Sikhs make up a significant share of the UK’s ethnic minority population. A huge number of Sikhs battled and died for Britain and the Commonwealth in the First World War. Out of these numerous Sikhs, many stayed in Britain even after the war. As a matter of fact, and as per the 2011 census, there are roughly 423,000 Sikhs occupant in England and Wales.
Out of these British Sikhs naturally, a large proportion of them are women. These women have worked hard to rebel against stereotypes and reclaim their Sikh identity. There has been a significant increase in the women wearing turbans. Sikh women have started to wear turbans to show their pride in being Sikh. The turban has been seen, as "the one thing that recognizes a Sikh more than any other image of their faith."
Here is a list of pioneering Sikh women in the UK who are not only working tirelessly for the greater good, inspiring people with their achievements, and creating history in their own right. They are modern-day heroines who deserve to be acknowledged because they are contemporary leaders, sources of insight and inspiration and each has a story worth delving into.
Manjit K. Gill (Binti)
The Sikhs are known for their philanthropy, as, one of their most significant lessons is Seva. Seva otherwise called Sewa, alludes to the idea of “selfless service”, so work or act of service performed with no thought for remuneration or individual advantage. This was reflected in the 2016 British Sikh Report that showed that British Sikhs give £125 million and 65 million worker hours to noble causes and charity every year.
Manjit K. Gill is the CEO and founder of Binti. Binti is a cause that looks to switch or change the mentality of the people worldwide around menstruation (especially concerning the shame surrounding periods), raise awareness through menstruation education, and make sure that every woman has access to sanitary products. #SmashShame is one of the major hashtags associated with the project.
She also makes sure that her project is sustainable. Binti helps enterprising, self-help women groups to make miniature processing plants to create, distribute and sell minimal-cost sanitary pads within their local communities. They are self-sufficient local women. They provide financing options for the setup of the factory. At the same time, they supply the raw materials, machinery, training, and support to set up the micro-factories.
In short, this essentially implies that Binti empowers ladies in nearby areas and local communities to be able to earn their livelihood by helping them to produce their sanitary pads and selling them at the same time. By giving them the machinery and support to establish their production units, Binti makes these ladies ready for future challenges.
As a founder of a charity, Manjit K. Gill exemplifies the Seva principle which forms the core of Sikhism. She also works to eradicate the shame associated with menstruation that women face in society, making her a revolutionary in her own right.
Shay Grewal (Journalist)
Shay Grewal is an essential part of the husband-and-wife dream team, Sunny and Shay. They host a show on BBC WM(95.6) and also have a show on BBC Radio London.
While addressing The Birmingham Post, Shay said that she began her career "in HR", yet that she " always wanted to go into journalism".
Shay is a BA in Sociology and a MA in Comparative World Studies. Shay has carved a position whereby she can communicate her passion for education, combating marginalization, and empowering women.
Sunny and Shay frequently explore hard-hitting social topics, like ‘MuslimsLikeUs’, which looked at how Muslims are treated within the UK.
Shay showcases not just how successful Sikh women can be, but also that Sikh women can and should be represented in journalism.
Fitness Kaur (fitness inspiration)
Fitness Kaur (fitness inspiration) or Gurpreet Kaur, challenges all that society considers when they think about a Sikh woman. She is an Instagram fitness inspiration who works out while wearing a turban. She has specialized in Calisthenics (Bodyweight Training), and gladly states on her Instagram profile that she is a Sikh.
She was recently interviewed for the BBC Asian Network and talked with the Sikh Press Association before the meeting, who just had benevolent words to say regarding her:
“Bhenji is a great role model for Sikhs looking to get fit and healthy, with her videos depicting mind-blowing feats of strength making for inspirational viewing. Gurpreet Kaur (her real name) is also very open about the prominent role Sikhi plays in her drive for fitness.”
Fitness Kaur not only demonstrates that women can be strong, but she also makes it clear that it is her faith that motivates her to move from strength to strength.
Jez Kaur also known as Hipster Veggie (social media influencer)
Hipster Veggie runs a YouTube channel that tries to influence individuals to carry on with a more ethical life by eating a vegan diet. She aims to change our perception of health and our relationship with food.
