Sikh Mystique: An Opportunity

Most people in America are not aware of the Sikh faith even though Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world.  With turbans and beards, Sikhs have a distinct identity and are meant to be easily recognizable as Sikhs.  Yet most people are not knowledgeable about Sikhism, and to be fair, don’t have the opportunity to learn and experience other cultures in their busy everyday lives.  So this event in the library is unique as it offers a real, hands-on opportunity for people in Canton to learn about this growing community in a friendly and non-formal way.  

In the last few decades, the Sikh community, along with other immigrant communities, has seen tremendous growth in Canton and surrounding areas.  The “Get to Know Your Sikh Neighbor” event will feature a presentation on Sikhism with opportunity for people to ask questions.  Questions that they may be curious to ask about but may not get a chance to ask on the street.   Questions like why Sikhs wear a turban, what is the role of women in Sikhism, what is lungar, and so on. We will provide those answers and much more. 

We will have spiritual, healing and dance music in addition to traditional dance performances so people can experience our culture first hand.  We also plan to have food.  Giving away free food is a five hundred year old tradition in Sikhism so we especially want to incorporate that into this event as well.  So on November sixth, which is just two days before a historic election, we plan to have an event that will bring people together to share ideas in a spirit of inclusion.  We hope it will be a fantastic event for the whole family and we hope to see all those who want to learn more about and enjoy the Sikh faith.

Paul Talwar

ICO Guest Blogger