Confrontation of Sikh Procession by a Nea Zealander Group: An analysis
Dr Dalvinder Singh Grewal
A Sikh Nagar Kirtan (Sikh religious procession on the occasion of the martyrdom of the mother and 4 sons of Guru Gobind Singh) in South Auckland, New Zealand, was protested in the form of a traditional Maori tribal “haka” dance on Saturday (December 20). It was a mourning day, and not to hurt anyone’s feelings, which could have caused any retaliation, as was done by a Maori haka dance. This has obviously hurt the feelings of Sikhs world over. Who were these who interrupted the procession, and why did they do it? It is a matter of analysis. The confrontational group involved is a fringe group that has neither the wider Maori community's support nor the support of mainstream Christian denominations. Its head, Brian Tamaki, is a self-proclaimed "Bishop"—just as we have this sudden flood of so-called saints (Babas who have started their own deras). This "confrontation" seems to have been an effort to garner publicity for the group, which it seems to have succeeded in getting. Also, the procession was to mark the martyrdom days of the four sons and the mother of Guru Gobind Singh ji. Jaikara by the procession finally turned the confrontational group away. To avoid any confrontation, at the advice of the police, I did not continue further. But the most intriguing thing is what made these confronting people organize such a confrontational approach. Rather than to have put the matter before the Sikh community so that it could have been settled through discussion. Also astonishing is the lack of local intelligence agencies, which failed to infer the presence of such a confronting group, or even the police, which had permitted the procession to be held but failed to clear the route before, even though the police personnel might have been placed on the route before. What we are hoping for is that the concerned government agencies will make sure that no foreign power commissioned this group to stage this confrontation. Without making much of this confrontation, Sikhs abroad must now start to have their intelligence to keep a watch on the feeling of the communities around and must maintain cordial relations with them regularly since Sikhs from India would not be able to help them, but the local people only will stand by them if they have friendly relations. Political Sikhs are also requested not to be too vocal and make statements that may further harm the relations between Sikhs and the locals or between two nations. Restraint and mutual discussions are the best way to solve such confrontations.