She likewise is a big supporter of a numbeseveralant movements. For example, she is a supporter of the “Brown Girl Movement” and appeared in a first-watched video at the University of New Jersey City capturing the voice of this new identity that is spreading around the world.
To give an overview of the video, here is what the video creators have to say about the production:
“All of the women in this video are from different countries, different religions, different backgrounds, but they're saying the same thing...”
Truly, on the off chance that you haven't seen it as of now, go watch it. It's so motivating to see ladies supporting one another (regardless of where they are from or their religion) and ensuring their voice gets heard. Jez Kaur has indeed taken the internet by storm with her holistic approach to health.
Sukhmani Kaur Rayat
Next on the list has broken limits by being, as per South Asian Arts "One of the only young female Tabla players to rise out of the British Asian traditional music scene".
By battling against what is generally expected of women in music, Sukhmani has left her imprint as a truly passionate music artist.
She serves as evidence that women can still find a place in the British Asian classical music community, and if they can do so in this scene, why not in others?
Preet Kaur Gill (Councilor)
Preet Kaur Gill is a Labor Councilor in Sandwell. Sikh women’s representation in politics is very encouraging for young women to see, and the future needs to ensure that the voices of Sikh women are heard.
Preet particularly is a significant figure, as she regularly campaigns for human rights, and has been engaged with Sikh Network occasions. Fundamentally, these occasions included discussing better Sikh and female portrayal in governmental issues.
Jaspreet Kaur (Spoken Word Artist, Poet, Writer, and History Teacher)
Jaspreet Kaur is a jack of all trades. She is not only a history teacher at a secondary school in central London, however, but she has also been known through ‘Behind the Netra’ where she showcases her poetry. She is likewise notable as a spoken word artist and her " thoughts on gender issues, historical topics, and taboo subjects both in the Asian community and wider society”, are noticeable both in the verses of her poetry and spoken word.
You've probably observed that all these ladies aren't scared to speak up and discuss topics that are taboo, and Jaspreet is a fantastic example of this.
Her verses are honest and unafraid and handle subjects of being pleased with the shade of her skin and saying that individuals who say they don't see skin tone are not useful and saying it doesn't make you more politically correct.
Mandip Sahota (CEO of the BW Foundation)
Mandip Sahota is the CEO of the human rights charity, the BW Foundation (or The Baroness Warsi Foundation). The charity was created to improve social mobility, increase gender equality and promote religious understanding.
The 3 key pillars of the foundation, as stated on their website are:
Improve Social Mobility: The charity does this by promoting equal access to education and employment for everyone, no matter their background.
Religious Understanding: Although the organization is not a religious organization it does valuable work supporting programs to build peacebuilding between different faith communities.
Gender Equality: Women still have fewer opportunities available to them in the world than men and less political power, the BW Foundation is challenging this by trying to break down those boundaries, address inequalities, and challenge every societal norm, that should not be something that is normal in society.
Sukhvinder Kaur (SOPW) Sikh Relief
Sukhvinder Kaur works for the cause Sikh Relief, which is also known as SOPW (Sikh Organization for Prisoner Welfare).
Sikh Relief keeps to the main mission aims of SOPW but has just expanded its scope.
Initially, The Sikh Organization for Prisoner Welfare as per their site was “run by volunteers, working to achieve justice for those, who have been illegally imprisoned and tortured”.
The organization was established in response to a large number of Sikh prisoners (in India) and the fact that they have no chance of escaping because they cannot even afford to meet their most basic necessities.
The overall focus of Sikh Relief [is] to provide help and assistance to the poor, needy, and destitute predominantly in India but also worldwide where there is a need.
Harleen Kaur (Sportswoman)
Unreservedly displaying her enthusiasm, Harleen Kaur. She is a passionate representative for the Asian Sports Foundation and the proud WMKF World Champion Silver Medalist in kickboxing.
Harleen is particularly interested in the topic of gender inequality in sports, promoting respect and equal remuneration for female athletes, and encouraging women and girls to enjoy the benefits brought by sports.
Each of these Sikh women is deeply involved in creating positive change in the world through their actions and forging their pathways in their own special ways. They are keeping in step in the journey forward that was started by Guru Nanak, to create an egalitarian society without gender inequality.