirtan (neighbourhood procession), which ends at University Square, we have the gatka (martial arts demonstration) and then the langar.
'Norwegians find the idea of a langar particularly fascinating because it is open to everyone and all are treated with warmth.'
The day-long event, which begins at 12 noon and continues till 6 pm, has visitors to Oslo asking the organisers to arrange similar shows in their cities too.
'Last year, by four in the evening, we had tied about 600 turbans and with two hours more to go, we fell short of turbans,' Sumeet said.
This year, he's better prepared - 'we have about a thousand turbans ready,' he said, adding that he expected a substantial increase in the number of people participating in the event.
[Courtesy: The Daily Mail. Edited for sikhchic.com]
April 14, 2012
Conversation about this article
1: Bhavneet Kaur (India), April 14, 2012, 5:29 AM.
I am so impressed after reading this article that we are still left with great Sikhi inside us in different countries like Norway and we celebrate days like Vaisakhi with such great events. I wish and I pray that Waheguru keeps showering His blessings on you all and you keep on celebrating this day with more encouragement and happiness.