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AAP has electrified the electorate
Kejriwal has an edge over Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi
T.V. Rajeswar
Both Arvind Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav come from Haryana and they seem to be confident of displacing the Hooda government. |
After the Aam Aadmi Party's debut in Delhi politics, subsequent events followed in quick order which led to Arvind Kejriwal becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi on December 28, 2013. The party itself got only 28 of the 70 seats, leaving both the BJP and the Congress as helpless watchers. This led to the Congress supporting the Aam Aadmi Party from outside. Arvind Kejriwal took the oath of office at the Ramlila Maidan and announced a six-member Cabinet. The ministers did not move into high-end bungalow-type accommodation, refused to have red beacons on cars and did not allow security guards to follow them.Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had to prove his majority on the floor of the House on January 3. The speech he made has been hailed as memorable. He spoke from his heart, stating that he was an ordinary man and that the Aam Aadmi Party had no ambitions or expectations. He promised a clean and attentive government to the people of Delhi. The Chief Minister promptly implemented two of the 18 points in his manifesto pertaining to the supply of 700 litres of water free for every household and a reduction of the electricity charges. The first few days of the Aam Aadmi Party and its performance have electrified the people across the country as never before. It is the talk in every corner, every field and at every forum. An unexpected upsurge among people has been noticed as mentioned by Prashant Bhushan, one of the founding members of the party. Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting of the Executive on January 5 and announced that the party would contest the assembly elections in Haryana and also the Lok Sabha elections. As events unfold, it is more than likely that the Aam Aadmi Party will contest the elections in most of the states. The names of the candidates for the Lok Sabha polls will be announced as soon as possible and the first list may come by not later than February 15. Yogendra Yadav, the well-known psephologist and founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party, has suggested that Arvind Kejriwal is likely to be the prime ministerial candidate of the party. Arvind Kejriwal, on his part, has underplayed the suggestion and stated that he will not contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections since he will be busy canvassing for his pary's candidates all over the country. Yogendra Yadav himself has been tipped to be the partyy's candidate for the post of Chief Minister of Haryana. Haryana is the state from where both Arvind Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav come and they seem to be absolutely confident of displacing the Congress government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. There is also talk of initiating inquiries against the alleged acts of corruption by the Chief Minister of Haryana and his ministers. In Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has made it known that in keeping with the mood of the people generated by the Aam Aadmi Party she would not be moving from her modest residence to a more palatial house earmarked for the Chief Minister. There is also a report that Vasundhara Raje's government will initiate an inquiry into the land dealings of Robert Vadra which had caught the attention of the people some time back. All these developments only point to the fact that the message of the Aam Aadmi Party has travelled far and wide. There is also a wave of fear that high-level corruption and wrongdoings would surely come up for review at the instance of Aam Aadmi Party activists wherever noticed. For example, in Maharashtra, the Congress and National Congress Party ministers accused of committing serious irregularities in the Adarsh housing project are seriously worried. The Maharashtra Government has only partially accepted the report of the judge who inquired into the irregularities. While the ministers were exonerated by the Cabinet, a number of officials are due to be proceeded against for having committed the irregularities. While the Congress leadership will no doubt take note of the dubious act of the Maharashtra Government, the people at large have already bitterly criticised the manner in which the Maharashtra Government has dealt with the matter. For Aam Aadmi Party activists, the Adarsh affair is a fertile field for action and there is no doubt that it will happen sooner or later. Moving from Maharashtra to Himachal Pradesh, the transactions of Virbhadra Singh and his wife in collaboration with an enterprising Andhra businessman stick out like a sore thumb, even though the Chief Minister is still pleading innocence. The Andhra businessmen, Vakkamulla Chander Sekhar, gave Rs. 5.7 crore to Virbhadra Singh along with his wife Pratibha Singh and Virbhadra Singh reportedly have as many as 32 savings accounts and fixed deposit accounts in eight nationalised and corporate banks. The total movable assets amount to Rs.20 crore. The Congress has reportedly asked Virbhadra Singh to sort out the matter and prove his innocence, even as BJP MP Arun Jaitely has termed the transactions as sheer corruption and demanded retribution. There is no doubt that the Himachal Pradesh affair will be yet another green field for the Aam Aadmi Party activists to move in. The Aam Aadmi Party has announced that a sum of Rs.10 which was being collected with every fresh application for membership of the party is being waived and applications will be accepted without any charges. There is no doubt that people from all walks of life are joining the Aam Aadmi Party. Since the Aam Aadmi Party has announced that it will contest about 300 seats, the number could rise as events unfold. Looking ahead with a political telescope, one could see the final contest may be between the BJP's Narendra Modi, the Congress party"s Rahul Gandhi and the Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, even though Kejriwal has ruled himself out of contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. If the final list of candidates consists of only Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and possibly a third front candidate like Nitish Kumar or anyone else, Arvind Kejriwal will surely be there as the people's candidate. And who will win such a contest? A political analyst recently came out with an article giving facts and figures to show that how the BJP, even with all the appeal of Narendra Modi has generated, would not get even 182 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the final analysis, the chances of Arvind Kejriwal clinching the highest leadership in the country are brighter than those of Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. As Arun Jaitley has said, whether time will tell or not, voters will and the ultimate prize may indeed land in Arvind Kejriwal's hands.
