This story defines for me my first impressions of Sikhi. It was not Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji at that point in time, but a small number of Singhs who were honorable, gentle and centered on rightness, which is the original meaning of dharma. Forgive me. I do not read any hidden messages or open messages that question what the 20+ girl was wearing. The knight in shining armour did the right thing. It was the right thing without any conditions or qualifications.
Knights in Shining Armour
UPENDER SINGH
http://www.sikhchic.com/current_events/knights_in_shining_armour
It was about 9.30 at night in Delhi, India. In the year 1996.
I was coming home from coaching classes in Patel Nagar. I boarded the DTC (Delhi Transport Corp.) bus at Laxmi Nagar. There were, maybe, a dozen people or so in the bus: a 20-something young woman, a 50-year old lady, an old 70-year old Sikh gentleman, 6 to 7 other middle aged men, and I.
I was a 17 years old then.
At the next stop, four drunks boarded the bus. These guys were rough, the kind you stay away from.
Soon, they started physically/sexually harassing the 20+ year old woman in the bus. One of them grabbed the girl from her waist. Everyone started looking down, pretending nothing was happening; they did not want to risk their lives.
My blood was boiling, but I did not have the courage to say anything either.
Then, I witnessed something that changed my life.
The 70-year old Sikh gentleman stood up and pulled one of the men away from the girl and kicked the other guy in the shin. This old man was short and not at all athletic but he sure had the courage of a lion.
To my surprise, the drunks lost all their boldness and quickly jumped off the bus.
After these guys left, everyone in the bus thanked this man.
I was amazed. I said “Baba ji, you have a lot of courage!”. He replied that the courage was Guru Gobind Singh's gift … nothing he could take credit for.
After reading about the recent gang-rape in Delhi, I thought of that old man/uncle ji. If this rapist had met a few of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikhs in their earlier escapades, they would never have dared to go this this time.
The first thing we need is the courage to stand up for the women in Delhi and India. More importantly, the courage to stand against evil with conviction, for those in distress.
These injustices won't stop with online petitions going around on Facebook and Twitter for capital punishment for the rapists. However the hooligans do disappear when we show the courage our Guru has demanded of us.
There never have been, there aren’t now, anyone but Sikhs in the country who have the capacity to show such courage in defending strangers in the face of great peril to themselves.
Yet, the self-destructive tendencies of India and Indians are now bent upon ensuring that they lose the benefit of this community which is unique in the land for displaying a civic sense of public responsibility, instead of emulating it. Alas!
January 3, 2012
Knights in Shining Armour
UPENDER SINGH
http://www.sikhchic.com/current_events/knights_in_shining_armour
It was about 9.30 at night in Delhi, India. In the year 1996.
I was coming home from coaching classes in Patel Nagar. I boarded the DTC (Delhi Transport Corp.) bus at Laxmi Nagar. There were, maybe, a dozen people or so in the bus: a 20-something young woman, a 50-year old lady, an old 70-year old Sikh gentleman, 6 to 7 other middle aged men, and I.
I was a 17 years old then.
At the next stop, four drunks boarded the bus. These guys were rough, the kind you stay away from.
Soon, they started physically/sexually harassing the 20+ year old woman in the bus. One of them grabbed the girl from her waist. Everyone started looking down, pretending nothing was happening; they did not want to risk their lives.
My blood was boiling, but I did not have the courage to say anything either.
Then, I witnessed something that changed my life.
The 70-year old Sikh gentleman stood up and pulled one of the men away from the girl and kicked the other guy in the shin. This old man was short and not at all athletic but he sure had the courage of a lion.
To my surprise, the drunks lost all their boldness and quickly jumped off the bus.
After these guys left, everyone in the bus thanked this man.
I was amazed. I said “Baba ji, you have a lot of courage!”. He replied that the courage was Guru Gobind Singh's gift … nothing he could take credit for.
After reading about the recent gang-rape in Delhi, I thought of that old man/uncle ji. If this rapist had met a few of Guru Gobind Singh's Sikhs in their earlier escapades, they would never have dared to go this this time.
The first thing we need is the courage to stand up for the women in Delhi and India. More importantly, the courage to stand against evil with conviction, for those in distress.
These injustices won't stop with online petitions going around on Facebook and Twitter for capital punishment for the rapists. However the hooligans do disappear when we show the courage our Guru has demanded of us.
There never have been, there aren’t now, anyone but Sikhs in the country who have the capacity to show such courage in defending strangers in the face of great peril to themselves.
Yet, the self-destructive tendencies of India and Indians are now bent upon ensuring that they lose the benefit of this community which is unique in the land for displaying a civic sense of public responsibility, instead of emulating it. Alas!
January 3, 2012
