Sikhs in Continental Europe: From Norway to Greece and Russia to Portugal 9780367675813, 9781003131977

Table of contents :
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. France
6. Germany
7. Greece
8. Iceland
9. Italy
10. Netherlands
11. Norway
12. Poland
13. Portugal
14. Russia
15. Spain
16. Sweden
17. Switzerland
18. Gurdwaras
19. Sikhs in World Wars I and II
20. Illegals
21. Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix 1 Global Sikh Migration Chronology
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5 War Memorials: World Wars I & II
Appendix 6 Sikhs and the Italian Cheese Industry
Appendix 7 Sikh History in French Riviera
Appendix 8 Jassa Singh, Sweden
Appendix 9 Lund Conferences
Appendix 10 Research Scholars of Sikh Studies Continental Europe
Bibliography
Index

Citation preview

SIKHS IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE Tis book is the third in the trilogy of books looking at the comparatively less-known destinations of Sikh migration to non-English speaking countries. Te frst one was Sikhs in Latin America, followed by Sikhs in Asia Pacifc . . . Yangon to Kobe. Earlier Sikh migration was focused on the British Commonwealth and the USA. Once restrictions were placed on entering the UK, the Sikhs were forced to explore the possibility of migrating to other countries including Continental Europe. Te pace of migration picked up in 1970s. Later there were more asylum seekers in the 1980s and 1990s adding to the migration numbers. Some could enter Europe through legal channels, while others found alternative routes as undocumented migrants. Sikhs found employment mostly as unskilled labour but now they have been able to create niche professions such as dairying in Italy and restaurants/bars in Finland. Tere is now a large second generation who is fully qualifed to enter other professions. Te author describes how Sikhs have kept up their traditions through ‘Nagar Kirtans’, Turban, Youth Summer camps, and ‘sewa’. Tere are almost 140 gurdwaras in Europe with a meagre population of less than a quarter million. Swarn Singh Kahlon obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. Tereafer, he went to the USA to get his Master's degree and gain work experience in the US and Austria. On his return to India he joined Imperial Chemical Industries in Kolkata and later Mumbai. In 1999 settled down in Chandigarh and set about to complete the Sikh Diaspora map involving extensive travel over the last ffeen years. He has so far visited 80 countries.

Sikhs in Continental Europe From Norway to Greece and Russia to Portugal

SWARN SINGH KAHLON

MANOHAR

First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 Swarn Singh Kahlon and Manohar Publishers & Distributors The right of Swarn Singh Kahlon to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-0-367-67581-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-13197-7 (ebk) Typeset in Janson Text 11/13 by Kohli Print, Delhi 110 051

Contents

Preface Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Iceland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland Gurdwaras Sikhs in World Wars I and II Illegals Conclusion

7 13 47 63 73 83 93 112 128 142 147 168 179 202 211 222 233 249 265 274 284 291 308

Appendices

323

Bibliography

347

Index

353

Preface

I had set about visiting and writing about Sikhs in countries and places about which comparatively less is known as they are present in small numbers in these locales. These Sikh destinations were invariably in the non-English speaking countries. The first in the series of Sikh Global Village writings was the book Sikhs in Latin America: Travels among the Sikh Diaspora published by Manohar Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi in 2011. The volume was based on my travels to seven countries, viz., Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Belize and Cuba in 2005 and 2006. This was a pioneering venture as no one had covered this continent for the study of Sikh Diaspora and probably even the Indian Diaspora. The second book in the series Sikhs in Asia Pacific: Travels among the Sikh Diaspora from Yangon to Kobe published in 2016 by Manohar covered eleven countries of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Fiji, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. The visits were more spread out between 2007 and 2014. Fortunately there was some coverage by researchers available on the subject for some countries. The present volume completes the trilogy I had set about to write through my travels and covers visits to Italy, Switzerland and Denmark (2010); Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Austria (2012): Russia, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland (2013). Since I initiated this project of mine in 2004, ‘Sikhs in Europe’ group through Lund (Sweden) Conferences (details under Introduction) held in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013 has made considerable progress in writing about Sikhs in Europe—so much of the wind in my sails has been taken out in my effort to become a pioneer in this geographic area. However, my study does

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profile 17 countries which makes this book somewhat more comprehensive in its coverage of Sikhs in the Continental Europe. I was able to visit 63 gurdwaras in Continental Europe during four visits. Continental Europe is a continuous landmass that forms the mainland continent of Europe, excluding the surrounding Islands: the British Isles and Iceland. Iceland has been included in this study as an independent non-English speaking country of Europe. Unfortunately because of my advanced age, it might not be possible to complete a still larger canvas of travelling to Africa, West and Central Asia. But I might be able to write about these countries based on desk research—at least, I hope to do so! I have been travelling most of my life since I first went to USA as a student and for work experience from 1958-61 and as a visiting mining engineer for a couple of months in Austria thereafter. I had been travelling to various countries on business as an executive of ICI India (subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries PLC, the largest manufacturer in UK and the fourth largest chemical company in the world up till 1990s) and thereafter as the CEO of ‘Imkemex’ (an ICI India subsidiary that I bought through a Management-Buy-Out in March 1993) for almost four decades. Regrettably I did not get involved with the Sikh Diaspora or its study during these travels—even though most of my career was involved with international marketing of chemicals, both exports and imports. I am now on my 24th passport and have visited about 80 countries so far on business, pleasure and in pursuit of my interest in Sikh migration studies. My travels to the countries covered in this book were very rewarding. Visits were made spread over three years but writing the book has been delayed to my regret. I had been travelling to Europe a few times but basically as a tourist and infrequently on business. I had not come across many Sikhs in my earlier travels and hence these visits (during second decade of this century) involved completely new contacts and orientation.

Preface

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The post-independence Sikh global migration was focused on industrially developed, economically prosperous, high wage English speaking (white Christian majority population) countries. Migration to Europe is somewhat unique because Sikhs had been hitherto migrating preferentially to countries which had some British connection. Migration to Continental Europe was therefore a new breakthrough for the Sikhs. BOOK PROFILE

After the introductory chapter, there are 17 country profiles. Under the ‘Country Profile’ a brief mention of important features of Sikh migration are highlighted right at the beginning. This is followed by a brief profile of the country in general terms, followed by excerpts from the Singhvi Report of 2001 (High Power Committee set up by the Government of India outlining migration of Indians). This is followed by an outline of Sikh migration and in some countries Indian migration in general. Under the sub-heading ‘Some Interesting Events’, I have endeavoured to include excerpts from published information and news clippings pertaining to Sikhs in the concerned country. The write up on Sikhs migration, as seen by some other authors and observers has been added to present a still broader view, even though in some cases, the information might be somewhat of a repetition. The whole effort is to throw open as many windows as is possible in understanding, evaluating, and appreciating the diaspora as it exists today but with a linkage to the source of information. Almost all chapters have case studies based on my visits and some, which have been culled from published literature. I feel case studies offer a multi-dimensional picture about the people, their life history and experiences, attitudes, hopes and fears. Although responses from various interviewees are not uniform and at times contradictory; this to my way of thinking is preferable to a consensus or a majority view or even a considered conclusion. Also case studies provide information on many other aspects of immigrant experiences which some

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readers might find interesting. It widens the scope and yet provides a focus for those readers who prefer that option. In the concluding chapter migration to the Western countries (mainly post-Indian independence phenomenon) has been compared to the Sikh migration to the Eastern countries (mainly pre-Indian independence). As I travelled in these countries and started writing about them, it became apparent that the two migrations one to Asia Pacific and the other to the Western countries, have some unique features. While there are some similarities but there are at the same time many differences. I have attempted to discuss these (for details see my paper ‘Sikh Diaspora in Three Countries of Three Continents: Argentina, the Netherlands and Burma’ presented at the Conference ‘Young Sikhs in a Global World’ held at Lund University, Sweden on 18-19 June 2013). This subject needs more investigation and detailed analysis: perhaps some scholars would like to pursue this important aspect of a comparative study of Sikh migration to the East vs. the West. CONFERENCES ATTENDED

I was fortunate to attend the following three conferences on Sikh migration especially focussing on Europe. This gave me an opportunity to network with scholars. Some of them visited and stayed with us in Chandigarh. I am providing under Appendix names of some scholars which might be of use to readers who would want to pursue further studies of the subject. 19-20 NOVEMBER 2009, BIRMINGHAM, UK

‘Sikhs in Europe: Migration, the Nation State and Transnationalism’—an international workshop at the University of Birmingham, organized by Department of Theology and Religion.

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16-18 JUNE 2010, LUND, SWEDEN

‘Sikhs in Europe: Migration, Identity & Trans-local Practices’. 18-19 JUNE 2013, LUND, SWEDEN

‘Sikhs in Europe: Young Sikhs in a Global World: Negotiating Identity, Tradition and Authority’—I presented a paper at this conference. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe my grateful thanks to so many people that it is not possible to mention individual names. People in India and overseas have been very generous and supportive in sharing their stories, views, hospitality, and more importantly their time. Thank you one and all. I am constrained to remark that the HLC report has generally under-reported Sikh presence. See their report on Italy with the largest presence of Sikhs but there is hardly any mention of them.

Introduction

Sikhs started to look seriously at Europe as a migration destination in the mid-1960s when restrictions were placed by the British Government on free movement of the erstwhile citizens of their colonies to UK. But the real movement to the continent is a 1970s phenomenon, followed by larger numbers in 1980s arising from political turmoil in Punjab as a consequence of Operation Blue Star and largescale killing of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of India post assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984. The numbers of migrants continued to increase till early twenty-first century—to seek asylum and also to meet the need for labour in several countries. The earlier migrants were mainly male who could subsequently bring in their families on getting Residence status. This boosted the numbers and now there is a significant presence of second generation Sikhs. Illegal immigrants are an important feature of Sikh migration to Europe. Historically there was a Sikh connection with Europe through employment of some European soldiers by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later on through the stay in Paris of Maharaja Duleep Singh. Sikh soldiers as a part of British Indian Army were also actively involved in both World Wars in Europe and in other fronts. The author would like to pay tribute to the work done by the ‘Sikhs in Europe—Lund Group’ during the period 200513 involving four conferences and publication of a book, Sikhs in Europe (2011), by Jacobsen and Myrvold. According to them: There are growing Sikh communities in many countries of continental Europe. In the beginning of the twenty-first century, a significant segment of the Sikh population has thus made Europe their new home

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abroad and they intend to stay as European Sikhs. Today the Sikhs reside in almost every country in Europe. Norway, Italy, Germany, Spain have large Sikh immigrant populations.

An interesting feature of the Lund Group—‘Sikhs in Europe’ was that most of the scholars were local nationals (some names given under Appendices) who were non-Sikhs and many of them were woman scholars. I had the privilege of home stays with some of them while others helped me meet Sikhs in the countries where they live. Some of them later visited us in Chandigarh and stayed with us. INDIAN GLOBAL MIGRATION

In an a article in Business Standard of 5-6 January 2019, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray writes about Indians’ fascination to migrate. He writes: ‘It becomes embarrassing not being an immigrant. “An Indian from India”? Foreigners ask in astonishment on my travels abroad. “Never met one before”. I assure them there are plenty more from where I come from and that all Indians don’t yet live in New Jersey or Southall.’ That just gives a glimpse of how a large number of Indians have migrated all over the globe. Since the nineteenth century, Indians have established communities on every continent. They went first in small numbers as slaves, later in large numbers as indenture labour of one type or the other (Fiji, Mauritius, Caribbean Islands, Surinam, Guinea, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Malaya). There were small trading communities of Indians in some of the Indian Ocean countries. The next big phase of Indian migration was as free immigrants to almost all continents especially Asia Pacific, North America, Australasia, Africa, Europe mainly UK and even Latin America. Sikhs were an important segment of India’s free migrants. Sikh migration was supported by the British both as a part of British Indian Army and Police and as watchmen or agriculturists or labour. Sikhs were also pioneer immigrants in many locales.

Introduction

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The following is excerpted from a paper published by Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C., ‘Emigration, Immigration and Diaspora Relations in India’ by Daniel Naujoks, on 15 October 2009. POST-INDEPENDENCE MIGRATION TO HIGH-WAGE ECONOMIES

Indian migration sharply increased again between 1995 and 2005. The ethnic Indian communities in UK as of end 2018 stood at 1.8 million. Other countries in Western and Eastern Europe have also witnessed an influx of Indian migrants. Substantial Indian migration to Northern America started only in the late 1960s. Both in the United States and Canada, major changes in immigration policy affected immigration flows generally, and Indian immigration specifically. The total size of Indian community in December 2018 (https: mea.gov.in/ images/attach/NRIs-PIOs1. Pdf) was 4.4 million in USA, 1.8 million in UK, 1 million in Canada, 0.5 million in Australia and 0.2 million in New Zealand. India ranks second among the world’s largest sending countries for tertiary students, after China. According to Deepalaxmi (The Hindu, 27 July 2018), USA continues to be preferred destination for Indian students. 7.5 million students are studying abroad with the largest number being in USA 0.2 million, Canada 0.1 million, Australia 87,000 and New Zealand 30,000. TEMPORARY LABOUR MIGRATION TO WEST ASIA

According to Government of India sources referred to earlier on, there are about 8 million people of Indian origin in the Gulf countries. Significant migration from India to the Persian Gulf began in the 1970s, following the oil boom. Since then, an increas-

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Sikhs in Continental Europe

ing number of semi and unskilled workers from South India have worked in the gulf countries on temporary migration schemes. It is estimated that about 8 million Indians were living in the gulf countries in 2018, 70 per cent of them in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Other countries, however, have seen more Indians being elected to national legislatives bodies. In the latest election the Indian Canadians more than doubled their representation in Canadian parliament from 8 to 19. Four Sikhs MPs went on to become a part of the cabinet of Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Jasmeet Singh has become the first non-white Leader of Opposition. In UK a significant milestone has been reached by Indian politician in 2017 General Election—12 Indian origin (2 Sikhs) MPs have been elected to the parliament THE FULL PICTURE: THE GLOBAL INDIAN DIASPORA

According to 2001 estimates by the High Level Committee on the Indian diaspora, the 18.5 million-strong Diaspora is widely dispersed in 110 countries. Since 2005, the Indian government claims that the community numbers approximately 25 million. In 2001, the largest number of diasporic Indians (35 per cent) lived in Asia. A fifth of the diaspora were in the gulf region, with 14 per cent in Northern America, 13 per cent on the African continent, and 10 per cent in Europe. The Caribbean and Oceania accounted for only a small share, 6.5 and 3.3 per cent, respectively. While ethnic Indians are a minority in most countries, they constitute around 40 per cent of the population in Fiji, Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname. They make up 70 per cent of the population of Mauritius. The Indian diaspora in developed countries, especially in the United States, is highly organized. Some politically successful people are, Nikki Haley, till recently Ambassador of the country to UN and Bobby Jindal, ex-Governor of Louisiana. Other countries, however, have seen more Indians elected to

Introduction

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national legislative bodies. In Canada, in the latest 2019 election, 20 Indian-origin politicians have been elected to Candian parliament—House of Common. Of these, 19 are Punjabis (19 Indians, including 18 Punjabis were elected in 2015). Furthermore four Indian origin MPs have been included in the Cabinet (three Sikhs including turbaned Sikhs and one Hindu). In Mauritius, the prime minister has been an ethnic Indian throughout except for between 2003 and 2005. Singapore’s current president is an ethnic Indian. Seven cabinet members and 27 parliamentarians in Fiji are of Indian descent; in Malaysia, the count goes to one cabinet minister and three members of parliament. In Germany, two ethnic Indians are elected representatives in the central parliament, as is one India-born person in New Zealand. SECONDARY MIGRATION OF THE INDIAN DIASPORA

Due to political, racial and economic pressures in some of the countries where Indians settled in the colonial era, many of them and their descendants returned to India or went to other counties. These types of flows, known as secondary migration, took place from East Africa, Fiji, and some Caribbean countries. Particularly significant was the exodus of ethnic Indians from Uganda after Idi Amin came to power in a military coup in 1972. Although many Ugandan Indians were British passport holders, they did not have the right to settle in the United Kingdom because of the 1968 Act. Even though Kenya and Tanzania did not force ethnic Indians to leave, their ‘Africanisation’ policies led to a significant emigration of Indians from these countries. About 70,000 ethnic Indians from Mozambique relocated to Portugal. A large numbers of Indians in Fiji have migrated to Australia (30,000) and New Zealand (5,600). From Suriname, a former Dutch colony in Latin America, ethnic Indians—who were the descendants of indentured labourers—migrated to the Netherlands in large numbers before Suriname’s independence

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in 1975. Many ethnic Indians from other Caribbean countries have migrated to the United States and Canada and continue to do so. In Asia Indians exited in large numbers from Burma in three phases (see Sikhs in Asia Pacific) and from China post the Communist revolution. INDIAN MIGRATION TO UK & EUROPE

Government of India’s HLC report says: ‘While nineteenth century witnessed a significant migration of Indians mainly to British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese colonies, Indian migration to the UK and Europe is largely a phenomenon of twentieth century’. On achievement of independence by Suriname (Dutch), Mauritius, Madagascar, and Indo-China (French), and Mozambique and Angola (Portuguese), many Indians went to the colonist countries. By far the largest numbers headed from East Africa and India to UK. Indian emigration to Europe has been limited because of strict immigration policies. Some countries did relax their immigrant laws for Asians in view of labour shortages in the 1960s and 1970s. Professionals (especially IT experts) are now being allowed into EU countries. W. Europe has also attracted illegal Indian immigration in the construction, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Many of these have subsequently regularized their stay by taking advantage of periodic amnesty offers, prompted by the shortfall of cheap unskilled labour. Some applied for political asylum in the 1980s and subsequent years following the disturbances in Punjab. These countries have now become stricter. SIKH GLOBAL MIGRATION

In my interview on ‘Talking Punjab’, a TV show (Google ‘Sikh Sikh Everywhere’), I have highlighted a significant observation about Sikh migration. Two-thirds of Sikh migration prior to India’s Independence in 1947 was to Asia but now more than two-thirds of the Sikh migration is to the Western world

Introduction

19

comprising North America, UK, Continental Europe and Australasia—a total reversal. At present the Sikh immigrant population in Continental Europe would be around 0.2 million. No doubt it is less than UK’s 0.43 million but catching up. Italy has the largest Sikh population followed by Germany. Sikhs are in majority amongst Indian immigrants in Italy, and form a very significant percentage in some other countries such as Spain, Norway, Belgium, Greece, Finland and Denmark. The total Sikh diaspora globally is more than 2 million, a significant number considering that it amounts to 10 per cent of its total population. Sikhs constitute 10 per cent of India’s total migration even though they are only about 2 per cent of India’s population. Punjab, where majority of Sikhs live is a land locked state, 1,000 miles away from the sea, and for them to have been migrating in such large numbers especially in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is very creditable indeed. Agreed that this factor is less significant now than in early and mid-twentieth century when main mode of travel to foreign lands was by ships. In many countries Sikhs were almost pioneer migrants. Major concentration of Sikhs outside India presently in the Western world is in North America, UK, Europe and Australasia. Asian countries with significant Sikh population are Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. According to Jacobsen, ‘Sikhs have been pioneers in exploring new areas of settlement’. SIKH MIGRATION—THE BEGINNING By early nineteenth century, the British were ruling almost the whole of India except for Punjab which had the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1839) whose territory included parts of Afghanistan and Kashmir. The British and the Maharaja had a peace treaty of noninterference in each other’s territories. Post Maharaja’s death, the empire disintegrated within 10 years wherein the Sikhs lost to the British in two Anglo-Sikh wars (1845-6 and 1848-9).