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Being Kaur in unsafe city
For the unsafe urban space, the turban offers a visual shield to women. The dastaar or turban is a symbol that one generally associates with men. Increasingly, it is being worn by the urban Sikh women. It redefines beauty, femininity and spirituality in a cosmopolitan setting
Neha Abraham and Rhea John
 Urban spaces are becoming a melting pot of cultural identities. With the same vigour, ethnic identities are claiming their roots to maintain a distinct character. Within this new assertion of identity sometimes a new element is added—of gender equality. Post 9/11 while American Sikhs were grappling with the idea of their distinct identity (not to be confused with the beard of the Muslim), the Sikh women, or Kaurs began a fresh assertion of their identity. It began with a blog based survey “What does a Kaur look like?” The search began because the Kaur identity is not as solidified as that of a Singh, with a turban and beard. The answer was found in the distinct look of the traditional Amritdhari women, who appropriate dastaar or turban in order to assert themselves as equals in the Khalsa. The survey concluded three major reasons why the identity of Amritdhari woman is found to be attractive to the modern urban Kaur. One, religion is often assumed to be patriarchal. Therefore Kaurs are using religious idiom to assert themselves as equals in the Khalsa, as was done by women in rural Punjab for centuries, by choosing to wear large prominent dastaars, rather than covering their head with a chunni. Two, the significance of the dastaar is far more religious than sartorial. And, the concern for safety in a city may not be one of the reasons for choosing to become Amritdhari and wearing the five symbols, particularly the kirpan. But the experience of the city certainly plays an important role in continuing with the decision.
An artist’s impression of Mata Bhag Kaur, a female warrior in Guru Gobind Singh’s army |
Seen as orthodox Amritdhari Sikhs believe that the five ‘kakkas’; kesh (unshorn hair), kanga (comb), kara (steel bangle), kachhehra (knee breeches) and kirpan (dagger), symbols of Sikh identity given by the last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, are an essential part of the prescribed ‘uniform’ and must be worn at all times. For most non-Sikhs, the dastaar or turban is a symbol generally associated with men. “If men cover their heads, so do women. If men wear dastaars, so do women. I can’t imagine Guru Gobind Singh demanding any less of his daughters than his sons”, said one of the respondents to the question, “What triggered you to wear the dastaar?’ Having said this, these Kaurs do recognise that being ‘visibly religious’ is perceived, even by many non- Amritdhari Sikhs, as being ‘orthodox’, ‘fanatical’ or ‘kattar’. They consciously deny these associations, using the religious idiom itself to assert their equal status in the Khalsa. Historical inspiration While it is uncertain who the first turbaned woman was in the Khalsa, all of these women draw inspiration from ‘Mai Bhago’ or Mata Bhag Kaur, a female warrior in Guru Gobind Singh’s army, some say she was the first female bodyguard. Her example is often used to highlight gender equality as being one of the foundational principles of the Khalsa. By placing the wearing of the dumalla within a politico-historical context these women affirm credibility to this practice. “The Mughals forbade anyone except the royals from wearing turbans, riding horses, carrying weapons or keeping eagles. This was precisely why these were the symbols the Sikhs chose to adopt,” said Sarabjeet Kaur who has an insurance and tax services business and also runs a school to impart religious instruction among children, in California. Dr. Harpreet, an anaesthetist, points out that in defiance, they wore not just one, but two turbans! She also explains the prohibition on piercing because the Mughals would pierce the nose of the Sikh women they captured, symbolising their ‘slave status.”We are not slaves to anyone and women are not the slaves of men”, she asserts. These women also have unique ways of explaining personal philosophies that govern their religious practices which is reflective of individual volition. Siri, a management consultant who has been Amritdhari for eleven years says, “The idea is not to become fanatic about the religion. I am more spiritual. My work is my first Karma, and for me it is most important. I have to travel a lot, so I go to Bangla Sahib whenever I’m at home.” The science While speaking of the turban and kesh, Harroop Kaur, a nursing student in California, draws from her knowledge of science to explain her view, “ When we comb our hair there is static - that electricity, that energy - the simran and paath channels it through the hair, and the dastaar protects it. The dastaar then works as a huge storehouse of energy. So the dastaar is a lot more than just identity — it has a function.” One may or may not agree with the logic of it, some women also spoke about how it was important not to judge others and that the significance of certain practices could only be understood when one had achieved a certain level of spiritual maturity. Leading an Amritdhari life is actually a matter of kripa (grace), and people can’t be judged for not taking it up, said twins Luvleen and Gurleen Kaur, both students at DU, pursuing M. Sc. degree. Dr. Harpreet however had a very different take on the subject, “After a while you realise that there is no point in discussing these things with people who don’t understand. Jisne kheer khai hi na ho toh use kya pata ki kheer kaisi hoti hai-ki usme cheeni hai ya mirchi?”