The early phase of immigration was determined by economics and the need for Punjabi residents to come to the UK for jobs because the opportunities were very limited and the UK was looking for additional labour to support the rebuilding post WW2. Later as these men settled down they sent for their families and this brought with it a greater complexity of assimilation and integration (I was a tiny part of this phase!). The women folk not speak English but they could stay at home and struggle to go shopping with the men on Saturday. But the children had to go into infant and junior school not knowing a word of English and having to catch up in the English school system as well as getting abuse from the local kids for being different.
We saw the development of Gurdwaras everywhere and also some attempt at developing Punjabi classes much, much later. Mainly because the first phase of immigration as from mostly typical farming communities or craftsmen who were not so highly educated themselves to actually offer good sound education for the Sikh children. After the independence of the East African states when a large number of professional Sikhs came to the UK the pressure increased for Gurdwaras to provide classes in Gurmukhi, music and Kirtan.
However, the all-pervasive attitude seems to have been to get the children educated in the English language even to the extent of positively leaving the children with English child-minders rather than Punjabi speaking child-minders. This has grown into a mind-set of ensuring the best ‘English’ standard by sending the children to nursery schools and kindergartens.
The current generation is struggling to speak Punjabi, the parents are too busy in the daily rat race. The Gurdwaras are trying to develop Punjabi, Kirtan and music classes but these are all done on a voluntary basis and I believe not well-attended; the very keen parents and very keen children do take advantage of all that is offered. I believe that the offering needs to be widened and more structured and consistent.
The strategy recommended is:
Many schools, even at infant/junior level, are trying to teach the basics of other religions - and not just in the heavily immigrant communities of the inner cities, but also in places like Bottisham, a village outside Cambridge. I recall that when my second daughter, Jasprit, was attending the school, at around the age of 6, the teacher asked me to come in and talk about Sikhism and also to show how to tie a turban. (In London I have been party to many visits to local schools with other volunteers to explain about Sikhism to 10 year old children but this has been because there is no one else in the Gurdwara administrative team that can actually speak English as fluently!). During the 1960’s I recall that at my secondary school in East London a rabbi used to come every morning and take a service for all the Jewish kids in a separate class room from all the rest of the 500 children. I think that there were about 20 – 39 Jewish children at that time in that school. There were probably about 10 Indian/Pakistani kids.
The Gurdwaras need to send a giani at least once per week to lead the ardas and katha for the schools in the neighbourhood. The local Gurdwaras need to co-ordinate with each other to make sure that there is a fully established resource plan and time-table to cover the all the key schools in the area. This becomes even more important as the boys grow up into the teenage years and begin to wear turbans rather than patkas. They need all the support form the rest of the community and especially the ‘leaders’.
The schools should also be visited by key members of the Sikh community on occasions as a sample or role models – this should be arranged buy the Gurdwaras or other volunteer groups.
This approach needs to extend to he university level. There are many more issues at the universities these days to be tackled and that require guidance sometimes counselling from a giani.
Many firms and even some agencies in the public sector are still ignorant of the law and also ignorant of the Amritdhari Sikh’s rights, for example, to wear the Kirpan. The issue of mistaken identity still persists. A number of Sikhs are sometimes reluctant to pursue an incident such as the refusal of the staff at the London Eye preventing a Sikh to go up on the ‘flight’ with the Kirpan.
The younger generation is looking for role models in the professions and business as well as mentor to offer advice as they progress through their careers.
The various group such as the Heathrow Sikh Welfare have been very active one particularly sensitive area of airside working at the airports. However, this did not prevent a Sikh lady from being refused to go on a flight at Manchester Airport. The Greater Manchester Council manages this airport. This type of activity needs more co-ordination and to be taken up at national level. This is partly associated with the need to increase awareness within the general business community as well as within the Sikh community on their rights!
In terms of role models and mentors, we need to encourage the professionals and business leaders to make themselves more visible and offer occasional talks and lectures to guide the Sikhs through the challenges ahead of making a professional career within the current environment and yet still maintaining the Sikh Rehat Maryada. This can be done during the university years also but the Gurdwaras need to act as well. This should extend to having a nation-wide mentoring programme by Sikhs for Sikhs.
And so the Gurdwara becomes a social centre as well as a place of worship. Many old folk are sitting around and playing cards, reading the newspapers and/or chatting with each other or the Kirtan Jatha, giani or Granthi.
Many of the Gurdwaras have developed in the city centres and they have often acquired nearby houses and other properties to expand the facilities. However, most of the next generation of Sikhs have moved out further into the suburbs or elsewhere. The older folks do not want to move and thus stay relatively close to the Gurdwara. The attendance levels at these Gurdwaras is decreasing.