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Although victorious, the British were appreciative of the brave Sikh soldiers and decided to win their loyalty through preferential recruitment in the British Indian army. The British Indian army thus had a very large component of Sikhs. In fact the Sikh Regiment came into existence on 1 August 1846, with the raising of Regiment of Ferozepore Sikhs and Regiment of Ludhiana Sikhs by Captain G. Tebbs and Lieutenant Colonel P. Gordon respectively. Furthermore the British started recruiting Sikhs to help them in their efforts to expand their overseas Empires as soldiers and policemen: Hong Kong, 1841 (small presence only on the day British flag was raised but in larger numbers as policemen from 1867 onwards); China—Shanghai Police—early 1850s; Burma—1852 for Second Anglo-Burma war. Many Sikhs followed as watchmen and other odd jobs to start with. Sikhs came to Malaysia in 1873 officially but recruitment of soldiers had started in 1869. Non-soldiers’ migration was promoted to British East Africa (Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania) in 1890s. This was followed by Sikh migration to North America in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Some Sikhs had ventured to Australia and New Zealand in the later half of nineteenth century. Sikhs migrated to Latin American countries in late nineteenth century but mainly early twentieth century. Besides the countries mentioned earlier on Sikhs went to several countries in South-East Asia and East Asia including some Pacific islands. By early twentieth century Sikhs were present all over the world though in small numbers as free migrants and not part of any indenture labour. The Sikh preference for migration was to rich countries which were invariably ruled by ‘whites’. British Governments or British overseas enterprises in various parts of the world recruited Sikhs preferentially especially after the World War I. SIKH MIGRATION TO EAST AND SOUTH EAST ASIA As mentioned earlier, Sikh migration started in second half of nineteenth century to South-East and East Asia as soldiers

Introduction

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and policemen. When the Sikhs back home heard of the attractive opportunities from earlier migrants, they were quick to travel and establish roots in these lands. Migration continued till decolonization arising from independence movements in various countries. The first country to gain independence was Indonesia in 1945 followed by India in 1947, Burma and Sri Lanka in 1948, Malaya in 1957, Singapore in 1964, Brunei in 1984, Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999. With the achievement of independence immigration was discouraged except for special categories. In fact in some cases there was an exodus as from China where the entire Sikh population that existed had to leave in 1949 post-Communist takeover of the country. In Burma the Sikh presence was significant till the early 1940s but has since dwindled as they left the country in three phases beginning with the Japanese occupation during WW II, post Burma’s independence in 1948 and post 1962 army coup (Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism). SIKH MIGRATION TO NORTH AMERICA Sikhs started migrating to North America beginning late nineteenth century. Sikhs in China (Shanghai Police was predominantly Sikh) noticed Chinese leaving for North America in shiploads which raised their curiosity. The information was duly conveyed to folks back home in Punjab who started going to USA in 1899 (4 Sikhs arrived in San Francisco on 6 April 1899). Some came straight from India, while others from the Far East. By 1910 there were thousands of Sikhs living in California and the other Western states. Majority of these were singles as they couldn’t bring their families due to strict immigration laws. They were not even allowed to buy property or land. Majority of the early immigrants either returned to India or married women of Mexican ancestry to stay. These early settlers mainly worked on agricultural or railroad construction jobs. Some worked in mines and lumber mills as well. They built their first gurdwara in Stockton, California in 1912. There were riots against the ‘Hindoos’ (Sikhs) in Portland in 1910. ‘Ghadar’ movement was started in 1913 by the Indians,

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mostly comprising Sikhs, against the colonial rule back home. Bhagat Singh Thind, a turbaned Sikh soldier in USA army was refused citizenship as a part of ‘Asia Exclusion’ movement. The major breakthrough came under President Truman through the Luce-Celler Act of 1946, followed by the McCarranWalter Act of 1952, thereby repealing the Naturalization Act of 1792. This enabled Dalip Singh Saund to get citizenship and become a Congressman in 1955. It was in 1897 that the first Sikhs arrived in Canada but first immigrants came in 1902. Soon thereafter their numbers increased to 5,000—mostly in British Columbia. Immigration was banned in 1908. Despite facing discrimination Sikhs quickly established a strong community and built their first gurdwara in 1908 followed by many others soon thereafter. The Canadians tried to persuade the Sikhs to move to Honduras, present day Belize (see Sikhs in Latin America) but in vain. Rules for migration thereafter were tightened. These regulations culminated into the infamous Kamagata Maru incident of 1914. Sikhs who were already in the country continued their protests which resulted in the ban being finally overturned which resulted in wives and children of legal Sikh residents being allowed into Canada in the 1920s. Post Indian independence there was large migration of Indians and Sikhs both to Canada and USA. These countries were undertaking economic expansion and needed manpower. Punjabis made use of all these developments and migrated in large numbers. Sikh population, in the near future, is going to become the same percentage of the Canadian population as they are in India. There are turbaned Sikh ministers in the Canadian cabinet. SIKH MIGRATION TO LATIN AMERICA Migration, though small in numbers, was primarily in early twentieth century. The preferred migration destination was North America but those who could not make it there either sailed direct say to Buenos Aires or even walked long dis-

Introduction

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tances from other countries’ ports to reach their target destinations. Argentina was the preferred country because it was relatively a rich country—as also Panama where there were job opportunities arising from the Canal construction (190414). A more recent migration to Bolivia in 1980s of Sikh farmers was a pioneering endeavour which later fizzled out. Gurdwaras were set up rather late in this continent. A peculiar feature was that there was a lot of movement of the Sikhs from country to country till they settled down in the place of their final choice. SIKH MIGRATION TO AUSTRALASIA The earliest Sikhs came to Australia in mid-1890s. These were the times when road transport was not yet developed. These settlers had come to run Camel trains. They were called ‘Afghans’ who helped keep the communication and supply line open between Melbourne and the centre of Australia. Many Sikhs took part in the rush for gold on the Victorian fields. Another wave of Sikhs arrived in 1940s to work on the Banana plantations in Southern Queensland. Today a large number of them live in the town of Wolgoolga. These people now have their own Banana farms and are quite well to do. Now there are two gurdwaras in Woolgoolga. Australia has of late become quite a popular destination for Sikhs especially students. In New Zealand also the earliest Sikhs came towards end nineteenth century mainly as agriculturists and as dairy farmers. SIKH MIGRATION TO AFRICA British East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania): Sikhs were brought by the British in the early 1890s initially for building railways and subsequently running and providing security for the same. A detachment of Sikh Regiment had seen service in certain parts of East Africa in WW I. While a number of Sikhs opted to return to their homeland when the railway was

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completed, the majority stayed back. Many other Sikh immigrants came from all walks of life bringing with them skills which contributed to these countries’ subsequent development. Sikhs played an important role in police and civil services and ran commercial establishments, the educational and medical institutions, factories and workshops. Sikhs built gurdwaras and Khalsa schools—during the initial 60 years or so of the last millennium (nearly 40 gurdwaras in East Africa). From the earliest days, the Sikhs played a prominent part in many aspects of sports, both as players and as administrators and organizers. They had been members of the legislative council and of the municipal councils, numerous bodies and committees. Uganda Sikhs: There was a sizable community of about 80,000 people of Indian origin in Uganda prior to 1972 which is now reduced to about 15,000 members. The year following Milton Obote’s ouster by Idi Amin in a military coup in 1971, he ordered the expulsion of Asians living in Uganda. As a result, many Indians including Sikhs migrated to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere in Europe. As an example, the first eight Sikhs who came to Belgium as private citizens arrived on 8 November 1972 as political refugees from Uganda. Sikh presence in other African countries: There is Sikh presence and gurdwaras in several other countries of Africa especially Ghana, Mauritius, S. Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, and Malawi. SIKH MIGRATION TO WEST ASIA Punjabis working in the Middle East do not fall under the category of diaspora because their stay is temporary as they go to work in these countries for specific periods with clear intention of returning home post their work assignments. However, there are two countries where the Sikhs had a long and significant presence, i.e. Iran and Afghanistan. Both countries have lost most of the Sikh population since the Iranian

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revolution in the case of former and Taliban upsurge in the case of later. Afghan Sikhs: Sikhs have maintained a presence in Afghanistan for more than 500 years. The Afghan Sikh population grew in 1947 as Sikhs from the Pothohar region of the newly formed Pakistan arrived. Once boasting a population of over 2.5 lakhs in the 1990s, Afghanistan’s Sikh population has fallen to an estimated 2,500. Most of them left for India and many others to UK and North America. Some of them got rehabilitated in Continental Europe. Afghan Sikhs have a Gurdwara of their own in South Hall, UK. The gurdwara in Moscow is also run predominantly by Afghan Sikhs. A number of Sikhs from Afghanistan have also chosen to come to the Netherlands and Sweden. Iran Sikhs: Sikhs started migrating to Iran since early twentieth century. Prior to 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran had substantial Sikh presence and they seemed quite affluent mostly dealing with business (motor parts). I used to visit Iran quite often on business in Shah’s time and found that the large gurdwara (founded 1941) in Teheran was very well run with some of the best ‘kirtan’ I had ever heard. The prosperity of Sikh community could be gauged from the fact that on arrival at the Teheran airport, only the Sikhs were accosted by porters seeking ‘bakshish’. The large Gurdwara had a school attached (taught Punjabi and ‘Sikhi’ also) which was a popular venue for Indian delegations visiting Iran. The Gurdwara was visited by Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2001, Manmohan Singh in 2012 and Narendra Modi in 2016 as prime ministers. Post revolution the Sikh population has been dramatically reduced (only about 100 families in Teheran). Besides Teheran there were quite a few Sikh families in Zehedan. Most Sikhs are very devout Sikhs and can speak Persian fluently. SIKH MIGRATION TO CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Historically there was an interesting interaction of the Sikhs with the Europeans when Maharaja Ranjit Singh was ruling

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Punjab (1799-1839). The Maharaja had inducted European soldiers into service to train his Khalsa army. The Maharaja’s army had a total of 42 non-Indians: 12 French, 4 Italians, 4 Germans, 3 Americans, 2 Spaniards, 1 Russian, 1 Scot, 3 Englishmen, 7 Anglo-Indians, and 5 others. The end of Napoleon’s war in Europe in 1815, had released a ready battery of European professional soldiers and the Maharaja started recruiting them from 1820 onwards. Preference was given to those who had served under Napoleon. Each of these soldiers was personally interviewed by the Maharaja himself. From mid-nineteenth century, exiled Prince Duleep Singh lived in the UK and later spent some time in Europe mainly France. During the two World Wars, Sikh soldiers were actively involved in Europe as a part of the British Indian Army in WW I (France and Belgium) and WW II (Italy and Greece). The author had come across a war memorial in Esperenza, in Argentina (see Sikhs in Latin America) which had the name of Arjan Singh, who evidently fought (in Europe) with the British in WW I from Argentina. There are graves and memorials of Sikh soldiers in Cypress, Malta, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and Romania—details are appended. Annual thanksgiving and remembrance services all over Europe where ‘kirtan’, ‘ardaas’, ‘langar’ along with other Sikh religious ceremonies and celebrations have now become a regular feature. The Dutch Sikhs are particularly enthusiastic participants at the annual event in Ypres in Belgium across from the Netherlands border. There is an interesting book: How Europe is Indebted to Sikhs by Bhupinder Singh Holland which gives quite a few details. Because of the importance of the subject a separate chapter has been included in the book on World Wars I & II. Migration to UK: It was the post-World War II era which brought Sikhs from rural Punjab and other South Asians to England in significant numbers in the early 1950s—their numbers reached an initial peak in 1960s. It was mostly men from the Punjab seeking work in British industry, which had a shortage of unskilled labour. Most of the new arrivals worked

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in industries like foundries and textiles and mostly settled in London, Birmingham and West Yorkshire. In 1962, the Commonwealth Immigrants Act ended the automatic right of people of the British Commonwealth and Colonies to settle in the UK. In 1970s migration again increased especially as families started joining the immigrants. Additionally Sikhs along with other Indians came over from Kenya and Uganda due to political problems. The town of Southall in west London became an early hub for Punjabi migrants, and would become the country’s premier British Asian town, dubbed ‘Little Punjab’. Migration to Europe Continent: So far as Continental Europe is concerned, post Indian independence some Sikh students had gone for higher studies to European Universities especially Germany—some of whom stayed back and even got married locally. From 1962, because of restrictions on entering UK, the Sikhs were forced to explore possibilities of migrating to other countries including Continental Europe. As it happened these countries were also short of labour. The pace of migration picked up in 1970s but still the numbers remained small. European countries were sympathetic towards asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds based on political and religious persecution which enabled increased immigration in the 1980s and 1990s. Migration still continues to the European Continent. To be eligible to get residence status, one had first to reach the country where asylum was to be sought. While some could enter Europe on tourist visa others had to find alternative routes to reach their destination. Arising from this demand, illegal migration intensified and almost became an industry. Country selection in general was rather random. First priority or initial stop was to a place where there was some contact or lead and where there was better chance of getting residence or work permit. Over the last two decades, Southern European countries have been more liberal in regularizing illegal migration with amnesty every few years. Portugal still allows immigrants coming on Schengen visa to overstay and subsequently get residency status based on certain requirements. However wages in Southern Europe are low and

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many Sikhs try to move northwards where wages are higher. There is thus a movement of immigrants within Europe till they get settled in a country where they can get their stay regularized and feel more secure financially and politically. The present economic crisis is creating problems in getting jobs. During the author’s recent visit to Europe he found several unemployed youths hanging around the gurdwaras. The expulsion of Indians from East Africa in 1970s and the turmoil in Afghanistan since 1990s had additionally forced Sikhs from these countries to seek migration to Europe. I submit that in many European countries their numbers would be larger than 10 per cent of total Indian immigrants. A Hypothesis: It is the author’s hypothesis that some Sikhs in early twentieth century would have decided to stay back in Europe (out of sheer tiredness if not the tempting attractiveness of these countries) when their ships anchored in French and Italian ports en-route to say the Americas. Similarly some Sikh soldiers would have likely struck romantic alliances with locals during their wartime stay in Europe and decided to stay back or subsequently return to get married. Scholars of diaspora studies are encouraged to follow these possible scenarios. GURDWARAS

An outstanding feature of the Sikh communities anywhere in India or elsewhere in the world is the setting up of gurdwaras as soon as their numbers become significant. In overseas settlements, to begin with worship starts in a home when someone brings the SGGS. The next step in many cases is to set up gurdwara in rented premises. In due course of time Sikhs start constructing gurdwaras on premises owned by them and in most cases these would be in traditional style of architecture. However, the architecture of many gurdwaras in Europe is not distinctively Sikh: they are modified buildings that originally served another function. The only external indication that these buildings are gurdwaras are the signboard and

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yellow flags (‘Nishan Sahib’). However, there are restrictions even on prominent display of the ‘Nishan Sahib’ in some places where it is then put up inside the premises. Sikh gurdwaras started operating in various countries of Continental Europe beginning 1970s but majority of them got started in 1980s and more so in 1990s onwards as the Sikh population grew. It is important to note the proliferation of large number of gurdwaras all across Europe: to have 137 gurdwaras in 16 countries with a Sikh population of less than a quarter million people is very impressive. Statistically it means a gurdwara for every 1,500-2,000 Sikhs (including families). Setting up and running a gurdwara requires a lot of resources of time, finance and manpower. All gurdwaras cannot afford full time ‘granthis’ and hence local community volunteers are needed. It shows a spirit unique only to Sikhs. Their generosity, devotion, community effort and spirit of raising the ‘Nishan Sahib’ anywhere and everywhere needs admiration. ‘Guru ka langar’ is available all across the globe. As an interesting observation for the historians, some earliest gurdwaras overseas were set up in Burma–1897, East Africa, Kenya–1898, Malaysia–1899, Hong Kong–1901, Canada– 1908, China, Shanghai–1908, UK–1911, USA–1912, Thailand–1913. In my earlier book (Sikhs in Asia Pacific), I had mentioned how in Burma, because of lack of resources to have a full time ‘granthi’, families including grown up children are performing gurdwara duties. Another innovative model worth mentioning is of a gurdwara in suburbs of Stockholm located in beautiful natural surroundings. Since the ‘sangat’ is limited and spread out, the gurdwara remains locked especially during the week days. All members of ‘sangat’ have keys available to them so that they have access to the gurdwara 24 × 7. One family takes over the responsibility turn by turn each day to perform essential functions such as ‘birsanthokhana’ at night and ‘SGGS parkash’ in the morning. What a beautiful model to emulate! Gurdwara is the first contact point for a new arrival to get

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to know about other immigrants. It is a meeting point and provides opportunity for social networking and get-togethers. It also provides shelter to genuine visitors. There have been instances where illegals have caused problems for the gurdwaras which resulted in police raids. Most gurdwaras are now very particular in establishing bonafides for night stay. However, ‘langar’ is available on unrestricted basis and is most welcome by the unemployed in times of distress. Some travel websites since long have encouraged visitors (non-Sikhs) to go to gurdwara for shelter when they run out of options. According to information gathered from internet searches and to some extent during my visits, it would appear the number of gurdwaras in various countries of Europe is as follows: Austria–7, Belgium–5, Denmark–2, Finland–1, France–4, Germany–39, Greece–15, Italy–30, Netherlands–6, Norway–3, Poland–1, Portugal–1, Russia–1, Spain–15 (could be more), Sweden–4, Switzerland–3. Total–137. PROFESSIONS

There is no strict pattern but basically the early Sikh immigrants got employed in low paid jobs wherever there were shortages of labour and language proficiency was not a dominant factor. Most Sikhs are now well integrated into the local workforce. Generally speaking Sikhs are found in a wide range of professions. Those belonging to the first generation of migrants from 30 years ago, still work in low paid jobs such as, taxi drivers, owners of small private businesses and sales person (selling newspapers). All across Europe one comes across Punjabi retailers, hawkers and peddlers. Retailing through small kiosks, food (pizza) delivery, working in agriculture, and even fisheries (Greece) are some other avenues of work for Punjabi immigrants. Employment in the catering industry—waiters, helpers, cooks (problem with hair), etc., seems to be getting quite popular. In Italy farming and dairying provides attractive job opportunities. Sikhs are now known

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as ‘cow-milkers’ or ‘bergamini’, in Italian—the Italian cheese industry is very dependent upon the Sikhs from Punjab in running the dairies. On the other hand in Finland (though numbers are small), the majority of Sikh immigrants are employed or self-employed in the restaurant (ravintola) business. The term ‘restaurant’ is an umbrella term that includes bars, pubs, discotheques, eating places or a combination of any of these. In Spain and Portugal many Sikhs are employed in construction industry. Work in factories is a popular avenue of employment for Sikh immigrants all across Europe. While the earlier migration wave was almost overwhelmingly dominated by men, some women have started migrating in recent years. Apart from Roman Catholic Keralites, Punjabi women can also be found working in the domestic service sector and as ‘care givers’ for the aged in some countries. There is thus a ‘desi’ hand in the care of the aged. The second generation younger Sikhs who have attended high school or university find jobs in better paid fields. Many of them are taking up professional jobs. Some young Sikhs are now opting to joining the army and with turban too. LIFE STYLE

Wherever the Sikhs have settled, they have invested considerable effort in maintaining cultural, religious, and linguistic traditions including establishing gurdwaras as soon as they have gained the required numbers and means. There were, no doubt, problems in settling down at their destination countries and societies. Jacobsen beautifully describes that Sikhs have responded by adopting an approach of ‘similarity-within difference’ which has helped them integrate successfully. Annual ‘Nagar Kirtans’, Turban Day celebrations, Sikh youth camps, and sports days have now become regular features of community life. Most Sikhs soon after their arrival in Europe learn to communicate in local languages. The second generation is totally comfortable with local language. Sikh parents are aware

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of the importance of Punjabi as a medium to stay in touch with the home-land culture while living in diasporas. They consider language-besides clothing and food—to be a visible token of Sikh identity. In some cases, their children’s knowledge of Punjabi is better than that of Sikhs in India, where increasing numbers are communicating in English and Hindi with minimal use of Punjabi. In matter of education, Sikhs are eager to transmit their tradition to their children by encouraging them to attend Punjabi and ‘Gurmat’ classes held in many gurdwaras. At most of the gurdwaras in the new countries of settlement such facilities are being provided—just as it was the common practice in Punjab villages in olden days. Problems do sometimes emerge when adolescent children start opposing the strictness of their parents in the field of religious traditions, looking for more freedom. Many males do not adhere to tradition by leaving their hair uncut and wearing a turban. Sometimes, Sikhs talk about their fear of wearing a turban because they might be mistaken or (even attacked) as Muslims resulting from growing Islamophobia. But one can also observe in many cases their renewed interest in religion and tradition once they are grown up and engaged in university studies or professional work. With regard to marriage, inter-religious marriages are still not the norm. One notices the community’s openness in its contacts with other religions and cultures in general as seen by the ease with which they mix with local counterparts. To be able to get residence permit, many immigrants seek to marry locals, either as long term partners or just on contract basis—so to say. One interesting aspect as compared to India, is the high number of women who are working on a regular basis, thereby not only contributing to the family income but also serving (sometimes more than men) as mediators, building bridges between the locals and Sikh/Indian traditions. One problem of Sikh and Hindu religious life relates to the issue of death and funerary practice, which necessitates cremation. Because of very limited facilities for cremation in some places it might involve a long wait before the body can be cremated. Even more problematic is the practice of scatter-

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ing the ashes of deceased over a river after the cremation— this practice is not allowed by hygiene laws. Sikhs are therefore obliged to in many cases to transfer the ashes to India. SIKH ISSUES

SIKH IDENTITY AND TURBAN There is no doubt that there are pressures on Sikhs especially the younger generation, to give up their distinct identity and turban. There are strong views on the subject both within India and outside. Before proceeding further, let me quote the legendary Khushwant Singh, who said, ‘Sikhs must retain their identity symbols. Without that, I am convinced, the Sikh religion will eventually die out and perhaps merge with the indistinguishable Hindus’. Outside India, the pressure of Hinduism absorbing Sikhism may not appear to be real but there are other pressures. It has to be recognized and accepted that ‘turban’ is the brand image, if I may use the term, for the Sikhs and more so in South-East and East Asia and in erstwhile Commonwealth countries. It is recommended that readers see the documentary Roots of Love by Harjant Gill (2011) which was commissioned by Doordarshan and also telecast on BBC a few times. It deals with the subject of Sikhs keeping unshorn hair. Turban, no doubt, makes one stand out but that was one of the rationales for it in the first place. There is always a pressure on minorities to conform. Sikhs have been a minority both in India (except for the new truncated Punjab at present), and the world. So, Sikhs as a community should be familiar with the societal pressures. In India’s pre-Independence era, the British were keen that Sikhs keep their identity. The issue of turban’s non-acceptance became critical when Sikhs started settling in Western countries. A foreign identity particularly a visible identity was felt anachronistic with assimilation which was demanded and expected from an immigrant. The problem of turban has become magnified when Sikhs started to migrate illegally. The illegals have to avoid being spotted out; merging with the