(The proof of the pudding is in the eating.) Beauty The older women seemed to have built up more resilience to the pressures of conformity which are ubiquitous in an urban setting. “I don’t think it is anyone’s business to comment on other people’s faith or their looks”, says Dr Harpreet. Young women wearing the dastaar on the contrary are constantly required to defend their choices to family and friends. Shobha Kaur, a professor at DU, says, when she took to wearing the dastaar her friends rued her lost beauty. Despite coming fromAmritdhari families, many girls are discouraged from taking up the dastaar as it would affect their social lives, particularly their marriage prospects. To this Luvleen and Gurleen say, laughing, ‘We told them, bandhne se nahin milega toh nahin bandhne se bhi nahin milega!” Marriage is either destined or it isn’t. The pressures of beauty extend beyond keeping the hair on the head unshorn. In a recent incident, Balpreet Kaur from the US replied to malicious comments about her facial hair on the popular content-sharing website, Reddit, saying ‘When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can. So, to me, my face isn’t important but the smile and the happiness that lie behind the face are.’ When asked about their own appearance, the young women attribute their beauty to the natural form that the Guru gave them and to bearing his ‘crown’, the dastaar. Damanjeet Kaur, an ex-model who is now a practising Amritdhari woman said, “The dastaar is like our crown and our Guru wanted us to look beautiful wearing it.” While they reject hair removal entirely, and for the most part makeup as well, the girls take pains with their dastaars, tying them in different styles, with different cloths, and even decorating them. “I have heard that there are four prescribed colours, but if boys can match, why can’t we?” says Jalnidh Kaur, who is doing an M.Phil in Economics at Oxford University. However, the significance of the dastaar is far more religious than sartorial, whether as a storehouse of spiritual energy, as a constant reminder of the Guru’s presence in their life or as a form of seva, inspiring others to take on the dastaar. One does not ‘wear’ a dastaar, one adorns oneself with it. The unsafe city The turban isn’t just a symbol of identity, according to Shobha Kaur. Together with the kirpan, it also acts as a ‘visual shield’ in a city like Delhi, generally considered unsafe for women. Harroop says, “The kirpan is a last resort, but one should make sure that it is actually sharpened. Look at my kirpan, it’s not a puny three inch thing. I don’t just have it for show. I sharpen it regularly and I can use it!” She also believes that learning Gatka, the Sikh martial art, empowers women. “Even at my Gatka class there are very few girls. A lot of them assume that not much is expected of them. I tell them you will not have it easy, I’m going to be just as hard on you as I am on the guys.” She instructs girls in Gatka. These practices provide a sense of safety and security to these women, also giving them the confidence and strength to help others, and thereby to do seva, an essential principle of the Khalsa. Gursimran, who rides a ‘scooty’ to college as she is not allowed to travel on the Metro with her kirpan, recounted an incident where she helped a woman chase a thief. She then went with her late at night to register the police complaint. As Damanjeet puts it, “People ask ‘don’t you feel scared, going out by yourself at night’? I tell them, “I didn’t wear the kirpan to be scared!” The dastaar seems to act in a similar way in the lives of these women; it suggests strength and courage. Becoming an Amritdhari involves not just adopting the symbols of Sikhism but also internalising the philosophy behind them. The symbols are important reminders of responsibilities not just towards fellow believers but to all human beings. The Kaurs consider themselves to be better equipped to handle the challenges posed by an urban space, both by wearing the symbols as well as internalising the philosophy. The article is based on a research conducted by a group of students of the Delhi School of Economics. (With inputs from Pawanjeet Singh Judge, Arif Hayat, Sophia Abbas, and Karandeep Mehra.)
Urban turban
- Close to 250 people participate in the Amrit Sanchar ceremony every week at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi.
- Of these about 30-40 per cent are women, says the head Granthi. More and more urban, young Amritdhari women are choosing to wear large, prominent
dastaars.
- Cosmopolitan Kaurs are using religious idiom to assert themselves as equals in the Khalsa by wearing the religious symbols traditionally worn by the men.
Everyone is donning the turban from models in Gap ads, John Paul Gaultier and Nikhil & Shantanu’s collection to actors in Hollywood and Bollywood. For me, it is an expression of my faith just like the Sikh men do. I practice my equal right as a Sikh woman and enjoy the perks of being noticeable, fashionable, colourful and confident every morning when I step out of the
house.
—Harpreet Kaur, filmmaker
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NO more online shopping. This was my New Year resolution. I stuck to my word for quite some time till my computer screen flashed the image of the same pair of shoes I had been trying at different outlets, checking at various sites, comparing prices and then changing my mind about buying it owing to its exalted MRP. Now when the same pair of pumps was being offered to me at about half the price, to be delivered at my door-step with a promise of hundred per cent money back in case I was not satisfied with the product and with free shipping, how could I resist the offer?