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majority is almost a necessity. The only case where turban became somewhat of a requirement was when Sikhs were seeking asylum on political and religious grounds. Furthermore in the last few decades Westernization is overtaking all cultures, dress patterns, behaviour and even thinking. Mass communication in general and television in particular, are accelerating the demands on the youth to conform to the majority pattern and seek acceptance by the mainstream. The entire spectrum of cultural patterns as they existed is under scrutiny. Questions are raised with increasing frequency on essentiality of turban and beard, etc., for being a Sikh. This is due to the fact that more and more persons are not keeping ‘kesh’. ‘Non-keshdharis’ would understandably try to articulate and justify their not keeping ‘kesh’. The pressure is likely to build up still further in years to come. It will be more so where Sikh presence is small in numbers. Marriages with local partners are likely to accelerate the process further. Another important point for the branded Sikhs (if I may use this term) is that they cannot fight for Sikhs’ rights to wear turban, if the community or gurdwara leaders or their representatives do not themselves wear turban. Consider the plight of a turbaned Sikh to be represented by a non-turbaned Sikh on say the turban issue before courts or in public fora. As mentioned above, Sikh religion is not acknowledged as one of the religious communities according to the local law in some countries. Continuous efforts are being made all across the European countries to change the legal status but have proven unsuccessful until now. Therefore, Sikhs who wish to wear turban, sometimes face problems at work. Cases are known where people lost their jobs as they did not comply with the dress regulations of the employer. Over the past several years, there has been an improvement in this respect as Sikhs wearing turban have since been accepted as bus drivers by public transportation system; further more Sikhs serving in the military are now allowed to keep their hair uncut and wear a turban even as soldiers (Scandinavian countries). Unlike

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in the United Kingdom, however, Sikhs who wear a turban and not a helmet while driving a motorcycle in many countries violate traffic laws, thus excluding them from employment in the police force. Although generally turban is being accepted for Sikhs but there are issues in several countries. In France in particular ID cards and Driving License has to have photo without turban. Sikh students with turban or ‘patka’ are also not accepted in public schools though there is no such restriction in private schools. At the University level turban, however, is accepted. There were at times some issues at border controls or at airports but by and large there is now a general acceptance of turban. Of course many construe the Sikhs as followers of Bin Laden, a case of mistaken identity. The following news item sums up some of the concerns of the Sikhs. Tribune, 16 March 2017 ‘UK Sikhs worried over Europe headscarf ban; say 3 lakhs at risk’ Tribune, 15 March 2017 British Sikhs on Wednesday voiced concern over a European court allowing companies to ban staff from wearing religious symbols like the Muslim headscarf. ‘We are less worried about this decision in a UK context. In the UK, we are open-minded and appreciate and accept differences. . . . Our main worry is the situation in mainland Europe’, Sikh Federation UK said in a statement.They said the ruling puts nearly 300,000 Sikhs in European countries at risk of being denied their right to wear turbans or carry religious symbols. ‘The challenge with Sikh articles of faith is people often think of the turban, which can be worn by Sikh men and women but we have also had cases concerning the iron bracelet, the ‘Kara’. The ‘Kirpan’, a small sword worn by practising Sikhs is sometimes mentioned, but laws exist in the UK that recognise the ‘Kirpan’ is not an offensive weapon and this has in general allowed the ‘Kirpan’ to be successfully worn at work’, it said. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Wednesday that a headscarf ban does not constitute ‘direct discrimination’ if it is based

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on internal company rules that apply to everyone and require all employees to ‘dress neutrally’. The judgement was delivered in cases brought by two employees, one in Belgium and one in France, who were dismissed for refusing to remove headscarves. British companies have already been warned that the ruling would not apply in Britain as companies would face discrimination claims under the UK law. The ECJ ruled that such a headscarf ban was only indirect discrimination and therefore potentially justifiable. The Islamic Human Rights Commission has said the ruling set an ‘alarming precedent’. PTI. TURBAN DAYS

Sikhs are now celebrating Turban Day in several countries of the world. Generally speaking, it is celebrated on a day nearest to 13 April, being the Baisakhi day, every year. This event was started in 2004 in North America, UK and Continental Europe to bring awareness of the strict requirement on Sikhs to don the turban as a mandatory part of their religion. As is well known, since 9/11 in 2001, in most Western countries, the turban has attracted negative attention due to the wrongful linking of this garment with terrorism and Osama bin Laden. On Turban Day, Sikhs worldwide organize various events to give information about the turban to the general community in their locality. Turbans of every hue are represented at these events and posters highlighting information about ‘Sikhi’ are also displayed and handed out.Turban tying session are arranged so that youngsters and others get a chance to wear a turban for the first time and have their photos taken. Many non-Sikhs take part in these events and sport the traditional headgear of the Sikhs to show solidarity with the community. Many famous personalities are also invited to these events to bring more media attention. The following news item explains how ‘Turban Day’ is becoming popular in various countries of Europe: Sunday is ‘Turban Day’ for Europe’s Sikhs. Sikhs in Traditional Turbans: Thousands of Sikhs will gather across Europe Sunday to proclaim their right to wear their faith’s required

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turbans—and to voice concerns with legal challenges to such headgear in some parts of Europe.The turban or ‘dastaar’ is mandatory for devout Sikh men. They are not allowed to remove it even to wear safety headgear such as motorcycle helmets. Thousands of turban-wearing Sikhs are expected to gather in European capitals in a simultaneous gathering organized by the Sikh Channel, a Europe-wide TV Station on the SKY platform. Live broadcast on the Sikh Channel ‘the Turban Awareness Gatherings’ will take place from Madrid, London, Rome and Brussels. Sikhs in Italy have complained of difficulties at some Italian airports of being asked to remove their turbans, with many Sikhs refusing to do so and, as a result, missing their flights. Some Italian provinces require Sikhs to remove Turbans for driving licence photographs. Thus, a number of Sikhs have not applied for driving licenses to avoid what they consider the humiliation of being photographed without their turbans. The British gathering is expected to occur at noon outside of the Houses of Parliament. In Rome, Sikhs will gather at the Piazza Montecitorion. (Posted by Rob Kerby, Senior Editor. http://blog.beliefnet. com/ news/2011/09/sunday-is-turban-day-for-europes-sikhs. php#ixzz28 QBfIaB7.) ‘NAGAR KIRTANS’

Nagar means a suburb, town or city. ‘Kirtan’ refers to the singing of ‘Gurbani’. ‘Nagar Kirtans’ are ways of celebrating ‘Gurpurbs’. Food may be freely provided from stationary points along the route of the procession. The procession concludes at the gurdwara with ‘Ardas’ (prayer). Singing of holy hymns —‘Kirtan’ by the ‘sangat’ is an important part. While it can be practiced at any time, it is usually customary in April the month of Baisakhi signifying birth of Khalsa. Traditionally, the procession is led by the saffron-robed Panj Pyare (the five beloved of the Guru), who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on a float. Nowadays, ‘Nagar Kirtans’ (but in some cases without SGGS) are held across Europe, North America and other countries of the

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world. Clearly it has become one of the most prominent form of celebration in the Sikh calendar. It promotes friendship, mutual understanding and respect for each other and provides an opportunity to demonstrate core Sikh values of equality, communal harmony and, in particular, religious tolerance. Sikh enthusiasm for community gatherings such as these has to be seen to be believed. SIKH YOUTH CAMPS

During holiday seasons (mainly summer), the young Sikh organizations globally organize Sikh Youth Camps all over the globe. The origin of these camps, I believe was in Malaysia. I have covered this subject in some detail under Malaysia in my book: Sikhs in Asia Pacific. The first camp was held in Port Dickson in 1963 and since then it has become an annual affair organized by the ‘Sikh Naujawan Sabha’. These annual camps organiszd by ‘Sikh Naujawan Sabha’ attract participation even from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The popularity can be gauged from the attendance in 2017 of around 550 participants (youngest being 2 years of age to the eldest being 19 years), and 250 ‘sewadars’. Now these camps are held globally—in UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Continental Europe. In beginning of April 2008, some active Sikh Youth ‘sewadaars’ of Europe (from UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden) gathered together to establish European Sikh Council (ESC) for achieving several objectives including organizing ‘Gurmat’ camps for the Sikh youth. As an illustration, the main activities in 2014 have been: SUMMER SIKH CAMPS FOR UNDER 16s

Manvirsingh.blogspot.com 2015/05 30 June-6 July 2014 Austria Chalda Vaheer Gurmat Camp (Age: 4-18) Gurdwara Nanaksar Vienna, Wien, Austria

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7-20 July 2014 Paris Chalda Vaheer Gurmat Camp (Age: 4-18) Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Lot 1919, No. 85/386, 1618—Rue De La Ferme, 93000 Bobigny. France Tel: +33 6 05 92 80 52 21–27 July 2014 Sweden Sikh Family Camp (Age: 5-Adults) Gurdwara Sangat Sahib Förening Dymmelkärrsv. 23 14650 Tullinge, Stockholm. Tel +46 (0) 8-778 14 14 21-27 July 2014 Holland Chalda Vaheer Gurmat Camps (Age: 5-18) 2 day camps in both Amsterdam Gurdwaras and Rotterdam Gurdwara. ‘SEWA’ AND ITS VARIOUS MANIFESTATIONS—KHALSA AID

‘Sewa’—help to others especially the needy is considered an important basic tenant of Sikhism. ‘Khalsa Aid International’ is one very important organization which undertakes various projects. Khalsa Aid is an international NGO with the aim to provide humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones around the world. The organization is based upon the Sikh principle of ‘Recognise the whole human race as one’. Initiatives such as the few mentioned below gives a flavour of the work being done by the Sikh community in various fields. 1. ‘When Gurdwaras in Paris opened their doors for people after the 2015 terror attack: November 2015’. 2. Paris Terrorist Attack: November 2015. Paris came under a series of coordinated terror attacks on 13 November 2015 when it saw suicide bombings and mass shootings. The Sikh community provided shelter, free cab rides, and food to Parisians. They also organised blood donation camps and gurdwaras left their doors open for anyone who was in need of shelter.

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3. United Sikhs and Athens gurdwara deliver essentials to Syrian Refugees. News item, 9 August 2016. Athens, Greece: ‘Harsharen Kaur was packing for her holiday in Athens last month when her conscience made her think about the plight of Syrian refugees she had been reading about for some time. As United Sikhs’ European Aid Coordinator, she wasted no time to link up with the Athens Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara and Caritas, the Catholic charity that serves refugee children in Athens. 4. Refugees Fleeing from Grim Future, Journey is Exhausting. News item dated 25 March 2016. Tabanovce, Macedonia: Thousands of refugees at the Macedonia border remain in limbo for weeks now at a refugee camp, near the small town of Tabanovce, unable to pass through to Serbia for the borders have been shut, according to UNITED SIKHS volunteers on the border. 5. Since 16 December 2015 UNITED Sikhs has been offering ‘langar’ (a Punjabi word for free meals), as well as blanket and other necessities. we along with our partners have served meals to migrants enroutes and in the camp, with nearly 1,400 served daily. 6. Belgium Attacks: ‘Sikh Temples open doors to anyone in need of help’. News item, SBS Punjabi by Shamsher Kainth, 25 March 2016. ‘Brussels attack is a curt reminder of the reality of the times we live in. However, it is times such as this that brings out the best in humanity, to feel and share the pain and grief of others. All the Gurdwaras in the Belgian capital have opened their doors to the needy in view of the attacks.Baljit Singh, the priest at Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib told SBS Punjabi that they had been serving food to over 200 stranded passengers’. It was with great difficulty that members of the management could meet the passengers where they are kept, due to security reasons. After that, we sent them food last night, and will also do it tomorrow’, said Baljit Singh. He said that there was an atmosphere of fear after the attacks and that there were very few people out of their homes since the attacks. 34 people had died in explosions at departure terminal of Brussels airport and a subway station and over a hundred were injured’.

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7. Belgium Gurdwaras gear up to offer help to blast victims Times of India, 22 March 2016, Amritsar: Three gurdwaras in Brussels and nearby have made standby arrangements to extend any possible help to the traumatized passengers and their relatives following multiple explosions that rocked Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station leaving 27 dead and 35 injured. Ranjit Singh Masuta informed that Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib, Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Sangat Sahib, Sint-Truiden and Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkaash, Liege have swung into action to offer ‘sewa’ to the passengers or anyone affected following the blast. 8. ‘Langar at Parliament of World’s Religions, Spain’ ‘Sikhs Serve Traditional Communal Meal at Parliament of World’s Religions (Spain)’, by Staff Writer, Chicago, Tribune, 13 July 2004. Sarup Singh Mahon greets his lunch guests every day, shouting: ‘Please wait. Only three more minutes. There are no seats now’. If that doesn’t work, he stretches his short arms out like a police officer at a school crossing or extends a cane to block people. Not exactly the type of hospitality Miss Manners recommends. But what can you expect when 4,000 to 8,000 hungry guests arrive? The hosts are hundreds of Sikhs from India, Canada, the United States and Great Britain. The guests are participants at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. An enormous white tent serves as the dining room—and temple, or Gurdwara—which the Sikhs set up along Barcelona’s seafront, close to where the parliament is holding a weeklong conference ending Tuesday. The length of the wait depends on how many guests Mahon and his fellow Sikhs can persuade to sit back-to-back on the red carpet to make room for whoever might walk up the sandy path. No one is turned away, for this is the 500-year-old Sikh tradition called ‘langar’. The communal meals began with the Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the fifteenth century when he was sent out by his father in the northern Punjab region of India with 20 rupees. His father told him to make a wise investment. Instead, the young Nanak engaged in another kind of business, explained Nirmal Singh, a Sikh helping at the Gurdwara one day’. ILLEGALS

So far as illegal migration is concerned, it is spread globally but is more targeted at Europe and North America. The pro-

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blem of illegals is comparatively less pronounced in South America and Asia Pacific region in terms of numbers. However in Europe Illegal migration is a major issue and despite the hardships of ‘donkeying’ their way to Europe—this modus operandi continues to be popular. The author heard at firsthand the horrific ordeals faced by most of them. In some cases MAJOR SIKH POPULATIONS: OVERSEAS SIKH COMMUNITY Region/Major Countries NORTH AMERICA United States Canada

Numbers 1,000,000 500,000 455,000

EUROPE United Kingdom Germany Italy France Spain Greece Others

620,000 432,000 35,000 80,000 15,000 15,000 20,000 23,000

ASIA PACIFIC Australia New Zealand Malaysia Singapore Thailand Indonesia Philippines Others

300,000 72,000 25,000 85,000 13,000 25,000 30,000 20,000 30,000

OTHER REGIONS Africa Latin America and the Caribbean Grand Total Source: Brill’s Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, 2017.

80,000 60,000 20,000 2,000,000

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it took the migrants more than a year before reaching their destination. Present economic crisis and the consequent unemployment are deterring migration to some extent but the optimism of these desperados has to be seen to be believed. The subject is so all-pervasive and important that I have included a separate chapter on the subject. All European countries (EU and non-EU) experience illegal migration. France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece have a large number of illegals. Although undocumented migration has always been part of the wider migration flows towards Europe, including during the post-war labour migration waves, it has become critical in European public discourse since the 1990s. Reasons for irregular migration are economic, social and cultural. Punjabi fascination for alien shores translates into a fanatical mania bordering on suicidal desperation, tragic tales of illegal immigration, of unrequited ambition, of dreams turnings sour, of precious lives lost, are written and re-written. Even today an average Punjabi youth would go to any lengths, bear any cost and adopt any means—legal or illegal—to cross the seven seas and start a new life in a new country. And the faster the law catches up, the more ingenuous he becomes. With each new dawn his mind devises newer means to immigrate. The majority of irregular migrants are in the age group of 21-30 followed by the age group of 31-40. Irregular migration of women is estimated to be less than 10 per cent. The routes (donkeying) for irregular migration are varied and this subject is covered in some detail in a later chapter. Some more popular routes are via Russia and countries in the East Europe. Entry via Greece from Turkey has been continuing for many years. Another route of late is via Georgia. Some irregular migrants have entered Spain via North Africa for example through Mali, Morocco. SIKH MIGRATION CHRONOLOGY

Afghanistan—Gurus times. Most of Sikh migration is post Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

44 1849 1850 1850s 1867 1870s 1880s 1890s 1897 1897 1898 1890s 1900

Sikhs in Continental Europe Maharaja Duleep Singh to UK and later France Singapore—Bhai Maharaj Singh (exile) Burma, China Hong Kong (small presence of Sikhs at British flag raising in 1841) Malaya followed in later years to Indonesia Fiji Australia and New Zealand Kenya and Uganda. Canada USA Argentina Iran PAKISTANI IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE

It will be useful to briefly cover Pakistani immigration (majority of them Punjabis) to Continental Europe just to give an idea of how a neighbouring country’s people have migrated. In many countries where Pakistani presence is larger than the Indians, the reader will notice many instances where they offered a helping hand to the Sikh immigrants. My own experience of travelling in Western countries has been that Punjabi Pakistani would invariably greet me with ‘Sat Siri Akal’ and be very warm and helpful—at times not even charge for the service they are selling or providing. There is a great ‘Punjabi’ camaraderie. According to Wikipedia (accessed on 11 May 2018), overseas Pakistanis number about 7.6 million (total population of Pakistan 193 million). Out of this nearly 4 million reside in the Middle East followed by about 1.5 million in the UK. Pakistan has the 6th largest diaspora in the world. Emigration from Pakistan was relatively small between 1947 and 1970. The first mass migration of Pakistanis began in 1965 during the construction of Mangla dam in Kashmir who preferentially got Work Permits to UK as displaced persons: close to 50,000 Pakistanis from Mirpur emigrated between 1965

Introduction

45

and 1970. Pakistani diaspora in the UK is estimated at 1.2 million, followed by (in millions) Italy 0.123, France 0.104, Spain 0.082, Germany 0.074, Norway 0.044, Greece 0.034, Denmark 0.025, Netherland 0.022, Belgium 0.019, Sweden 0.014, and other countries of Europe with less than 10,000 in each country.

CHAPTER 1

AUSTRIA

INTRODUCTION

Located in centre of Europe, it was a convenient entry point to the continent for immigrants coming by surface: prior to Schengen agreement (1985), tourist visa was easy to get being a tourist friendly country. To start with most immigrants sold newspapers, staying in a ‘hyme’ before they gained confidence to move onto other professions within Austria or cross over to other countries. Those immigrants, who had degree qualification in India could get admission in a university (sometimes without any tuition fees) which enabled them get student visa and ID card. I have included the life story of a turbaned doctor who came as a student to Vienna in 1955. I myself was in Austria during the summer of 1961 for a couple of months (18 July-29 September) as a visiting Mining Engineer with The Alpine Montangesselschaft (English: Alpine Mining Society), in Eisenerz and Koeflach, post my university education and work experience in USA. That story is not included in this book. Suffice it to say that in the small mining town of Koeflach, near Gratz, where I was working, a local photo shop had put up in his show window, a large photo of mine along with that of the Taj Mahal. It is easy to imagine how sought-after I became among the local young freuleins after this. So turban has its exoticism; at least it had in that era. THE COUNTRY

It is a landlocked country with a population of 8.5 million people. Famous for its spectacular mountain scenery, Austria

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is no longer the dominant political force it was in Central Europe under the Habsburg dynasty which ruled until World War I. However, its position at the geographical heart of Europe on the key Danube trade route enhances its strategic importance. After being joined to Nazi Germany from 193845, post World War II Austria was occupied by the allies, who divided the country and the capital Vienna into separate sectors. However, the 1955 State Treaty—signed by the Allies— guaranteed Austria’s unity. It is now home to several key international organizations. Vienna is at present the 12th richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita, has a welldeveloped social market economy, and a high standard of living. Next to a highly developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the national economy. German is Austria’s official language. Austria has long been an important centre of musical innovation. HLC REPORT 2001

The Indian community as a percentage of a population of 8 million at around 12,000 is just 0.15 per cent. Early Indian immigrants to Austria were mainly nurses from Kerala, who maintained their links with their homeland. Some Indian professionals in the UN settled down in Austria. There is a small community from rural Punjab, whose members graduated from odd jobs to later become successful businessmen. Some Indians acquired Austrian citizenship by claiming refugee status. There are two gurdwaras (author’s comment: many additions since 2001) and one temple in Austria. SIKH MIGRATION

Sikhs started to migrate to Austria in the late 1960s but mainly in 1970s, most of them using the country as a transit point. Being a tourism focussed country, it was easy to get entry and even a Tourist visa. The Government was quite supportive in allowing immigrants if they could find some job. Distribution

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of newspapers was a popular outlet. One 1973 Sikh immigrant, Balbir Singh (see case study later) being a graduate, got admission in the university which enabled him to get a student visa for one year. This also enabled him to get an Identity Card from the university. Interestingly, he had no certificates with him but the university accepted his word. They also waived tuition because he was coming from a third world country. Somehow or the other, he could manage to stay on for five years. According to the Vienna Sikh Gurdwara ‘Granthi’ (see case study), immigration increased substantially in 1990s. There are around 10,000 Sikhs in Austria with about 5,000 being in Vienna alone. Other cities such as Linz, Graz, Salzburg and Klagenfurt have also Sikh population. About 50 per cent of the immigrants are still on Indian passports. Illegal numbers have come down now because the authorities have become very strict. Devotees coming to gurdwara number around 1,000-1,500 or above on weekends. Some Sikhs from Afghanistan have recently come in. Professions: As mentioned earlier, initially most Sikhs started with distributing newspapers through a large company called Standard. Another large company has since come up—Kronen (Krone). At that time, if an immigrant could prove that he was working with an organization (in most cases newspaper company), he was given a work visa. The immigrants later on diversified into retailing (fahrer) and wholesale businesses. Some of them run fast food chains of pizza and others act as delivery boys. Sikhs also have a small presence in transport and agriculture. Some of the more successful Sikhs are running grocery stores, wholesale of textiles and garments. Punjabis own about 150 shops in Vienna. Of course, some Sikhs work as salaried employees. GURDWARAS

There are seven gurdwaras in Austria, three in Vienna and one each in Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Linz and Graz.

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1. Gurdwara Nanak Prakash, Langobarden Strasse 47-49, 1220 Wein (Vienna). 2. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Ruckergasse 12, Vienna. 3. Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha, Pelzgasse 17/1 Saal, Vienna. 4. Gurudwara Nanaksar Sahib, Galicija, 9132 Galicija 28, Gratz Galicija, Austria. 5. Gurdwara Sanjhiwal Singh Sabha, Schallmooser Hauptstrasse 40, Salzburg, Austria, 5020. 6. Gurdwara Klagenfurt, Tessendorferstrasse 109, Klagenfurt, 9020. 7. A New Gurdwara in Linz, this opened on 25 May 2014. The community was holding services in rented premises earlier. Sikh religion is not acknowledged as one of the religious communities according to Austrian law. Therefore, Sikhs who wear turban sometimes face problems at work. Cases are known in which people lost their job as they did not comply with the regulations of the employer. Over the past several years, there has been an improvement in this respect, as Sikhs wearing a turban have since been accepted as bus drivers by public transportation system; further more Sikhs serving in the military (as Austrian citizen) are now allowed to keep their hair uncut and wear a turban even as soldiers. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

ATTACK ON VIENNA GURDWARA 2009 On 24 May 2009, six men armed with daggers and a gun entered the Shri Guru Ravidas Gurdwara in Vienna, and started shooting, aiming at the two visiting ‘sants’ (holy men) from India who were giving a sermon at the time. The ensuing bloodshed resulted in the death of Sant Ramanand, due to gun injury, and serious injury of Sant Niranjan Das, the spiritual head of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a religious centre in the Punjab devoted to Guru Ravidas. Hours after news of the death Sant Ramanand spread, Punjab erupted in violence,

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a state curfew was imposed, and the army was called in to restore order. Around end May, the Austrian police had identified six suspects involved in the attack that killed one and left 17 injured. The six men were all from Punjab or other northern Indian states. All six were in custody, although one of them, believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, was still in hospital in an induced coma after a shot in the head. Two of the men— named only as Charanjit, 24, from Uttar Pradesh, and Hardeep, 33—had come to Austria illegally in 2001 and 2008. The other four were seeking asylum. Sukhwinder, 28, from Haryana, arrived in 2001, citing a family feud for fleeing India, while Jaspal, 34, came in 2008 and requested asylum on religious grounds. Satwinder, 28, from UP, and Tarsem, 45, from Gujarat, made only vague asylum claims. None of the men were related or had a prior criminal record. The Austrian police are also investigating reports that Khalistan Zindabad Force had claimed responsibility for the attack. SIKHS WIN HEARTS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES WITH ‘SEWA’ 2015 Neetika Walter, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh 9 October 2015 In Vienna, the Sikh community, under the banner of ‘Sikh Help Austria’, is providing food to the refugees at a railway station. ‘Our gurdwara has always been a place where all can expect a warm meal. And with the big community we have in Vienna this requires a big kitchen’, says the group’s Sanjit Sandhu. Sandhu says the community’s help has filled a gap in the local refugee assistance in Vienna. His colleague, Hans Sandhu, says another Sikh is working at the border to Hungary, where the situation is serious. ‘I have never seen a situation quite like this. Refugees would arrive on a daily basis, tired, confused, and in need of food. There, however, were also moments of joy amid the stress. ‘Sikh Help Austria’s’ Gunit Mehar smiles as she recalls how refugees, amid all the stress, would burst into Bollywood songs after knowing that the relief workers were

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Indians. ‘It’s wonderful to see people who ask “you Indian?” and start singing songs from Amitabh Bachchan movies. All these small moments make “sewa” a more precious experience,’ she says.

VISIT

OF

SANT KIRPAL SINGH, 1963

‘When I came for the first time in 1955, I sent out one pamphlet, “Man! Know Thyself”, and the world invited me,’ says Sant Kirpal Singh. Sant Kirpal Singh left India for his second world tour on 8 June 1963 and arrived at Frankfurt, Germany, where the European tour started covering several cities. Thereafter he visited Austria. His visit to Innsbruck from 14-22 July meant a busy schedule. A radio interview was broadcast on the ‘All Austrian Radio Network’ and a conference with various religious leaders was held. He addressed the student priests at the Jesuit College at Innsbruck. A conference was held with the Roman Catholic Bishop and his assistants about various aspects of spirituality and religious worship. Sant Kirpal Singh was also received by the Cultural Representative of the Italian Government, and the visit to Austria ended with a Conference given by the Governor of the Tyrol and the Mayor of Innsbruck. CASE STUDIES

DR. AVTAR (BILLA) SINGH SETH – A 1955 IMMIGRANT (A turbaned Sikh—what a story!) Based on our visit with him in his house in Forchtenstein where we stayed from 8-10 July 2017 and his correspondence with me. I live about 65 kms. south-east of Vienna, less than an hour’s drive. My wife belongs to Klagenfurt. I am a vintage of 1936, born in Lahore. From early childhood onwards I was brought up in Amritsar. In January 1948, my father’s office, the Head Office, The Punjab & Sindh Bank, was shifted to Dehradun on short notice due to the onset of Kashmir War. That is how I matriculated in 1950 from Guru Nanak

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Higher Secondary School, Dehradun and graduated, BSc. 1954 from DAV College, Dehradun. Twice I took part in the competitive exams for the Medical Colleges of Lucknow and Agra but did not qualify for the admission. Then came the option of studying abroad. The University of Vienna accepted me promptly. I reached Vienna on 20 September 1955, via Bombay, Karachi, Aden, Port Said, Naples and Genoa. The Sud Bahnhof and hundreds of buildings in central Vienna were still in war-time ruins. The Indian Colony had less than 20 persons including the staff of the Legation of India. I was the only Sikh. The housing situation was very acute. The low budget accommodations offered to the students did not have running water, equipped only with a wash bowl for the morning wash, and the rooms were unheated. To have a shower, like almost half of the Viennese, I had to go to public baths. Imagine the plight of washing and drying hair or drying the turban in a cold and small room! I had come to Vienna, with a misconception that the duration of studies will be 5 years as written in the prospectus. In reality, 8 years was and is even nowadays, a good Austrian average. From 1959 onwards, I became a self-supporting working student. It turned out to be a change for the good. It freed me from the tight budget living. From 1960 onwards I had a lucrative job as a barman, in a DanceDiscotheque. I found a decent accommodation in a house with a small garden, bath and a kitchen. I could soon afford a scooter and later, an Austin Mini, the trend car of 1960s. I learnt swimming and skiing and enjoyed the life. The routine of late night working hours till 2 a.m. and often even longer, distracted me from my studies. I kept this job for 9 long years, sharing the work with a fellow student, Satpal Singh for about 6 years. Finally in 1970, I became a Doctor of Medicine. After receiving the Degree, I got a job at the General Hospital in Wiener Neustadt, where I worked till the end of 1973 getting training in six different departments. I had shifted my domicile to Wiener Neustadt. In the summer of 1973, I decided to settle down in Austria as a GP and decided for a country-side place rather than Vienna. I could choose between a dozen small townships. I chose Forchtenstein in Burgenland. Many of my doctor colleagues and friends were sceptical, advising ‘Billa, go to the cosmopolitan Vienna. The rural and orthodox catholic gentry, in Burgenland may not accept you!’ I had to give up the Indian nationality and acquire Austrian nationality, which was a pre-condition to get a ‘practice licence’ as a doctor.

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I started my private practice clinic, on 2 January 1974 in Forchtenstein. The people accepted me with open hearts and arms. On the very first day more than 40 patients came to my clinic and another 10 had called me for home visit. In addition to the private clinic, I was also appointed as the Municipal Doctor of the area, a pensionable assignment as a Government employee. I have worked here till 2002, retired as the Municipal Doctor, and voluntarily laid down my practice licence as well. Thereafter, I have become a typical Austrian Pensioner, enjoying the old age benefits. Forchtenstein has become my home town and here I really feel at home. After my retirement, the Lady Mayor of our town presented me a Golden Ring, with the emblem of the town, as a gesture of thanks for my conduct and services to the community. She took the initiative to propose me for the award of an honorary title, Medizinalrat (Medical Council) which is conferred by the President of Austria, for distinguished services to the Republic of Austria. I received this award in 2004. This story of success might not have ended like this without Sylvia, an Austrian girl from Klagenfurt. I met her in February 1963 when she was 18 and doing her Matura (senior Cambridge) in a boarding school in Vienna; a love at Prima Vista (first sight). She brought calm and peace of mind in my life, encouraged me to continue my student career in spite of many a setback. We got married in 1967. We have two sons, Surinder, born 1970 and Amrit born 1978. The elder boy is a law graduate and an investment banker, representing, an Austrian Bank in Prague and Bucharest. Presently he is stationed at Budapest. The younger one did a diploma in IT branch and is running a small business firm in Switzerland. I have learnt to live as a single Sikh in Austria. Although from 1958 till 1968, we were three of us in Vienna. But after leaving Vienna in 1970, I have been living the life of a lonely Sikh in country side, first Lower Austria, and then Burgenland. I have also learnt to live without going to gurdwara. There are two facets of my life which need mentioning. 1. I am a Lions Club member since 1978—I was not only active on Club level, five times Club President in two different Clubs but also held different offices in the Central Organisation of the Lions Clubs of Austria for eight years. In November 1989, I established the Lions Club Burg Forchtenstein. In Lions language, chartered a new Club and thus became its Charter President. This

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charter ceremony was broadcast on the prime time TV, ‘Burgenland Heute’ for more than 3 minutes. This was publicity, not only for our small town but for Lionism at large. Due to all these activities I still have a good reputation in the Lions community of Austria. 2. I was contacted by the British National Health Services and invited to Nottingham, in November 2003 and in February 2004 with Sylvia, both times with flight and hotel expenses fully paid for. I accepted the offer and worked as a GP in Nottingham for two years. This was reported in the regional press in Austria and they welcomed me back home in 2006 as well’.

ONKAR SINGH, GURDWARA ‘GRANTHI’ Interviewed on 21 July 2012, Vienna Born in 1969, my name is Onkar Singh, originally from Kapurthala, Punjab. I came to Austria in 1990. There was then only one gurdwara which was in a rented place. The present site for this gurdwara was acquired in 1993 and the building completed in 2002. The first Sikhs who came to Austria were Jasbir Singh Mangat, Narinder Singh, Hardev Singh Randhawa, Dr. Seth, Rajinder Singh Raaji, Dhillon and Tajinder Singh Teji. They came in early 1970s. Some of these Sikhs were working with the United Nations. Most others, who form the majority, initially started by selling newspapers. I came here on tourist visa but the objective was to look for a job. There were 15-20 turbaned Sikhs at that time. Later on, I started working as a ‘granthi’ from 1991, though this was not what I came here for. Earlier ‘granthi’ was Jarnail Singh who had to leave. I am still working as a ‘granthi’ for the last 21 years. I went back to India and got married in 1997 and my wife joined me here in 2000. My visa was regularised in 1991 through a company named ‘Standard’, which used to distribute newspapers and most of the Sikh boys initially worked for this firm. This company was very immigrant friendly: the boss would drive the workers to various destinations (called places) in the city where papers were to be sold. At that time, if an immigrant could prove that he was working with an organisation, he was given a work visa. Sukhdev Singh Bajwa, President of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash, was then working for Standard Company. My real job, though, was retailing (fahrer) in the market place. My entry into Austria was a long story of travelling through several

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countries. We were four in a group, three with turban. I first went to Bangkok by air (stayed for a few days) from where I got visa for China. We stayed in China for about 15 days and got our visas for further travels. I travelled by train from Shanghai to Beijing and onwards to Mongolia and Moscow in Russia by the Trans-Siberia train, bitterly cold with snow all over in the month of November, where temperatures could go down to -50 degrees. The natives work for only six months in a year because of the extreme weather conditions. Being a novelty of the turbans, people hugged us warmly at Siberian train stoppages. I had with me $4-500 (1$=9 roubles). At these stoppages, we did not have roubles and they won’t accept dollars. Finally for one dollar, they gave us coffee and bread and warmly welcomed us. The locals wanted mementos—I gave my watch to one and he in return gave his watch to me. Then we reached Romania where we stayed for a month in a rented accommodation in Bucharest. Surprisingly to our delight, we found Romanians making ‘rotis’. We then moved to Timisoara, a town near Yugoslavia border, and further onto another Yugoslavia town named Vrsac before going to Belgrade in Yugoslavia and then onto another town, Maribor near the Austrian border. We had visa for Germany, Russia, Romania and Yugoslavia, which were obtained in China. Asked if they were carrying an atlas to know about these countries, he replied that in Bangkok gurdwara, there was so much of ‘sangat’ who had plenty of knowledge to share with us and guide us about our travel, visas and all other tit bits a traveller needs to know. ‘We met Indians in China, Moscow and Romania. We did not go beyond Austria even though we had visa for Germany. From Austria we, however, did go to Italy but did not like the country and decided to return and settle in Austria. Soon we found out that one can get long term visa in Austria.’ Talking of Sikh migration, he said that setting up of a gurdwara in a country provides encouragement as it acts as a focal point for net-working by immigrants. ‘Although many Sikhs migrate by cutting their hair (as per advise of agents and to avoid being spotted), many become ‘amritdharis’ over the years after they gain self-confidence and resident status. On Baisakhi days many gurdwaras hold, ‘amritprachar’, when several Sikhs take ‘amrit’. As a guess estimate, in 1993 about 25-30 and in 1999 about 70-80 Sikhs took ‘amrit’. Thereafter about 10-30 persons take ‘amrit’ annually. According to Onkar, immigration increased substantially in 1990s. There are around 10,000 Sikhs in Austria with about 5,000 being in

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Vienna alone. Other cities such as Linz, Graz, Salzburg and Klagenfurt have also Sikh population. About 50 per cent of the immigrants are still on Indian passports. Illegals numbers have come down now because the authorities have become very strict. Devotees coming to gurdwara number around 1,000-1,500 people or above on weekends. Neighbourhood has now accepted Gurdwara’s existence and nuances associated with it. There are no restrictions on raising the ‘Nishan Sahib’ in the gurdwara. We celebrated first Baisakhi in the Gurdwara in 1991. There are two gurdwaras in Vienna, viz., Gurdwara Nanak Parkash and Gurdwara Singh Sabha. The third is Ravidas Gurdwara. There are also gurdwaras in Klagenfurt and Salzburg. Professions: ‘As mentioned earlier, initially most Sikhs started with distributing newspapers through a large company called Standard. Another large company has come up now—Kronen (Krone). The immigrants now have diversified into retailing (fahrer) and wholesale businesses. Some of them run fast food chains of pizza and others act as delivery boys. Sikh also has presence in transport and agriculture and of course, some Sikhs work as salaried employees. Some of the more successful Sikhs are Late Jasbir Singh Mangat and now his son Gursharan (Indian grocery retail stores); Kuku and Randhawa (wholesale textiles and garments); Jagtar Singh, Vice-President, gurdwara (transport and cars). Punjabis own about 150 shops in Vienna’.

BALBIR SINGH (Never give up—true spirit of ‘chardiankalan’) Interviewed in Vienna on 22 July 2012 I came to Austria along with a companion in 1973 from Jalandhar at age 21 years (both had shed their turbans). My mother had died of cancer when I was 18 years old—I am the only son. We flew from Amritsar to Kabul and then travelled by bus onto Teheran, where we stayed for ten days. In Teheran, we became a group of around 15-20 people. There was talk amongst some to return when they heard about difficulties faced by some returnees. On reaching the Turkish border at the town of Alarcon (Ahlsrom), we had to take another bus to Istanbul. Through a misunderstanding, the bus moved away with my luggage and crossed the border into Turkey. Fortunately, my passports and

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money were still with me. I had to take another bus. On reaching Istanbul, I tried to locate my luggage but without success. I had obtained visa in Teheran for Austria from where we were informed we could enter Germany. The bus dropped us in Graz in Austria at midnight. It was the month of April and quite cold. We had to go to Vienna by train from where the plan was to go to Munich. We had to buy tickets which became a problem, as I had only sterling currency. I had about 100 pounds and 8 dollars (that we were officially entitled to). I reached Vienna by requesting the conductor to get the Pounds changed on arrival in Vienna. We were without turbans. In Vienna, a boy who was selling newspapers took us to a ‘hyme’ where around 50 persons, Pakistanis and Egyptians (no Punjabis) were staying. After a few days I met some Sikhs who were going back to India. Man Mohan also decided to return to India because no decent job was available. The only job available was selling of newspapers. When an Indian left for India in disgust after a month’s stay, I took up his job. This was fortunate because I was left with only 10 pounds, after paying the monthly rental and other expenses. The newspaper job which involved selling 40 newspapers helped me survive. We used to get 20 shillings per day (1 shilling = Rs. 10). We got hold of a Volkswagen wheel hub which we used for making chapattis, using an empty beer bottle as the rolling pin’. What innovation! ‘I made friends with some Indians and Pakistanis working in the press (name was Courier). It was a struggle for survival eating only bread, butter and sugar. I had to renew my visa every few weeks, which involved a number of complications including applying for visa at several embassies. Being a graduate, I got admission in the university which enabled me get a student visa for one year. This also enabled me to get an Identity Card from the university. I had no certificates with me but the university accepted my word. They also waived tuition because I was coming from a third world country. Somehow or the other, I could manage to stay on till about 1978 (5 years) despite several uncertainties. I had to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., the commuting time being additional. There were a number of Indians working in the distribution of newspapers which profession was dominated by the Egyptians. Indians were basically using Austria as a transit point as their destinations were other countries. I went to Germany in 1975 from where I went to Montreal, Canada. But Immigration authorities did not allow me entry and sent me back by the next flight to Germany. Arriving in Frankfurt, they refused me entry as my visa for Austria had expired. I

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was able to persuade them that having taken the flight from Germany only two days ago, shows that I have no intention of staying in their country—otherwise I should have remained in Germany only. They finally let me in and I obtained a one month visa for Austria in Germany. I was married in India and had left the country three months later. My father and aunt had insisted that I get married before going abroad. On return to Austria, I met a girl in the university and she became my girlfriend and we started living together. We had a baby boy on 2 July 1977. This enabled me to get a two year visa which allowed me to work only for the newspapers. At that time there were two Indian restaurants in Vienna. A third restaurant was opened by an immigrant from Delhi. I had some acquaintance about him. I just went to meet him one day and learnt that he was involved in a police case for some drug related issue. He needed money and asked me for Austrian Shillings 25,000. I arranged the money through one of my friends and we took over the restaurant jointly. I had no clue about restaurant business. We retained his two employees. We started getting notices from various authorities and creditors—evidently he had run up huge debts. These became my liabilities. With great difficulty, I could manage the restaurant for about a year. One morning on opening the restaurant, I found that a lot of our stuff was missing and I thought there has been a theft. There was a letter on the bar counter which I took home. My wife told me that the creditors have taken possession of my belongings. The letter asked me to pay the dues to get the possessions back. I had no funds and the restaurant had to be closed. I could not get a job for six months and was wholly dependent on my wife. I approached the newspaper press for a job. They could not give me my old job but knowing that I was mentally and physically very strong, they offered me an alternative job with attractive terms. After some time, I had to handover the newspaper job to my cousin who had come from Czechoslovakia and needed a job desperately. Soon thereafter I got a call one day from my nephew that his Indian agent had cheated him out of money and that he was stranded at the French Embassy. I went there to help him out and ended up in a fight with the agent. Police came to investigate. The agent concocted a story and told the police that I had stolen from him 100 dollars. The police arrested me on charge of robbery and took me to the police station where they emptied my pockets. Around midnight they woke me up to ask where was the 100 dolloars that I stole. I told them that

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either I had not stolen the money, which is a fact, or it should be with them as they had taken away everything I had on me at the time of my arrest. The penny dropped! But they still charged me with beating up a person. When the judge was to pronounce the verdict, I did not attend the court. He fined me 2,500 shillings which the court agreed for me to pay in instalments. Post this incident, wherever I went looking for a job, the company would refuse to sponsor me for visa. I approached the workers union head in Vienna and explained to him what had happened. He was helpful and suggested that I should leave the state and look for job elsewhere. I went to Tyrol, 470 kms away in 1980. I was able to get my work permit there. Unfortunately, I had not done any job and had no specialist skills. I was fortunate to get a job offer from a 4/5 star hotel on telephone. The hotel had a French restaurant. I did not know enough German what to talk of knowing French or its food. I had spent a good sum of money to buy a nice suit and shoes etc. which helped create a good impression when I went to join the hotel. When the Director asked me about my experience, I told him that I had worked in an Indian restaurant for one year. He offered me a job as a helper. I was given a room to share with a Moroccan and was assigned to work with him. On return to our room from work the first day, the Moroccan asked me to come clean about my work experience. The truth got known to him. He took pains to explain in detail the nuances of serving in a restaurant including how to set a table. My roommate helped me at every step. One day, the Director saw me serve fruit to a customer where he found my performance deficient. The Director only corrected me but no action was taken against me—a kind gesture indeed. I changed a few jobs but all in hotel industry. There were two basic seasons—one summer for general tourists and second winter for the skiers. There were intrigues against me at times but because of being a hard working employee with a generally helpful attitude, there were no serious complaints against me and I could get jobs. I lived in Tyrol for 4 years. While I was there, I met with an accident and fractured my knees. Plaster was removed after 6 weeks. I came back to Vienna where my relationship with my girlfriend continued. Whenever possible, I used to send some money to her for our son. She was still a student at the university. Later on I was able to make good money in retailing garments by setting up a stall in the market in a town 120 kms from Graz. My cousin joined me in this venture. This was in early 1980s. I went to Tyrol again in 1984 where

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I worked for one season. Thereafter, I came to Vienna and started retailing by renting a place in a park but could not make much money. I then bought out a restaurant. The person operating the place was himself leasing it from the owner and had given a security of 250,000 shillings. I had only 25,000 shillings. Jointly with a friend, I struck the deal and bought the restaurant. We made good money. In due course of time problems started with my partner who had higher stake as investor. Ultimately I managed to buy him out. We were making good income from the restaurant when one day the original owner walked in to confront us with some documents indicating that he was selling the premises (the price indicated was 1.8 million shillings as it had good rental prospects being located in a business area). I did tell the owner that he should have first talked to me as I was running a business there. In any case prospective buyers had to see the premises at my convenience and they were obliged to hear my side of the story. With the help of a friend from USA, and the local banks, I bought out the place in 1987. This became a successful venture. He informed that his wife from India can get visa to join her if he can show enough income to support her.

SAGAR PAL S INGH Interviewed on 23 July 2012, Salzburg I came from Karnal five years ago, first to Vienna through the ‘donkey route’ via Moscow. On visit to the gurdwara and discussions with some members of ‘sangat’, I decided to settle here. Initially the gurdwara functions were held in a house (Sohan Singh), which was upgraded to rented premises. This present gurdwara started in 2002 with its own building—two floors; the third floor is with ‘goras’. Now Sangat is around 150 people comprising 60-70 families and 50-60 singles. Only 7-8 Sikhs wear turban. Most of the families are local citizens. Some Sikhs from Afghanistan have recently come in. The earliest immigrants came in 1968-70; some names—Sohan Singh Sangat, Gurmeet Singh Bhogal, Baba Singh Jhinjan, and Lachhman Singh Sokhi. They were mostly turbaned and had difficult time making a living. Sikhs are now happy and well accepted. People mostly work in restaurants, construction firms and driving trucks. I have applied for residence status which is under consideration. The gurdwara is unwilling to sponsor my case as it entails tax implications for them. Sohan Singh was the first ‘granthi’ but he has since moved to Aachen

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in Germany. I had recently been to Italy where in Breccia gurdwara there was a ‘sangat’ of about 40,000. Sikhs are not as well liked in Italy as here.

ARJAN SINGH KHALSA Interviewed in Mexico City on 31 August 2006

I had met Arjan Singh in Mexico in 2006. He had gone to Austria in 1976 from where he decided to go to South America finally settling down in Mexico. Arjan Singh was a well-educated Sikh with a Master’s degree. He discription of the 1976 scene in Austria is as follows: Travelling by bus from Teheran, he found that at the Iran-Turkey border, there were several representatives to help their clients. Arjan Singh did not stay in Istanbul but took a train via Bulgaria to Belgrade. After a day’s stop in Belgrade, he took a bus to Austria and reached Vienna. Tourists did not need visa but a couple of his companions were refused entry as they had already visited that country. He soon realized that Europe was expensive. He managed accommodation in a ‘pension’ called Turkish Heim in a room shared by many. He was successful in getting a job with a newspaper printer. The deal was that they could take away newspaper copies in the morning to sell in lieu of wages for the night shift work. This was Arjan’s first European experience which he had been looking forward to. He managed to get admission in Diplomatic Academy (language problem) which entitled him to one year student visa. Immigration Department was getting strict in not allowing non-visa holders to work. Many illegals were being deported. Being a proud and sensitive person, he got the vibes that there wasn’t sufficient social acceptance. And living amongst only the Indians was not satisfactory enough for him. He did not feel hampered or disadvantaged because of the turban except for pressure from his co-religionists who would taunt the three turbaned Sikhs as ‘Gyanis’. Since acceptance at the level of whites was not possible, he started searching around for better countries to migrate to. He was advised about migrating to Argentina where, he was told, citizenship was possible. After obtaining visas for Argentina, Brazil and Peru he took an Aeroflot flight in February, 1976 with a one way ticket to Lima, Peru.

CHAPTER 2

BELGIUM

INTRODUCTION

Our visit was especially interesting because of chaperoning by two local students (Sara Cosemans and Quincy Cloet) who have researched the Sikhs in Belgium as their specialization for their university degrees. The small country has five gurdwaras. Most Sikh immigrants have Belgian passports. Many Sikh soldiers as a part of British Indian army had fought in WW I and suffered very heavy casualties. During the weekend of 2-4 April 1999, hundreds of Sikhs from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Britain gathered in the Belgian town of Ypres to combine a celebration of the Baisakhi and the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa, with a commemoration of the Indian soldiers who fell in World War I in the former front zone around Ypres, the so-called Ypres Salient. This event, though on a smaller scale, is celebrated each year around Baisakhi. During our visit we stayed with Sara Cosemans and her parents. THE COUNTRY

A country with three official languages Belgium has a population of about 10 million. The country is so advanced digitally that in many places the banks have done away with cheques. We had problems encashing travellers cheques, once the main mode of carrying funds abroad. Squeezed in between France, Germany and the Netherlands, Belgium occupies a spot that has often decided the European balance of power. It was here

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that the Romans shared an important border with the Germanic tribes to the north; here that the Spanish Habsburgs finally met their match in the Protestant rebels of the Netherlands; here that Napoleon was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. Occupied by Germany during the First and Second World Wars, it has experienced an economic boom in the past 50 years to become a model Western European liberal democracy. However, there has also been a growing divide between the mainly Dutch-speaking north and the mainly French-speaking south, as well as concerns about the growth of Islamic extremism among immigrant communities in the capital, Brussels. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), making it the home of a large number of international diplomats and civil servants. HLC REPORT 2001

BELGIUM

AND

LUXEMBOURG

The Indian community in the Low Countries is tiny, and estimated at 7,000 or 0.069 per cent of Belgium’s population of 10.19 million. In Luxembourg, the percentage of the total population of 435,700 is the same with only 300 Indians present there. The average per capita income of Belgium is US $ 23,861. While the per capita income of the Indian community is not available, they are mainly to be found in the professional and more prosperous sections of society. Indians are employed in software, the diamond business and a few local industries in cities like Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels and Liege. A section of immigrants from Palanpur district in Gujarat had entered the port city of Antwerp to work with the Jewish community in the diamond business, and eventually started their own. The Antwerp Indians still form a very tightly knit group and actively celebrate Indian festivals. Indian software companies like HCL, TCS and Infosys have a presence in Belgium while Indian software professionals are in great demand by multinationals like Swift, Compaq and Alcatel.

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The professional Indians in Belgium represent the modern, youthful face of India. Some farm labourers and shop-hands, mainly immigrants from north India have also managed to enter Belgium illegally. Despite the small size of the community there are several Indian cultural associations. The leading ones are Bharatiya Samaj, Antwerp India Association and Shanti Darshan. An India Study Centre was set up in Antwerp in 1996. A few temples and gurdwaras built by the community are found in Brussels, Sint-Truiden and Antwerp. The Indian community enjoys good relations with the local population. Due to their small size they are not politically active. The Indian community is law abiding. A handful of Indians work in the financial institutions based in Luxembourg, which boasts an Indian Association. As in the Netherlands, Belgians regularly adopt children from India. SIKH MIGRATION

The following is excerpted from a report by Sara Cosemans and Idesbald Goddeeris titled ‘Indian Migration to Belgium’ as CARIM-India Research Report 2013/45. Amongst the India diaspora, Sikhs who settled from the 1980s onwards in the fruit region of Hesbaye, constitute the largest group. The Sikh community is perhaps the most visible of all Indian communities in Belgium. A large number of Belgian Sikhs keep turbans. Belgians’ contact with the Sikhs dates back to the First World War, when Sikhs were the most prominent soldiers of the British army fighting in Flanders Fields. However, it took until 1972 for the first Sikhs to settle in Belgium. They came from Uganda where the Indians had been expelled by Dictator Idi Amin Dada. Belgium agreed on the permanent resettlement of 175 Ugandan Asian refugees, including eight Sikh families. The real flow of Sikhs from Punjab is a phenomenon that started in the mid-1980s. They were mainly young men that fled the violent turmoil between the Indian government and the Sikhs. These young men mainly settled around the city of Sint-Truiden (Limburg) where the agricul-

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tural sector required large number of seasonal workers—vacancies that were hard to fill without migrant labour. In the first decade of the new century the community expanded and more people obtained the Belgian citizenship. The immigration regulation policies of 2000 and 2009 helped most immigrants get Belgian nationality for family reunification and family formation. Several men who had married locally to get residence status, now sought divorce from their Belgian wives to get married back home. After the 2000 regularization, the Sikh numbers increased substantially coupled with income prosperity. Prosperous Sikhs started buying property and building houses. Bicycles and small motorbikes made way for cars. Sikh immigrants are now spread all over the country but concentrations are more in Sint-Truiden, Brussels and Liege. There are presently about 10-15,000 Sikhs plus many illegals. In recent years, Afghan Sikhs have started coming to Belgium, most of them choosing to settle in Antwerp and smaller numbers in other places. Afghanis are around 5,000 in number. Sikhs are now gaining confidence and getting integrated in the local society, some of them are venturing into public offices. A young Sikh woman of a middle class family, Palwinder Kaur, has taken the lead as she ran for city council for the socialist party (sp.a) in the municipal elections of 2012. A middle-aged Sikh shop owner, Avtar Singh, followed her initiative and ran as a candidate for the Christian-democrat party (CD&V). Sikhs have organized themselves to promote sports, cultural and social activities using gurdwaras as meeting points. Three activities stand out: the ‘kabbadi’ tournaments, the ‘nagarkirtans’, and the ‘Baisakhi’ festivals. In 2004, the first Belgian tournament took place near Brussels. Since the summer of 2006 the Sher-e-Punjab Kabaddi Club Belgium organizes an annual tournament in Hasselt (Limburg), bringing together international ‘kabaddi’ teams from India and Europe. ‘Nagar Kirtans’ have become popular. The first ‘nagarkirtan’ in Belgium took place in Sint-Truiden in October 2008, followed one month later by another one in Hoepertingen.

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Soon, the other gurdwaras followed suit, organizing ‘nagarkirtans’ for special occasions. It is common for Sikhs from all over the country and even from neighbouring countries, e.g. the Netherlands and France, to join in. In 2014, a group of young Sikh women established the ‘New Generation in Action’ (NGIA). Their most important accomplishment has been the organization of two Baisakhi shows in Sint-Truiden. Through these shows, NGIA intends to unite the community and promote Sikh culture among the host society. There is no denying the fact that there were problems in settling down in earlier years due to racial and religious prejudice. Sikh workers in agriculture were bullied by some citizens and one Sikh was even shot in Sint-Truiden in 1993. A house belonging to Sikhs was bombed but fortunately there were no fatalities. Arising from Schengen agreement, workers could now come from other EU countries especially from Poland. Sikh monopoly on jobs in the fruit-farming region has been dented. A positive effect was that Sikhs sought out new opportunities in other areas. Some of them started their own farms, others sought factory jobs and some even started businesses. The Sikhs flourished particularly in one niche: the night shops (nachtwinkel)—small grocery stores that opened at the closing times of regular shops, catering to late shoppers and party-goers. Presently Saturday ‘Farmers Market’ would have many Sikhs selling their wares. However the major business at present is textile retailing. Illegal migration still continues but at a much reduced level. The stigma of illegality stained the Sikh community’s reputation: a police raid on the gurdwara in 2008 is described later on. The gurdwaras have become restrictive in providing shelter in order not to provoke the Belgian authorities. Interestingly the illegals are within the system but not illegal illegals and are not deported. At various times, Sikhs were in the news because of human smuggling planned through agents but who were allowed to stay back in the country. The highlight of Sikhs in Belgium is that most Sikhs (80 per

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cent) have local passports. About 30 per cent Punjabis are with turban. Students cannot wear turbans in government schools but can wear them in private schools. The case for turban wearing is still in court. There are no restrictions at university level. GURDWARAS

There are five gurdwaras in Belguim: 1. Gurdwara Sangat Sahib, Halmaal, Sint-Truiden (1993). 2. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib, Vilvoorde, Brussels (1999) near the railway station in a former movie theatre. The gurdwara caters to the needs of the Sikhs in the Brussels region, mainly newcomers in addition to wealthier members of the community. The town outside Brussels has only a dozen Sikh residents but because of the town’s central location, the Vilvoorde gurdwara is well frequented. In 2016 the gurdwara had to be closed due to a violent dispute between Sikh groups. 3. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Prakash, Luik/Liège (2005). Liège is an industrial city located at the periphery of the agricultural Hesbaye region. After losing employment in fruit farming, many Sikhs moved to various industrial areas. Gurdwara in Liège remains less popular than the one in Sint-Truiden: families prefer making the 40 km trip to join in the larger ‘sangat’ there. 4. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Sint-Truiden (2007) 5. Gurdwara Guru Ramdas Sikh Study and Cultural Centre, Borgloon (2005) SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

BELGIAN POLICE RAID GURDWARA Langarhal: Posted by Camille in News on 19 October 2008 As Belgian Sikhs celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, immigration police raided the Vilvoorde gurdwara,

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arresting 30. Police swooped on 19 suspected safe-houses in Brussels and surrounding suburbs during dawn raids on Saturday and discovered over 200 immigrants. The gang’s ringleaders are said to be among 15 people arrested. Police also found 50 illegal immigrants hiding in a Sikh temple in Vilvoorde, a suburb north of Brussels. Officials say the raid was to break up an underground ring that was trafficking young, undocumented Sikh men through Belgium to the UK. The criminal gang, which charged Asian migrants over Euro 15,000 for their journey from India via Moscow, is thought to have smuggled ‘thousands’ of illegal immigrants to Britain over the last year and a half. Human trafficking notwithstanding, officials chose to coordinate their sting on the same day hundreds of Sikhs were holding Akhand Path for SGGS tercentenary. From the accounts so far, police barged into the gurdwara, boots on, heads uncovered, and went through with their sting operation. By word of mouth, individuals said that even those who showed evidence of documentation were arrested for alleged trafficking. According to NRI internet.com, United Sikhs is writing to the Belgian prime minister, seeking a full investigation of the incident, an apology from Belgian police and changes to the police procedures when handling places of worship of all communities’, said Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs Legal Director. Commenting on the incident, Kuldip Singh, president of United Sikhs stated, ‘Belgium has the right to enforce its immigration laws. However, the police actions here were blatantly disrespectful and violated all laws and norms regarding people’s right to prayer and worship in peace. There was no need for the police to stop the ‘akhandpaath’ as valid papers were produced on the spot by the ‘granthi’. Gurdwara is a place of worship open to all. We do not inquire about the immigration status of the people coming to worship at the gurdwara. Police should have been more sensitive to enter a gurdwara with shoes on.

GURDWARA CLOSED

IN

BELGIUM

FOR

SECURITY REASONS

Tribune, London, 10 September 2016 Belgian authorities have ordered the closure of a gurdwara for an indefinite period, saying it poses a security threat after a dispute

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between Sikh groups, media reports said today. Hans Bonte, Mayor of Vilvoorde town, has ordered the closure. The town outside Brussels has only a dozen Sikh residents but because of the town’s central location the Vilvoorde gurdwara is well frequented, said the VRT news outlet. Several groups at the gurdwara were at loggerheads on Sunday that prompted authorities to send police to the area.—PTI

LEGAL VICTORY: BELGIAN SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS BAN ON TURBAN IN GO SCHOOLS Sint-Truiden, Belgium, 16 October 2014/PR Newswire; US Newswire The Belgian Conseild’ Etat has upheld the freedom of religion of Sikh students by overturning the ban on the Sikh Turban in two GO schools, which are part of a large group of schools attended by many Sikh students in the Flemish part of Belgium. ‘In landmark decisions dated 14 October 2014, the Highest Administrative Court has held that GO has the obligation to organize its education without harming the respect for diversity and plurality,’ said Mejindarpal Kaur, International Legal Director of United Sikhs, an international advocacy NGO that has led the legal campaign to reverse the ban on the Sikh turban. Sharanjit Singh (12 yrs) and Sukhjot Singh (10 yrs) brought separate actions in September 2013 against their GO schools for forcing them to remove their patka (head covering worn by young Sikhs), which they are mandated to wear, at all times, as an integral part of their Sikh faith. ‘Sharanjit is a shy boy, afraid of doing things wrong or being excluded. Following the ban he took off his patka very much to his distress. I am very happy that the Conseild’Etat has overturned the ban and I hope my son will be able to put the past year behind him and look ahead to a good future’, Sharanjit Singh’s father, Surjit Singh, said. The Conseild’ Etat has claimed, in essence, that a school cannot simply impose a ban on wearing outward symbols of religious belief without having grounds for doing so (such as disturbing the peace, proselytising, etc.). If a school nevertheless does this, it represents an excessive breach of the internationally protected fundamental right to religious freedom (art. 9 ECHR),’ said Pieter Lagae, Sharanjit and Sukhjot’s lawyer. The Court emphasised repeatedly that Sharanjit and Sukhjot, and by

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extension, Sikh-students—had never displayed any such negative behaviour. ‘We are grateful to all those who faithfully supported us and to the Conseild ’Etat for making this robust decision’, said Amarjit Kaur, President of United Sikhs-Belgium.

BELGIUM GURDWARAS GEAR UP TO OFFER HELP TO BLAST VICTIMS Times of India, Amritsar, 22 March 2016 Three Gurdwaras in Brussels and nearby have made standby arrangements to extend any possible help to the traumatized passengers and their relatives following multiple explosions that rocked Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station leaving 27 dead and 35 injured. Ranjit Singh Masuta informed that Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib, Vilvoorde, Gurdwara Sangat Sahib, Sint-Truiden and Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkaash, Liege have swung into action to offer ‘sewa’ to the passengers or anyone affected following the blast. CASE STUDIES

CONVERSATION

WITH

SURJIT SINGH’S DAUGHTER X KAUR

Inteviewed on 4 July 2012, Belgium Surjit Singh was born in 1965 in Shadri village, Nawan Shahar, Punjab. He came to Belgium in 1991. He first came to Germany where he started a restaurant in partnership with another person which did not work out. After six months he moved to Belgium in 1991. His wife and daughter moved to Belgium in 1993. The interviewee was born in 1990 in India and has a younger sister who was also born there. Her brother Harbhajan was born here in 1994. The boy wore ‘patka’ and sisters ‘salwar-kameez’ with plaited hair to school. They did not face any problem in the beginning in the Primary School. However X Kaur felt little bit alone. Problems cropped up in High School. Some school children did not like us and there were some fights wherein sometimes we kicked and other times we got kicked. However we never told our parents. Ms X said that they tackled all the problem themselves. Her father was very strict about religion. At that time there were only a few Sikhs. After graduating from High School, she completed

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her Bachelor’s degree from the university in Brussels. This involved a daily commute alone of 25 minutes’ walk to station and 1 hour by train. She faced no problems except a scare once only. She is now doing her Master’s degree in France. Her specialization would be the problems faced by Sikhs in France and how to communicate with local people to familiarise them about Sikhs.

CHAPTER 3

DENMARK

INTRODUCTION

Although a small country of 5 million people, it was a nodal point for immigrants to Scandinavian countries because of its location and its liberal view with regard to immigrants. Sikh presence is small and there are two gurdwaras. Sikhs as a religious minority have been given official recognition by the Government. An interesting case study of a turbaned Sikh diplomat working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is of interest. THE COUNTRY

The Kingdom of Denmark has, despite its relatively small size, punched above its weight internationally; it once controlled much of northern Europe and still maintains close ties with Greenland, its former colony. Denmark has developed a highly-competitive service-based economy with high employment levels and a generous social security system. The Social Democrats led coalition governments for most of the post-war period until the 1980s, consolidating the country’s liberal reputation, although concerns at high taxation levels and tension over immigration have put the centre-right in office for several long periods since then. Butter, bacon, Carlsberg beer, some cheeses and the smørrebrød, are world renowned. Denmark has one of the world’s most integrated cycle networks. With agriculture its primary industry, technological innovation (Lego) is not a sphere of excellence far behind. Wedged between mainland

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Europe and the rest of Scandinavia, Denmark has preserved a distinct national identity, exemplified by the universally cherished royal family and the reluctance to fully integrate with the EU (the Danish rejection of the Euro was more about sovereignty than economics). HLC REPORT 2001

Out of a population of 5.3 million, the Indian community at 2,150 comprises 0.04 per cent. Indian nationals in Denmark are mainly computer professionals, journalists and doctors. The Indian community, by and large, is law abiding and does not face any specific problems in Denmark. There are around 12 Indian Associations that organize cultural programmes and celebrate national days and Indian festivals. Places of worship of different Indian faiths have been built in Copenhagen. There are several yoga and meditation societies run by Danes and Indians. There are three local radios (FM), viz., ‘Pride of India Radio’, ‘Sabrang Radio’ and ‘Sunrise Radio’ run by people of Indian origin. A local TV channel called ‘Indiavision’ run by a Danish national of Indian origin, telecasts miscellaneous programmes for the community on Saturdays and Sundays. SIKH MIGRATION

The following is excerpted from Hellene Ilkjaer’s contribution in Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Sikhs started to arrive in Denmark in the late 1960’s and early 1970s basically to work as labourers. In some cases, however, Denmark was a transit rather than destination country. In the 1980s and 1990s a new wave of Sikh migration took place, only this time it involved Sikh refugees trying to escape the violent conflict in Punjab. Sikhs still arrive in Denmark as asylum seekers, but most Sikhs arriving today enter the country via specialist programmes set up to import skilled migrants or they come for educational purposes under student exchange programmes. Estimates of Sikh numbers vary from 1,000 to

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3,000. Most of the Sikhs have settled in the greater Copenhagen area. Sikhs in Denmark occupy a wide variety of jobs, for example as public servants (bus drivers, nurses, nursery assistants, etc.), employees in private businesses (marketing assistants, mechanics, cleaning assistants, IT engineers, etc.), and as self-employed businessmen (shopkeepers and restaurant owners)’. A significant part of the Sikh community in Denmark today is made of second and even third generation in many cases. Sikhs purchased an old factory hall in Vanløse in 1980 and converted it into a gurdwara. The Sikh community received official recognition as a religious community in Denmark in 1985, under the name of Siri Guru Singh Sabha. By the late 1990s, the Sikh community decided to buy a larger building to house the gurdwara. The choice fell upon an old rubber factory, also located in Vanlose, which the Sikhs then renovated and reinstated as a gurdwara. Following renovation works, the new gurdwara opened in autumn of 2015. There are now two gurdwaras in the country. On Sundays, 100-150 Sikhs usually attend but on important days like ‘gurpurbs’ the ‘sangat’ becomes much larger at about 300-400. There were unfortunate divisions among the community. One gurdwara was closed. However from 1990s the community has again united. Once in a while the Gurdwara committee organizes an open house with the purpose of engaging with neighbours of the gurdwara inviting them to come and learn about Sikhism and to taste Punjabi food. There is also a Punjabi school for kids named ‘Punjabi Cultural Association, Denmark’ that has been teaching Gurmukhi, ‘Gatka’ and Sikh ‘Rahit’. Most Sikhs in the first wave of migration married Punjabi Sikh women during trips to India with spouses joining later on in Denmark. While a few Sikhs of the younger generation have followed a similar pattern, many others have looked towards Sikh communities in other Western countries, for instance, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or France in search of a spouse. As a consequence some of them have even left Denmark to join their spouse abroad. The younger generation of Sikhs has been exploring alternatives ways of meeting and discussing Sikhism and Sikh identity in Denmark, that is, outside the realm of the gurdwara. One example is the establishment of the ‘Khalsa.dk’ internet discussion forum in

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2006. The aim of website was to provide information about Sikhism in Danish as well as to offer a virtual place for young Sikhs to be able to ask questions and discuss topics related to Sikhism. Another example is the association ‘Sikh Ungdom’ (Sikh youth), which run regular events in Danish on themes related to Sikhism (e.g. ‘What is Baisakhi?’), weekly Gurmukhi and Punjabi language classes as well ‘kirtan’ (devotional song) classes. Sikh Ungdom also organizes annually a Turban day, a festival in the centre of Copenhagen which apart from food stall, information boards and music also offer the chance to locals to try on a turban of the colour and style of one’s own choosing. ‘Khalsa.dk’, ‘Sikh Ungdom’, and other initiatives among the younger generation of Sikhs thus tackle the simultaneous task of building knowledge of Sikhism internally among the younger generation of Sikhs in Denmark, while also trying to spread awareness about Sikhism and about Sikhs in Denmark to the Danish majority population more generally. The two gurdwaras are (1) Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Vanløse, (2) Gurdwara Copenhagen, Ballerup. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

DANISH COURT CONFIRMS BAN ON SIKH CARRYING CEREMONIAL KNIFE, 24 October 2006 Wikipedia.org accessed on 1 September 2019 Copenhagen—A Danish court ruled Tuesday that it was illegal for a Sikh man to carry the ‘kirpan’, ceremonial knife that he traditionally gets at baptism. The Eastern High Court said that although Indian national Ripudaman Singh wore the blunt knife as a ‘religious symbol,’ it was still a violation of a ban on bearing weapons, including knives, except for carrying out a trade, hunting, fishing or other recreational activities. The court, however, ruled that Ripudaman Singh did not have to pay a 3,000 kroner (505 dollars) fine that a lower court ordered him to pay last year. The ceremonial knife that Ripudaman Singh carried concealed under his clothes was detected two years ago when he visited the US embassy in Copenhagen and presented it at a security check. Police were summoned and the case went to prosecution. The high court said the ruling did not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

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CASE STUDIES

RASHPAL SINGH KALSI: A TURBANED SIKH DIPLOMAT

(Transformation of a hitch-hiker to a Senior Government Official.) The following is based on my meeting with him in his house in Copenhagen on 20 June 2010 and later in Chandigarh and our subsequent correspondence. In 1970, my cousin Pushpinder and I decided to see Europe on a shoestring budget: in those days the Govt. only allowed exchange of US $8 to take abroad. I was working for a bookshop and publisher in Connaught Place, New Delhi. In May 1970 we left for the port of Basra in Iraq in a freighter, Dwarka, which also carried a few passengers. There were many other Punjabi young people like us from Delhi and Punjab on the ship and we soon became friends during the 9 days on board. One Gurdev Singh, who had been earlier working in Germany, became an important person as he knew more than others about the travel and life in Europe. The journey was quite interesting; we passed through Karachi, Muscat, Qatar and Dubai and landed in Basra port of Iraq. A beautiful city in 1970, it was quite impressive when you go from India. In those days Basra and Baghdad represented a very open culture with nice bazars and beautiful girls without burka. We travelled by bus to Baghdad and onwards by train to Istanbul, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Austria before reaching Munich, Germany in early June 1970. An Indian contact, Mr. Puri introduced me to a lady manager of a big restaurant who offered me a job right away. At the end of the month I remember, I had lots of German Marks in my pocket and I felt quite comfortable financially. In the meantime my cousin also arrived in Munich and he also got a job through me. People were talking about employment opportunities in Denmark and Norway. Through my employment in New Delhi, I had some contacts with publishers as we used to import technical and medical journals and books. I had written to a Medical book publisher in Copenhagen telling them about myself and they wanted to see me. After a couple of months in Munich I had enough money to buy some clothes and a train ticket to Copenhagen to meet up with the publisher. They offered me a job in their international department, where most of the work was in English.

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The Manager gave me an appointment letter. I was asked to go back to Germany to submit my visa application at the Danish Consulate in Munich. My visa for Denmark was through in September 1970 and I came to Copenhagen in the end of September 1970. I started working on 1 October and the language of communication was English in the beginning. However, I started learning Danish in the evening classes. My language skill improved quite fast and after about a year I could manage everything in Danish. After about 2 years I started on an Accounting and Electronic Data Processing (EDP) course along with study of Organization and Personnel Management to improve my professional skills. Major breakthrough in my career was when I applied for a job as Assistant Manager in the Accounts Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1976. The Ministry was one of the first Ministries to change over to EDP. The Ministry was concerned about my background and wanted to make thorough security check. I had already applied for Danish citizenship and I told them that they could contact that Department as they had all information about me. That was my first step in the Central Administration of the Danish Government without realizing how far I had reached. Soon after in 1977 the Ministry of Finance centralized the new Accounting System under its wings and the Ministry of Home Affairs Accounting was transferred to the Ministry of Finance along with Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Commerce. I became one of pioneers in the Accounting Directorate of the Ministry of Finance and my turban helped me as everybody would easily recognize me. In 1983 Ministry of Foreign Affairs was going to adopt the new Accounting System and we were helping them. They wanted a position to be filled in their Finance Department with somebody who knew the system well and could help them. I applied and was selected after a couple of interviews. In 1983, I completed my MBA from Copenhagen Business School. I started with the Foreign Ministry on 1 January 1984. After a few years I applied for something more interesting and challenging. Ministry’s department dealing with huge development budget was called Danish Development Agency (DANIDA). Denmark was disbursing huge sum of around DKK7 billion (US $1.25 billion), to developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Towards the end of 1980s DANIDA top management decided to put in people with financial background as Financial

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Controllers. I started with DANIDA in 1988 and my first posting outside Denmark was in the Danish Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh where I started in August 1990. In the meantime when I went back to India in 1974, I found my wife Sadhna. Soon after her graduation, she had done Secretarial Course from London where her uncle lived. Everything was arranged hurriedly and I had to fly back a few days after. Sadhna joined me in Denmark in November 1974. She got a job as Director’s secretary in a big chemical engineering firm called Haldor Topsøe. We have 3 sons, Gobind (1976), Navdeep (1979) and Amandeep (1983). In my career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I have had several postings overseas where I had the opportunity to interact with the Sikh communities in these countries. My international postings were: Dacca, Bangladesh: 1990-4; Maputo, Mozambique: 1994-9; Managua, Nicaragua: 2000-2; New Delhi, India: 2003-6; La Paz, Bolivia: 2006-9; Nairobi, Kenya: 2010-15; Retired 2015. In 2016, I was taken in as Chairman of the newly established Gurdwara Copenhagen. It has been quite challenging to establish a new organization with elaboration of necessary rules and guidelines, building and renovation of the huge building of around 1,400 sq. m for a small ‘sangat’ of around 200. The biggest challenge has been raising funds. A new kitchen has been established fulfilling all the requirements of different Danish Government authorities at a cost of around US $100,000 quite amazing achievement by a small community. All this is possible due to the Sikh spirit of donation and love for Guru Nanak’s teachings ‘Kirit Karo, Vand ke Chhako and Naam Japo’. In April 2006 I was nominated to receive an honour from the Queen of Denmark. The queen conferred me with a Knight of Dannebrog Order (Cross of Honour) in the audience in July 2006. A few articles were written about me in the newspapers at that time. I was interviewed by a Danish journalist in Bolivia, whose article heading was ‘One out of 1.1 billion’ meaning that I was one out 1.1 billion no. Indians reaching this level. It was indeed matter of pride for me and the community. My journey which started with hitch-hiking, then travelling nearly all over the world is now stationed in Copenhagen where I am enjoying the beautiful memories together with my wife and sons and grandchildren.

80 ANITA LERCHE,

Sikhs in Continental Europe THE

PUNJABI SINGING SENSATION

Met at her apartment in Copenhagen on 20 June 2010

She is a Danish lady specializing in Punjabi music. According to K.P. Singh, a famous architect of Indianapolis, USA: ‘Anita has captured the beat and rhythms of Punjabi heart and Bhangra dance like someone who has been a part of that culture for many a lifetimes. She has mastered the dance moves, gestures, and facial expressions and can deliver the celebrated favourites of Waris Shah’s Heer-Ranjha composition and the popular Punjabi folksongs with panache, deep sensitivity and seriousness, light heartedness, unbound energy, and skills of an accomplished performer. Anita loves to engage the audience and invite the audience to dance with her and be a part of the evening and build a personal memory. Anita is mesmerized by the raw energy, riot of colours, the undiscovered mystique of the Punjab and the ancient splendour and rich heritage of India. Punjab has captured her heart, almost like a ‘long-lost love at first sight’. Anita graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London in 2001. She has sung in 16 languages and was the first non-Asian woman from the West to release an album in Punjabi. She has received many awards, including MH 1 Punjabi Music Award for Best NRI Female Debut and Danish World Music Award. Anita was born in Golstrup and grew up in Herlev, both suburbs of Copenhagen. In 2005, at the request of a friend, Gunar Muhlmann, she made a pilgrimage to the Kullu Valley and Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, India. Something awakened deep inside her by the natural beauty—the sky, waterfalls, serenity, and spiritual aura of the place. During this visit, Anita was introduced to Punjabi culture and music by Anurag Sood and the late Rattan Singh Rajput at Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Anita discovered an instant connection and intense passion for Punjabi music and folklore: ‘this is what I have been looking for’. Since then, Anita has made many trips to the Punjab to visit her teachers and friends and share her talents at Punjabi ‘Melas’, Sikh temples, and festive presentations in India,

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Europe, Canada, and during her visit to the USA. Anita released her first album Heer from Denmark in 2006 to rave reviews from critics and her fans. She was kind enough to present me with several of her recordings. OTHER PUBLISHED CASE STUDIES

GURMEL SINGH Børsen—The Daily Danish Business Newspaper, 15December 2009 Mr. Sony Professional: Senior support engineer Gurmel Singh at Sony Professional Nordic is turning 60 years of age today. For most of the Nordic television stations and production companies Gurmel Singh is equal to Mr. Sony Professional. This is because he is the very person who has designed and built up the advanced technique in the production environment in the Nordic countries as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands. He is also the man who keeps upgrading and services the technique to the highest level of demand. Gurmel Singh was born in Punjab in India and is a Sikh. He is always easy to recognize with his turban and his elegantly matched clothing. Gurmel Singh was educated as a radio mechanic in India and was thereafter encouraged to visit Canada where part of his family has been living for generations. But by chance he stopped in Copenhagen to work before heading to Canada. At that time the Danish electronic production company Eltra was acting as an agent for Sony and hired Gurmel Singh in 1972 as the first Sony technician in the country, part of a small department consisting of only 3 staff members. In 1978, Sony received its first broadcasting order from Denmark’s Radio which meant the delivery of a number of U-Matic video machines as well as the construction of several editing studios. Since then he has exclusively worked in the professional market with new installations, service and further education. This has brought along a high amount of travelling as well as further education several times a year in the many Sony technical centres in Europe and Japan. Gurmel Singh has been married to his Indian born wife Paramjit since 1975 and together they have a son now living in Germany. Naturally he is working in the computer industry; they also have a daughter

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living in England also engaged in the field of IT. Moreover Mrs Paramjit is employed in a large media production company. The whole family is therefore well versed in the requirements and terms of the media branch.

RAMNEEK G. HANSPAL Ramneek G. Hanspal, a Beauty Queen http://www. express india.com/ about/feedback.html?mailto=vipinpubby@express india.com Express News Service, SAS Nagar, 14 January 2006.

This beauty is in love with Punjab Ramneek G. Hanspal is a beauty queen, relishes Punjabi food and loves Bollywood flicks. So what is so special about this 24-year-old? The fact that Gitte (that’s Ramneek) is the reigning Miss Scandinavia and has Indian ties. Daughter of a Danish mother and a Sikh father, Ramneek is a delightful mix of Scandinavian and Punjabi charm. She has fond memories of her childhood vacations at her paternal village near Hoshiarpur. ‘After every holiday in our village near Hoshiarpur, I would insist on staying back. But my father would ask me to finish my studies in Denmark first and then think on these lines’, she reminiscences in chaste Punjabi. Ramneek represented Scandinavia in the 2005 Miss Universe pageant. Born and brought up in Denmark, Ramneek’s upbringing has been Indian. Her mother, Ulla, is the one who encouraged her to follow the Sikh faith and ensured that the family followed Indian traditions. The official Hanspal family language is a colourful mix of Danish/Dane, Punjabi and English and the staple diet—Indian. This final year student of Management is to wed her beau of Indian Origin, Navkiran Singh (‘saada apna banda’ as Gitte puts it) in July. As far as her plans for the future go, she is not sure if she could settle here. But she says she would like to come back and work in India. (Contributed by Jagpal Singh Tiwana, Dartmouth, Canada)

CHAPTER 4

FINLAND

INTRODUCTION

The Sikh immigrants though small in numbers have been able to carve for themselves a niche through ownership of restaurants, bars and discotheques (called ‘ravintola’). It is quite an achievement from working as kitchen helpers and cleaners when they first arrived in 1970s to now running these outlets. The gurdwara operates in the afternoons on Sundays due late night timings of Sikh establishments of bars, discotheques etc. ‘Nishan Sahib’ cannot be displayed outside the gurdwara. THE COUNTRY

Despite its dreary weather and long winters, Finland has emerged as the happiest country in the world in 2018, according to a UN report which rates happiness levels based on factors such as life expectancy, social support, freedom and corruption. A country with a population of 5.3 million, around two-thirds of which is covered in forest and about a tenth by water. In the far north, the sun does not set for around 10 weeks during the ‘White Nights’ of summer, while in winter it does not rise above the horizon for nearly eight weeks. Hundreds of years of Swedish rule were followed by a further century of Russian control before independence in 1917. In World War II, Finland faced severe fighting on its eastern border with the Russians and the country was eventually forced to cede 10 per cent of its territory and pay extensive war reparations to Moscow. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s allowed Finland to step out of the Cold War

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shadow. It applied for membership of the EU soon after its friendship treaty with the Soviet Union became void in 1991, becoming a full member in 1995. Finland is the only Nordic EU member to use the Euro as the national currency. The country spends heavily on education, training and research— investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the bestqualified workforces in the world. This has been a key factor in the development of a modern, competitive economy in which an advanced telecommunications sector has been added to the traditional timber and metal industries. SIKH MIGRATION

In Finland, like many other European countries, the number of people immigrating started to exceed the number of those emigrating only in the 1980s. Before that, Finland was a country characterized by a strong outward migration. Since the beginning of the twentieth century many Finns migrated to the US and to Australia and from the time of WW II also to Sweden. But the early 1980s marked a turn in Finland’s migration history when the net migration to Finland started to be positive. The following is excerpted from a research paper, ‘Negotiating, Maintaining and Transmitting Immigrants’ Identities’ and ‘Sikhs in Finland: Migration Histories and Work in the Restaurant Sector’, by Laura Hirvi, University of Jyväskylä (Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism). The first Sikh immigrants (about ten of them) arrived in Finland in 1979 by obtaining work permits. By 2008, out of 2,716 Indians living in Finland, 632 people were listed as speaking Punjabi. It can be assumed that there are currently about 500 Sikhs living in Finland. Most Sikh immigrants have settled in the area of Helsinki and its neighbouring city, Vantaa, and the majority work in restaurants, pubs or nightclubs, either as employees or as entrepreneurs. There is a sprinkling of Sikhs in Turku, Oulu, and Tampere Island Maria Asu. Some

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Sikhs came to Finland via a transit country, such as Sweden or Germany, after having heard that the chances to succeed might be better in Finland. Many later immigrants came on hearing about the opportunities to settle here from their friends and relatives who had already settled in the country. After settling down, many immigrants who were already married, brought their families, others got married to wives from Punjab. Quite a few also got married to Finnish women. A majority of Sikh immigrants are employed or self-employed in the restaurant (ravintola) business. The term ‘restaurant’ is an umbrella term that includes bars, pubs, discotheques, eating places or a combination of any of these. Sikh immigrants faced a variety of challenges when trying to enter the Finnish labour market. Finding a job turned out to be especially hard for those, who had arrived in Finland during the time of the economic depression in the beginning of the 1990s. In general, immigrants’ options to find employment were limited due to negligible language skills and work experience, combined with educational backgrounds that are often not acknowledged in Finland. Sikhs ended up in the Finnish restaurant business because it had least barriers. They could start with back room chores such as cleaning dishes, helping as assistants in cooking, cleaning, setting up tables slowly graduating to cooking and up front interfacing with customers by the time they had acquired language skills and learnt nuances of serving the customers. The businesses owned by Sikhs are scattered all over the metropolitan area of Helsinki. Sikh women of the first generation often work in the restaurant sector, mostly in family owned restaurants. Usually, they start wage work only after the children are older and have started going to school. It is not easy to sponsor parents unless a special case is made out that they are fully dependent on the immigrant. Finnish people generally do not save as the state looks after the citizens. However, the Indians cannot help saving which comes in handy as the immigrants become entrepreneurs.

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GURDWARA

According to Sukhdev Singh Sodhi, an immigrant, ‘Gurdeep Singh, First Secretary, Indian Embassy, brought the mini ‘bir’ in 1988. His residence was used for prayers. Then the Sikhs rented a hall on ad hoc basis to meet once in three months, then once a month and later on weekly basis on Sundays. It was quite a logistics effort. There is no ‘nagar kirtan’ in Helsinki. Numbers are small and devout Sikhs still less. Sikhs decided to build own gurdwara for which land (4,000 sq. m. plot) was acquired in 2000. It was supposed to be a large complex but the plans did not fructify due to huge costs involved. So they bought the present building in 2005 in Sörnäinen, a suburb of Helsinki, for 1.65 lakh Norwegian Marks. They needed additional 1.25 lakh (total cost became 3 lakh NM) for renovation which the ‘sangat’ is re-paying on monthly instalments of Euro 20,000. This need arose because the building purchased was old. Getting permission to put up a ‘Nishan Sahib’ in front of the gurdwara seemed problematic. A small ‘Nishan Sahib’ has been put up inside the building. Gurdwara is held on Sundays in the afternoon with ‘bhog’ at around 4 p.m. (people return from restaurants only at 5 a.m. or so). Sangat size is about 50 people including families. They prepare ‘langar’ in their own restaurants and bring it along. Most Sikhs pay upto 1,000 Euro donation per month to the gurdwara. The gurdwara has no live-in ‘granthi’ as of now. In Vantaa, there is a gurdwara in an individual’s house and is known as Gurdwara Gurusar Vantaa. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

FLYING FINN

FROM

PUNJAB—PRABHJOT SINGH

Tribune News Service, Chandigarh, 30 October 2008 Ranbir Singh Sodhi of Dhuri has made it to the Council of Governors of Vantaa, a province in Finland. The council enjoys the same status as a state assembly in India. He has become the first ever South Asian and Punjabi to be elected to the august house of Finland. Sodhi,

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Finland

who migrated to Europe after his postgraduation in economics and finance management, has settled in Hiekkaharju city, one of the four largely populated cities of Vantaa province. Interestingly, Sodhi runs a nightclub in partnership with his brothers. ‘It is a major step forward by the small and responsive Indian community in Finland. There are around 200 families of Indians in general and Punjabis in particular in the country.’

FINLAND SIKH FIGHTS

FOR

RIGHT

TO

WEAR TURBAN

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, 22 May 2013 London: A Sikh bus driver in Finland, who was ordered by his employers to remove his turban, is fighting for his right to wear the traditional headgear at work. Sukhdarshan Singh Gill works at the Veolia bus company in Vantaa near the Finnish capital of Helsinki. He came to Finland in the 1980s, making him one of the first Sikhs to arrive in the Scandinavian country. Following a visit to Punjab in December last year, Gill decided to start wearing a turban at work. That was fine with his employer for two months, before the management ordered him to remove it to comply with uniform rules. ‘I have a right to my turban as I am a Sikh’. Gill told Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE. Sukhdarshan’s son Sukhnavdeep Singh Gill said he was keen on completing his military service for Finland wearing a turban. ‘I want to be part of it and my religion shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t want to be treated differently, it’s my right,’ said Sukhnavdeep. Other Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden allow Sikhs in the military to wear the turban. ‘I pay tax, I work hard. My wife is also a bus driver, she pays tax. Our children were born in Finland, and are studying in Finland, and we feel this is a question of minority rights. We have our own culture, we have our own religion,’ said Gill. Lawyers say any legal challenge to the turban ban would be successful.

Gill subsequently won the case and was allowed to wear a turban. PUNJABI MUSIC GROUP All locals—‘Shava’

Eating out is very popular in Helsinki. Shava is a unique group of five Finnish guys from Helsinki who started playing

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Bhangra. Bhangra has become a major music phenomenon within the vast immigrant Punjabi populations all over the world. Shava has embraced this tradition and have created a new tradition, a global Creole music which has its roots both in the soil of India as well as the concrete jungle of EastHelsinki. The band started as a mad idea back in 2004. They soon discovered that not only are they the only band in the world fusing Finnish lyrics with Punjabi beats, but they are also the only non-Indian origin band playing Bhangra music. Now their ‘Finnjabi’ music has grown into a culture of its own, with enthusiasts in many parts of the world. Coming from the land of Sauna and Santa Claus, the band’s live shows combine high energy stage presence with a kind of a crazy humour which Finns are well known for. The band has toured diligently at home and abroad, infecting many fans with the Finnjabi virus. In Finland, Shava has appeared in big festivals such as Provinssirock, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival and Funky Elephant to name but a few. They have also been in demand overseas, appearing in VIBC’ City of Bhangra festival in Vancouver, Canada in 2009 as well as 2011, and in the Nordic Musical Safari Explosion in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2009. The band’s debut CD Betoninenkotimaani was released in 2010 and received wide acclaim and won the public vote for the ‘Folk Music Record of the Year 2010’ in Finland. Shava has been prominently featured in the Finnish media, including interviews in major Finnish newspapers and TV channels (TV1, MTV3, Helsingin Sanomat to name a few). Apart from consistent radio play in Finland and the Nordic countries, Shava’s music has been featured on the BBC, Canada’s CBC as well as numerous other radio stations in Europe and North America. Shava started as a mad idea but have grown into something of a cultural phenomenon, it remains to be seen if the Finnjabi scene they created will be carried on by other groups. The group at least wishes to be an inspiration for future bands.

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CASE STUDIES

SUKHDEV SINGH SODHI Interviewed on 29 June 2013 in Helsinki gurdwara Sukhdev Singh left India in 1977. In Delhi he cut his hair. He went first to Bulgaria from where he went to Turkey (stayed for 2 months) and then moved to Greece where he joined a ship. He jumped ship in Hamburg, Germany. It was a difficult survival for almost a year and half as he could not get any job. There was no food to eat and he had to survive on bread. At times there was no place to stay in the cold weather and he had to sleep in a telephone booth. He stayed in Hamburg, Germany for more than a year. On the advice of a friend, he went to Finland: two of them went there in 1980 with three month visa. He met a girl who agreed to marry him but by the time they had decided on marriage, his visa had expired. He was advised to return to Germany with the girl to apply for visa afresh. He could not succeed and in fact was sent back to India where he stayed for 7 months before returning to Finland with a new passport. On arrival, he married another girl with whose help he could get residence permit. The marriage did not last long. He worked in restaurants cleaning dishes. He is now married to a wife from Punjab. Sukhdev Singh has two kids, one girl and one boy. His daughter has recently married a Sikh from Punjab and they faced no problem in his immigration. Son-inlaw came two months ago and has not started working yet. His son is not married. Parents would like him to get a wife from Punjab but it is up to him to decide. His children speak Punjabi. Back home, his father was a ‘patwari’, an important job for village folks. Emphasising the status of a ‘patwari’ for villagers, he quoted ‘utte kartar te thalle patwar’. His brother is in Patiala and does not want to migrate but his son has migrated. In an interesting take, Sukhdev said that they were offered immigration to Canada but both they and their children prefer to live in Finland—a somewhat unusual approach as Sikhs of Europe prefer to settle in North America because of the presence of larger Sikh communities in these countries. According to Sukhdev: ‘The first Punjabi who came in 1970 or 1972 was Uttam Chand Sood along with 8-10 persons. Another earlier immigrant was Bhagwant Singh. It was thereafter mainly chain

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migration: there was great demand for workers in general but more so in restaurants. None of the earliest immigrants kept turban: ‘Hunger is the biggest enemy of human being, one does anything for survival. The need of the day was to survive, turban can come later’. Immigrants were mostly working in restaurants or retailing Indian garments. Narrating an interesting story, he said that one of his friends in Germany, Sandhu went to Bahama for settling down where he learnt that immigration was possible to Sweden. He went there but was not successful in getting immigration status and decided to go to Finland by ferry. On the boat he met a Swedish girl to whom he got married within a week. To get a spouse visa, one had to go to another country. So he returned to Germany where Immigration Department sent him to jail for not having paid his earlier taxes (500 DM). Sandhu telephoned him for help. 500 DM was a lot of money for Sukhdev but through friends, he could help him out. He is now a resident.

RESTAURANT

AND

DISCOTHEQUE SCENE—MR. X. SINGH

Interviewed on 29 June 2013, Helsinki gurdwara Punjabi restaurant owners are 400-500 (seems to me somewhat exaggerated). There are many Sikh owned pubs in the city. He owns (along with his brother since last 12 years) a large Night club and Bar ‘Stadin Tahti Ravintola’ (means City Star), located in Kallio District of Helsinki. Several permissions are needed to set up a restaurant but these are easily available without much hassle. They provide Indian and Western food. Up to mid-day, it functions as a restaurant but in the evening it transforms into a discotheque. They have a dance floor with live band over the weekend. At night only small eats are provided and there is no formal dining. They have four bouncers at the gate. Beer is more popular along with wine. A local liquor without sugar is popular. Food wise popular dishes are steak, mutton balls, and boiled potatoes or egg potatoes with butter. Eating out is very popular. Restaurant building is on rent and has a seating capacity of 350 people and standing 500. Friday and Saturday are late nights frequented by some tourists but mostly locals. It is open on weekends till very early hours of the morning. Cooks from India can be sponsored based on the turnover and taxes paid. Black money in transactions

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is almost non-existent and all purchases are recorded. There is an Indian dance and music group called ‘Bollybeats.fi’ (see Appendix). Giving some more information, he told us that gurdwara pardhan, Manjit Singh has three restaurants cum discotheques, some in the centre of the city. There is gurdwara (Gurdwara Gurusar) in Vantaa which has virtually become the dera of a Sikh living there. Some Sikhs also live in other towns, e.g. Turku, Oulu, and Tampere Island Maria Asu.

CHANDANVIR SINGH He is a Software Engineer from Delhi who has a job based on business visa. He came in 2008 with an Indian company and after a year decided to farm out on his own. He is presently working with Nokia on B visa. The process of immigration is that one first gets ‘A’ type visa which is for one year but which can be renewed for 4 years. After working for 5 years one is entitled to PR (Permanent Residence) status. If one clears the language requirement, citizenship can be acquired. Chandanvir is getting married in Delhi within a few months and his wife will join him here. According to him, most immigrants’ children work with fathers in the same profession. Children are happy here. Social facilities are excellent. If one has lived here for 4-5 years, no one wants to leave.

RAMJEET (Courtesy Laura Hirvi) A graduate from an Indian university with a Master’s degree in Economics, his reasons for taking the job as a dishwasher in Finland was: ‘I had no flat, I had no money, I had no food so I had to work. That was important then. We, as Sikh immigrants forget everything we did before—I started to wash dishes. From there it started.’ Accepting to work as a dishwasher or as a kitchen helper in the restaurant sector was for many the only option available. Working as a restaurant’s kitchen helper does not require any prior work experience nor advanced language skills. Thus, in terms of required educational qualifications, the restaurant sector belongs to those job options that have ‘low barriers of entry’. After the first Sikh owned restaurants had been established, later waves of arriving Sikhs had an easier time to find

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work in the hospitality industry, because social networks helped them access this sector. Ramjeet who started as a dishwasher owns today together with his brother a successful and well-known restaurant in Sörnäinen, Helsinki. He helped a close relative to migrate to Finland by offering him a job in their restaurant. The most important advantage available to workers in immigrant restaurants is the opportunity to learn both cooking and entrepreneurial skills’. Once these skills are acquired, which happens often in restaurants owned by fellow Sikhs or other Indian fellow countrymen, Sikh employees leave the restaurant to start their own restaurant business.

MAHAAN SINGH (Extracted from ‘Occupational Clustering in the Restaurant Sector & Analysing the Rhetoric of Hard Work’, a paper by Laura Hirvi. SIKH IMMIGRANTS

IN

HELSINKI, FINLAND

Mahaan Singh, a Sikh from India, left his country to ‘see the world’, as he says, and ended up in Finland in the beginning of the 1980s after having fallen in love with a Finnish woman. In the beginning he studied philosophy at the University of Helsinki. But in search for a job that would pay his living, he interrupted his studies and started to work as a kitchen helper in a restaurant in Helsinki. In addition, he earned a second wage as a cleaner. In 1987, Mahaan decided to become an entrepreneur and opened up a pub together with a friend. Since then, his business has grown considerably and by now he owns many bars and nightclubs that employ more than hundred people— out of which a majority are ethnic Finns. He came with almost nothing, but worked hard and took a risk and thus was able to integrate quite successfully in the Finnish working life. Mahaan managed to rise from ‘rags to riches’, or at least from ‘dishwasher to proprietor’ and thus, it could be argued, materialized what one could call a ‘globalized’ version of the ‘American dream’.

CHAPTER 5

FRANCE

INTRODUCTION

The Sikh immigration scene in France has been and continues to be dominated by the ‘Turban’ issue whereby Sikh students in public schools are debarred from wearing turban and the Sikhs photo in ID cards or passports has to be without turban. Despite this negative approach by the country to Sikhs, we found the gurdwara in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris, humming with activity on a Sunday. The earliest Sikh presence in France was that of Maharaja Duleep Singh (son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh), who died in Paris in 1893. A second instance refers to the several thousands of Sikh soldiers who fought and died in France, Belgium and Italy during the two World Wars. Details are given under the World Wars chapter 19. The sacrifice of Commonwealth soldiers is commemorated in the memorial complex of NeuveChapelle (French Flanders), especially dedicated to Indian soldiers. During WW I, a total of 90,000 Indian soldiers (out of which 19 per cent were Sikhs) were posted in France, 8,500 died, 50,000 were wounded. There is a beautiful photograph of a French lady presenting a flower to the Sikh soldiers marching in Champs Elysees! According to Christine Molinier, a French Researcher, there are an estimated 15,000 Sikhs in France. Like many other countries of Europe, France was generally not the first choice for Sikhs but a stage in their process of multiple migrations. The community faced marginalization within French society especially in earlier years because of the illegal status of most immigrants but which also resulted in community solidarity. The community is operating through active networks that

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strongly binds Sikhs in France with their compatriots in UK, Germany or Belgium. THE COUNTRY

The Republic of France has a population of more than 64 million people. France has overseas presence in the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. Metropolitan France in Western Europe accounts for just over 80 per cent of the territory and 96 per cent of the population of the French Republic. France is an influential member of the European Union (EU). It is a leading industrialized country with a mature and sophisticated market economy. GDP is dominated by the services sector. France is the world’s fifth largest exporter—the European Union as a bloc, is France’s most important trading partner. France is known the world over for its cuisine, fashion, culture and language. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. A key player on the global stage and a country at the political heart of Europe, France paid a high price in both economic and human terms during the two World Wars. The years which followed saw protracted conflicts culminating in independence for Algeria and most other French colonies in Africa as well as decolonization in South-East Asia. France was one of the founding fathers of European integration as the continent sought to rebuild after the devastation of World War II. France and French People The Frenchmen have for centuries prided themselves on their civilizational centeredness. They have felt themselves to be unique. Others have conceded, however, reluctantly, this claim. The French nationalism has always presented itself as a self-contained nobility, directed against neither any other nation nor race. The Frenchman takes legitimate pride in their flag, food, fashion, wines, cheese, art galleries and other countless fads; yet all this is marked by a kind of self-assurance that is not mean-spirited. Now, terror threatens to undo this national rectitude. Kaffeeklatsch by Harish Khare, Tribune, 23 April 2017.

France

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HLC REPORT 2001

The Indian community in France is estimated at 65,000 or 0.11 per cent of the total population of 59 million. Indian citizens constitute 10,000 while PIOs number around 55,000. In addition, the Indian community in the Departments/Overseas Territories of France including Reunion Islands, Guadeloupe, St. Martinique, etc., number approximately 300,000. A majority of the members hail from former French colonies in India; Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandranagore. Later arrivals in the country are mostly Gujaratis from other Francophone areas including Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius. The head of the Ismaili community, the Agha Khan has setup his headquarters near Paris. A large majority of members of the Indian community are mainly engaged in private small businesses. Some are employed in educational institutions. While about 6,000 members are estimated to have taken up jobs in army/police forces, about 12,000 members are in the French Government service. Approximately 9,000 Indians may be working in a managerial capacity in French private companies. There are approximately 200 Indian professionals employed in well-known scientific, industrial and commercial companies/organizations. Some are running restaurants, shops, travel agencies and, IT companies. There is a small number of students. Most of the people of Indian origin residing in France belong to the middle class. The businessmen also market handicrafts, home furnishings, fabric and garments, gems and jewellery, rice, spices, ethnic groceries, fruits and vegetables, etc., from India. Indian food is getting increasingly popular in France. With France opening its IT sector for Indian professionals, Indian software industry may see a growth in exports to France in the IT sector. The Indian community has formed a number of associations. However, an apex body of these associations was formed on 23 January 1996 and designated as Federation of Indian Associations in France (FAFI). Traditionally, the French have had a great love and admira-

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tion for Indian traditions and culture. Apart from the associations promoting Indian performing arts, cuisine, yoga, etc., there are large number of associations of Pondicherians and Tamils which focus mainly on the conservation of their own culture. GENERAL MIGRATION TO FRANCE

According to Wikipedia, as of 2008, the French National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) estimated that 5.3 million foreignborn immigrants and 6.5 million direct descendants of immigrants lived in France. This represents a total of 11.8 million, or 19 per cent of the population. In terms of origin, about 5.5 million are European, 4 million Maghrebi (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), 1 million Sub-Saharan African, and 400,000 Turkish. The region with the largest proportion of immigrants is Greater Paris. Sikh immigration described later on has to be seen in this broader immigration scene. South Asians represent a small group, 100,000 people or more: the Punjabi numbers would thus be significant amongst Indian immigrants especially if one considers a large Pakistani presence. A distinction needs to be made between the French-speaking migrants who share with France a colonial past (such as Pondicherians, Vietnamese, Indians from Madagascar and Indo-Mauricians) and migrants from northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with no historical or cultural connection with the host country. SIKH MIGRATION TO FRANCE Excerpted from Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism Most of the immigrants benefited from the legalization campaign launched by the socialist government in 1981-2. They were followed in the late 1980s by a second wave of migrants, linked to the political situation in Punjab, which propelled thousands of young Sikh men to apply for political asylum in Western countries at a time when Euro-

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pean immigration policies were becoming stricter, particularly for asylum seekers. A third stage comprised the wives and children of the pioneers who migrated under the family reunification provisions, which created a second generation of French Sikhs in the early 1990s. Some others came in through family and friends relying on them for access to employment, housing and dealing with French bureaucracy. Majority of the Sikh and other immigrants are involved in the informal economy, particularly in three sectors that are in great demand of a cheap, mostly migrant workforce: clothing, catering and construction work. The new arrivals initially start working for well-established ones who have secured residence documents and work permits. Hence a lot of Sikhs work say for a Pakistani business man (Pakistani immigrants are more numerous around 50,000 and are relatively older and better settled group in France). GURDWARAS

There are four gurdwaras in and around Paris. Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Bobigny is the main and the oldest gurdwara. Bobigny Gurdwara was established in the mid-1980s and the others in the 1990s. GURDWARA SINGH SABHA 16 rue de la Ferme—93000 Bobigny Facebook http://www.facebook.com

GURUDWARA GURU TEG BAHADUR SAHIB 64-6 route d’Aulnay—93140 Bondy [email protected] GURDWARA SHRI GURU RAVIDAS SABHA 97 rue Anatole France—93120 La Courneuve 0148382188 GURDWARA BABA MAKHAN SHAH LUBANA 14 Avenue Jean Jaurès—93350 Le Bourget 01483800 The Bobigny Gurdwara runs ‘gurmat’ and Punjabi classes as also ‘gatka’ (Sikh marital art) training sessions.

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‘The Council of Sikhs’ in France, whose spokesperson is Ranjit G. Singh (see his interview) have done a commendable job in raising issues concerning Sikh religious symbols such as the turban issue in particular and Sikh community in general. The achievement of French Sikhs is remarkable considering that the French legal frame work and political environment is not favourable to the public expression of minority religions, particularly to the creation of places of worship. Indeed the many trials and tribulations endured over the years for the project of a new gurdwara demonstrate the low level of acceptance of religious diversity by French society. With regard to funding, banks were reluctant to give loans and the whole project was entirely funded by the community who also appealed to fellow Sikhs in diaspora. Over the last 30 years of the gurdwara’s existence, its management along with ‘The Council of Sikhs’ have done a commendable job in organizing of procession (nagar kirtan) during the festival of Baisakhi as well as provision of legal support service for ‘keshdharis’ (keeping unshorn hair) children excluded from schools—has implied a number of institutional practices and contacts with the local and national authorities that have helped in more acceptance of Sikh religion and community in France. ILLEGALS

South Asian migration to France has, from its inception, involved some form or other of illegality. But most of them benefitted, as other migrants, from two massive operations of legalization in 1973 and 1982 (the latter during which 135,000 migrants were legalized). For those who came afterwards, one way out of illegal status has been through marriage with a French national. A few others have been granted political asylum, as Khalistani militants who have managed to shift this status to that of permanent resident. In 1997-8 another legalization operation has benefitted some 80,000 undocumented migrants. More recently the same applied to those who were able to prove they had been living

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in France for the past 10 years. For the rest of them, another way out of illegality consisted in applying for temporary residence in Italy, Spain or Portugal while living and working in France, and later getting their Spanish or Italian documents converted into a French residence card. Many also left France and have settled in Italy or Spain, where they benefitted from the several legalization operations. Most of these routes are now closed, but a new one has opened: people with life-threatening illness who are declared unable to get adequate treatment in their home countries are granted a one-year renewable permit. A handful of Punjabis have been granted a one year permit on this basis, and several others are trying to get it. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS Installation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh bust in St Tropez

The bust of great Sikh Maharaja of Punjab, Ranjit Singh was unveiled at Allard Square of St Tropez in France on 17 September 2016 evening in a military ceremony. In the ceremony organized by ‘Sikh de France’, an organization representing Sikhs living in France, the bust was installed at St Tropez, the birthplace of French warrior General Jean Franquis Allard who served in Maharaja’s army. General Allard was one of the most trusted warrior generals of the Maharaja and played a key role in modernizing the Sikh army at par with European standards. The project was personally supervised by St Tropez Mayor Jean-Pierre Tuveri and his deputy Henri Prevost Allard who were given a proposal by Sikhs to pay tribute to the Maharaja and get his bust installed. A military guard of honour was given to the Sikh warrior before unveiling of the bust. According to Ranjit G. Singh, Director, Public Affairs, Representative Council of Sikhs France, ‘It was an honour for us to get Sikh warrior’s statue installed here in France. General Allard though born in St Tropez was buried in Lahore. His direct descendent Henri Prevost Allard is now the Deputy

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Mayor of St Tropez and thus we prepared this proposal. It was approved and in fact he personally supervised all preparations. The Indian national anthem was also played on the occasion.’ Nearly 3 feet tall and weighing 110 kg, the bust is made of bronze by famous sculptor Prabhat Rai of Madhya Pradesh. This project was an initiative of Ranjit G. Singh of Paris (see Case Studies later on) along with Bobby Singh of UK, who has authored a book, The Lion’s Firanghis: Europeans at the Court of Lahore, 2010. Bobby has traced families of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s officials which culminated in establishing contact with Henri Provost Allard. 1. Bobby Singh has initiated a project of installing a bust of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in an Italian village and also a statue of Maharaja in Lahore Fort. 2. Interesting aspects of life of Allard are given under Appendix. ID WITHOUT TURBAN? 27 YEARS ON

RANJIT SINGH LEAVES FRANCE By Rachna Khaira, Tribune News Service, Jalandhar, 27 May 2018 In March 1991, Ranjit Singh left for France in search for better prospects. Twenty-seven years on, he is back in India, having lost his subsistence allowance for refusing to forego his identity as a turbaned Sikh. Ranjit, who belongs to Ambala, paid the price for refusing to get photographed without the turban— for the ID to renew his status as a refugee. After fighting his battle with the French authorities for nearly two decades, Singh, 82, returned to India on Saturday to stay with his son in Pathankot. Singh was first issued the ID in 1991 with the turban and it was due for renewal in 2001. For months, the French authorities asked him to get himself photographed, this time without the turban. However, Ranjit Singh refused to comply, and after a couple of years, the French government stopped his social security allowance. Singh took on the French Government, filing a case in the Admin-

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istrative Tribunal there. He even took the battle to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which dismissed his petition. Singh later moved the United Nations against the French law banning the wearing of turban for ID photographs. On 12 June 2012, the UNHRC concluded that France had violated the religious freedom of Ranjit Singh, then 76. Even six years after the verdict, the French Government refused to extend social security allowance, causing him a lot of hardship. He claims, ‘Even though I am over 80, I do not have medical insurance cover and was forced to pay all my bills. Recently, my medical expenses at a private hospital crossed over 2,200 euros. As I was unable to pay back instantly, my family offered to pay in monthly instalments of 80 euros,’ he says. Refusing to be a burden on his elder son, who lives in France, Singh decided to move to India to stay with his younger son. ‘What is the use of luxury once you lose your religious identity? I am a born Sikh and will prefer to die with this identity. This is not a battle of ego but of religious faith, which is above all worldly pleasures,’ said Singh.Will he seek social security benefits from the Punjab Government? ‘Yes, I will visit Chandigarh next week to apply for my old-age pension and other allowances,’ he adds. NRI Iqbal Singh Bhatti, president of Paris-based human rights body Aurore Dawn, had offered support to Singh in taking up his fight to international organizations. The NGO sent one of its members along on Singh’s journey back home. Ranjit Singh says: ‘Turban and untied beard are part of my identity. When the Indian Government had, in 1974, ordered Sikh soldiers to tie their beard, I refused to comply. As a result, in 1975, I was discharged from my duty after more than 20 years of service. Sikh soldiers who fought in World Wars I and II, and my maternal grandmother inspired me to always give priority to faith’. He is writing an autobiography about his struggle. The book will be completed soon.

BAISAKHI CELEBRATIONS Franco—Sikh Day, 23 April 2016, Paris The Representative Council of France of Sikhs organized the second edition of the Baisakhi festival in Paris, in honour of the common Franco-Sikh memory. This day provided an opportunity to know the vibrant culture of Punjab, through various exhibitions, discussions,

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and religious cultural events with the ‘Kirtan’, the martial art ‘Gatka’, the ‘Giddha’ with ‘Masti Punjab Di’, ‘Bhangra’, and sports workshops on ‘Kabaddi’.

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HERO: RAJINDER ‘BABU’ SINGH

France Today: 10 October 2011 The daily Le Parisien paid a tribute to Rajinder Singh (also known as Babu). The 33-year-old Sikh-Frenchman was travelling on the métro when he saw a pickpocket try to steal a mobile phone from a fellow passenger. Rajinder Singh intervened, coming to the woman’s assistance, asking the man to ‘leave her alone’. But a struggle followed and continued as the train pulled into the next stop. The two men got off and the pickpocket began punching Rajinder, finally pushing him off the platform and running away. Rajinder Singh was electrocuted. And there the story might have ended, except for the reaction to a profile of Rajinder which Le Parisien ran the day after the incident. It was a simple tribute to a man born in Punjab who had come to France seven years ago to ‘be able to work to send money home to his family and give them a better life,’ as one of his cousins told the newspaper. His family wanted his body returned to India, but couldn’t afford it. His death—one which Le Parisien said left no one indifferent—provoked what TF1 news called ‘an astounding show of solidarity’, with messages on the internet, and his brother-in-law Jean-Louis Lecomte, receiving phone calls of support and letters of donation. On Wednesday a minute’s silence was held at the station where Rajinder had died, with France’s Minister of Transport, Thierry Mariani, and the Minister of Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, among those paying homage. RATP, the public transport operator for the Paris region, has agreed to meet the costs of repatriating Rajinder’s body to Punjab. Police have arrested a man they suspect of being the pickpocket who pushed Rajinder to his death.

PARIS TERROR ATTACKS, NOVEMBER 2015 ‘Sikhs offer help. Gurdwaras in France keep doors open; Sikhs step up help’, Indian Express, 15 November 2015 The Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Paris is among those that have kept doors open. The Sikh community in France and UK stepped up to help people in the French capital Paris, where multiple terror strikes

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left more than 120 people dead, by arranging for safe shelter, providing free cab service and blood donation. Gurdwaras in Paris decided to keep their doors open night and day for those stranded after the attacks. They publicised their move over social networking sites e.g. #Porte Ouverte (Doors open). Leading the charge was Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Paris along with Conseil Representatif Des Sikhs De France (Representative Council of Sikhs of France), Sikh Helping Hand, Mairie De Bobigny (office of Mayor of Bobigny) and Prefecture De Seine Saint Denis (Local Govt. office). Ranjit G. Singh said, ‘All the Gurdwaras in Paris would be open throughout night and day to welcome the needy. We have already started with blood donation at Hospital Avincennes, 93000, Bobigny and people have started lining up to give blood’. He added that Sikh cab drivers were also ferrying people to their homes for free. CASE STUDIES

GURDIAL SINGH Interviewed on 1 July 2012, Bobigny, Paris I am originally from Jalandhar (born 1954) and came to Europe in 1979. I did not know about France but came here as per the Agent’s advice. I travelled to Thailand for which visa was easily available. I was keeping turban despite the advice to the contrary of the agent in India. Because of this, other Punjabis avoided travelling with me. Even the agent arranged for others to travel first and I (considered more risky) later on. From Bangkok, the agent arranged for me to fly to Poland and onwards by train to Germany (Munich), where I stayed for six months. The idea was to seek asylum (azil) in Germany. It had taken me 4-5 months to reach Germany. In Thailand, I stayed for one month and Poland 2-3 months. I had to suffer for 4-5 months before finally reaching Germany. I met some Sikhs and Pakistanis in Munich. Asked as to how he got to meet these people, he explained that ‘with the turban others from the subcontinent come and meet you especially the Pakistanis who make an effort to befriend and help the Sikhs’ (author’s note: I have had similar experiences in many places). ‘Some Pakistanis took me to their residence in Munich. After feeding me, they asked as to what work I would like to do. I told them frankly that I did not really know any work. I was unmarried at that time. They helped me get a job with a Greek who ran a Stitching Centre. I was to

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do basic work and I was allowed to sleep at their premises. I worked there for 2-3 months. In due course of time, the Pakistanis alerted me about opening of immigration in France.’ Talking about an interesting interlude while in Germany; he said that ‘they learnt that the Police raid early mornings around 5 a.m. to check on illegal immigrants. I used to get up even earlier and do my “nitnem”. Once the Police came and saw me saying my prayers. They had a cursory look at my papers and calling me by name as Mr. Singh, let me continue with my “paath”. I was the only turbaned Sikh. I had come with $ 500 and only a handbag.’ ‘I moved to France as immigration opened in 1980. With the help of Pakistanis, I took a train to Paris where I was met by their contacts. Although by now, I had cut my hair I was still wearing a turban. I stayed in a hotel in Paris. I used to go to various shops looking for a job. Since I did not know French, sign language was the only recourse. The law allowed me to stay in the country pending the final decision on my case. I could not find any Indian for two months in Paris. There were many Pakistanis who acted somewhat like agents in helping people prepare documents to get their immigration regularized. They provided me with a local address; at that time many questions were not asked. I had to live with six people in a small room sharing a single bed.’ Commenting about the earlier immigrants, he said that it was very hard for them. The later generations are having it easy. He told us that these days, the Police guide the immigrants, legal or illegal, to a gurdwara on arrival at the airport. They know that the person will get shelter and food. ‘Finally after a few months, I met a Sikh boy from Nawan Shahar who was working at one of the shops. He took me to his home and later introduced me to another Indian. After initial hesitation, he introduced me to a Chinese (perhaps Vietnamese) lady who taught me stitching work. She helped me with immigration paper work. I worked for her for two years. She allowed me to stay in the basement. I worked seven days a week and the only thought was “work and sleep”. I was being paid which became almost entirely savings. I was now okay from immigration viewpoint which was a relief. Slowly, I got to meet other people. In early 1980s there were about 200-300 Punjabis. In 1986, people started coming in larger numbers seeking asylum. The present numbers could be 13,000 (10,000 singles and 3,000 with family). Additionally, there would be another 2,000 as illegals. There are around 2,000 families and around 100 Sikhs are married locally.

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Along with the Nawan Shahar boy, I bought out a room for living from a Greek on ‘pagri’ basis. The deal was for 40,000 Francs. My friend soon backed out of the deal. But having given my word, I did not want to back out. I sought out help from my contacts in Germany including one Sikh who had since migrated to USA. To my utter surprise he sent me some Dollar currency notes by post in a letter. Such is the camaraderie! I could finally pay the 40,000 Francs. Incidentally I sold the place for 250,000 Francs in 1990 after 10 years. I lost contact with the friend from USA, who had given money. It is most unfortunate that I could not return the money to him. I visited India in February 1984 when I got married and brought my wife along. Soon thereafter my parents moved with me from Punjab. I have three sons, Karamvir, Dharmvir and Jasvir. I have a brother who came here in 1988 and married a French lady. I have three sisters, one in France the other in USA and the third lives in Kapurthala.’ Around 1984, I organized a meeting (about 30 Sikhs attended) for having a Gurdwara Sahib, one possibility being the buying out of a Church building. Finally it was decided that gurdwara should be constructed with its own building. In the interim period, we started gurdwara in my house at 6, Rue Cote Riberan, Paris 75010. Pal Singh and Shingara Singh Mann helped by bringing ‘Baba Ji’s Palki’ from England. It was a fortuitous that my parents were living with me in the house. A French lady belonging to Yogi Bhajan’s 3HO cooperated for celebrating Baisakhi festival at her premises in 1985. She encouraged us to use her premises for a year. We finally rented premises near metro Robersepire, while we continued our search for a suitable site. We finally bought land in Bobigny for this gurdwara; three contiguous houses with street numbers, 16-18-20 in three transactions over a short period of time beginning 1988. A building was constructed to our design and the gurdwara is now fully approved and has its own bank account. In 2004, a law was enacted to ban students wearing religious symbols including ‘patkas’. My son and some other Sikh students were debarred from public schools. A case was filed with the United Nations with the help of United Sikhs of America. The same year, I went to India (after 20 years) with a delegation of four persons. We met many leaders including PM, Manmohan Singh; President, Abdul Kalam; Lal Krishna Advani; SGPC leaders and many others. All promised to help but nothing has been done so far. The discrimination extends to ID cards and passports, wherein Sikhs have to take

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off the turban for the photograph. Out of the six cases filed with the Human Rights Commission of the UN, the case of Baba Ranjit Singh (see earlier reference) has resulted in a historic decision. The conclusion was that ‘He is Sikh and Sikhism is separate religion and can wear the turban’. Despite himself not being highly educated, Gurdial Singh started an approved school in Bobigny to help the Sikh students (in private schools there are no restrictions on turban wearing). Unfortunately, it had to be closed down two years back as commuting long distances for children was a problem. He built a complex just behind the Bobigny gurdwara and has named it ‘Sher-e Punjab’ from where he operates a company named ‘Satnam’. Address—Sher-e Punjab Complexe: M. Singh Gurdial (Père) etDhramvir (Fils) Tél: +33(0)6 16 29 52 00 / +33(0)6 16 95 49 21 Courriel: [email protected] Site Web:http://www.spunjabi.com/

RANJIT G. SINGH Interviewed on 1 July 2012, Bobigny, Paris He is the Director, Public Affairs, Representative Council of Sikhs France (as a community service gesture). Born in France in 1987, Ranjit Singh is in his final year of Law studies. His father was one of the earlier Sikhs to come to France in 1980 when immigration opened. He first came to Germany in 1978, at age 28 years. His father started his own business in retail. His father was unmarried when he came to France and got married later in Punjab in 1984. Basically his father was from a small village Sekha, Gurdaspur district. Ranjit are three brothers. His elder brother is working in construction and wears a turban. He is the middle one. His younger brother is a taxi driver. Mother is working as a nurse on part time basis. It is necessary that Sikhs work to get over the impression that we as a community, are not all poor people. Father has two shops. ‘I went to a French School where I was asked to leave because of my turban. I had then to join a Catholic Private School. I am now at the Sorbonne University. My ID card is without my turban. In schools, now we can go with a handkerchief on the head but in the university we can wear turban. We are about 30,000 out of which about 45 per cent would be illegal. They

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are concentrated in suburbs of Paris, Strasbourg in the East, and Lille in North France. Most of the Sikhs in the south of France are white Sikhs belonging to Yogi Bhajan’s 3HO. Children of illegals cannot be deported and are entitled, and in fact required to go to school here. There would be 10,000 families and five gurdwaras in France. Most Sikhs are Indian passport holders and only about 10,000 would be French citizens. First gurdwara was started in Beajnolet. After five years, the gurdwara was moved to a rented house in Bobigny. Soon thereafter, a house was bought out and the premises extended by buying the neighbouring two houses. The present gurdwara was constructed as a new building in 1989. The local Mayor very graciously provided Sikhs premises for worship while the new building was being constructed.’ Talking of professions being followed by Sikhs, he said that about 30 per cent were working as salaried employees, but majority (70 per cent) were working as labour in factories, construction, and other industries. Real estate is a new area of interest to Sikhs. New immigrants keep coming from Punjab as noticed in the gurdwara. Some of them move on to other countries: on the other hand some come to France from neighbouring countries as wages in France are better. Immigration was opened in 1980 and closed in 1990 but was opened again in 1995. Now the only legal way to migrate is through marriage. There would be less than 100 such cases. First gurdwara was set up in Bobigny. On a Sunday, about 5,000 people come to this gurdwara. The next to come up was the Le Bourge gurdwara, followed by the Lacourneueve Gurdwara, and the fourth was the Ravidasi gurdwara.

X SINGH Interviewed on 2 July 2012, Paris—in his shop Originally from Jalandhar (born 1959), I came to Beirut in 1983 through an agent. After some time, I went to Paris along with a friend hoping to get 24 hrs transit visa but without success. We went via Malta, where entry was possible. There were about 15 Sikhs in similar situation. A local agent advised us to get a visa for Budapest. We bought a ticket via Frankfurt where we missed the connection (planned tactic). We asked immigration to give us asylum but they put us in jail for a week. After a few days a bus load of us including people from various other countries were sent to a ‘Transit Accommodation’ where food and beds were provided. I was without a turban. Such are the

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varied routes migrants take prompted by agents! It is a big business globally. ‘We learnt that France is allowing immigration. So I along with my friend went to Paris by taxi, paying 3,000 Francs. My friend had a relative in Paris who was a help including providing funds. I had with me about $ 500. I did not like Paris. My aim, in any case was to migrate to USA. I arranged to buy a French passport in the name of a Gujarati Indian in which my photo was morphed in. I was held up at the airport and jailed for six months. I requested to be deported—it was shameful as none in our family had ever been to jail. Before my arrest, I had a job in Paris with a Jewish shop and later in construction industry’. He said he could find jobs with the help of Indian friends even without knowing French language. He was sharing accommodation with other boys and hence could save some money.’ ‘On release from jail in 1989, I decided to go to Italy where I was told immigration had opened. I rented a room but could not get a job. Around this time I was getting frustrated and home sick with a desire to return, get married and settle down. I failed to get papers for immigration in Italy and hence returned to Paris after stay in Rome and Milan. I could finally regularize my papers for immigration in Paris in 1991. I had in the meantime got a duplicate passport issued by the Indian Embassy based on photocopy of the original. Immigration in France was possible against certain requirements such as minimum three years’ works experience, payment of Government taxes and recommendations by the employer. In early 1980s immigration was less onerous with regard to various documents. In 1992 after 9 years, I went to India and got married. All this harassment had to be borne to alleviate poverty faced at home. It took me couple of years to get my wife to visit me and that too for only two months. I made another visit to India in 1994. The only way my wife and child could come here was through a tourist visa for two months. Subsequently they stayed on illegally for two years. With great difficulty my family’s immigration could be regularized in 1996. I and my family are still having Indian passports. But we are now considering getting French passports for children. I had a son in India, followed by a daughter (13 years old) in France, who can become citizen next year. The son, now 19 years, will also have no problems as he has been studying in France. Our third child is a son who is now 12 years old. I have now two shops, one here in Paris and the other three hours journey away. Visiting Punjab is becoming difficult because of business commitments. Our children went last year. When I have to go, I have to close at least one shop.’ Describing the Sikh scene in France, he said that there would be

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3-4 lakhs of them. We disagreed and a discussion ensued. There are five gurdwaras. He and some others present in the shop, won’t agree to a figure of 13-14,000 Sikhs in France, which they considered to be too low. There are several rich Sikhs and it is no more the old scene of lower to middle income Sikhs. There are new immigrants who have been here for only a couple of years; they will take time to become affluent. From 2010 there has been a rush of immigrants. At this shop, we met briefly an immigrant Jasma Singh (from a village near Tanda) whose wife is working as a Professor in a local university. According to him there are 20-30,000 Sikhs in France.

NARESH PAL SINGH Born in Karnal, Naresh Singh moved to Paris in the late 1960s with wife Marianne, and lived in Paris until his death in 2003. A full-time photographer, Naresh Singh’s main subject of work was the nudes, and his bold compositions that looked like paintings were a fine blend of art with technique. ‘These works have been produced over a period of 20 years. Without using photoshop or any such techniques, he created a genre of photography that was ahead of its time’, says his daughter Nirmala, who has returned from Paris to settle in Delhi and now Bangalore. (Indian Express, 5 December 2011). ‘My rendezvous with Naresh Pal Singh in Paris, France (1970)’

Courtesy: DR. HARDEV SINGH VIRK, CHANDIGARH Mr. Virk joined Paris University in October 1970, when he was the only turbaned Sikh in the university. He says: As today, French were allergic to headwears (turban) even in those days. For a few days, I was not allowed to dine in the International House mess and the French students used to chant in rhyme ‘chapeau, chapeau’ just on my entry. They mistook my turban as a sort of ‘chapeau or hat’, which is considered an unethical trait to wear at ceremonial occasions, according to the French custom. Otherwise, as a Sikh, I was liked by all and called ‘Maharaja’ in the university circuit. One day, while I was coming out of Scholarship office in Paris, I was suddenly stopped by a lady calling me Mr. Singh. She was Marianne who introduced a smart looking Sikh, Naresh Pal Singh, as her husband. Marianne told me that Naresh feels bored in Paris and it will be nice if we could start meeting at frequent intervals. I accepted the invitation and after a few meetings, we both became good friends.

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I discovered that Naresh belongs to Nilokheri’s famous Butalia family, which served in the Khalsa army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and got liberal land grants. As planned, our meetings were quite frequent. Later on Naresh also joined my university as a student of marine biology. It was his pastime and he never took his studies seriously. One evening, while I was returning to my Indian hostel, Naresh introduced me to his friend, Catherine, who was interested in the study of Sikh religion. She asked me many questions about Sikhi. One day Naresh, Catherine and an old lady, Anne Marie Maison, visited my hostel. Over a cup of tea, we had discussion about starting some activity to promote Sikhi in Paris. After this visit, Anne Marie Maison proposed that a Sikh temple (gurdwara) needed to be started in Paris. This, however, did not fructify. Once in a while, I met some Punjabi boys who were illegal immigrants and wanted to cross the English Channel to reach England. Naresh became father of two daughters and his wife, Marianne, often invited me for dinner parties. Naresh developed intimate relationship with Catherine and started living with her. In fact, Catherine was also serving as a model for Naresh, as an ‘artist of nude portraits’. Naresh had his exhibitions of art photographs in galleries in India and abroad. Post Catherine’s death, he became extremely sad. During an exhibition, Sabine fell in love with Naresh. He set up his home and studio in suburban Paris. During my last visit in 2001, I found Naresh and Sabine living happily. In October 2003, I called Naresh from London when Sabine answered my call and told me in a sad voice that Naresh is no more in this world! She told me that she visits gurdwara, once in a while, with her daughter Amrita, so that she feels related to the Sikh faith of her father. Naresh died leaving three Sikh daughters.

A FRENCH SIKH CONVERT: DARSHAN SINGH RUDEL (An Interesting Case Study. This is reverse of Sikh migration and is being included as it is an interesting case study) Times of India, Chandigarh, 24 April 2014 He renounced his French citizenship for embracing Sikhism, came to India, married here and settled in Punjab. He has been living here since past many years. Darshan Singh Rudel, 57, a French national, earlier known as Michael Rudel, had converted to Sikhism and mar-

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ried a Sikh woman. Now settled at Nurpur Bedi in Ropar district, Rudel is doing organic farming for the past 17 years. Rudel had requested a French court in 1995 for changing his name from Michael Rudel to Darshan Singh Rudel, which was declined. Thereafter, he renounced French citizenship and became a UK national, which had issued him a passport in his new name—Darshan Singh Rudel. In 1997, he became an amritdhari (baptized) Sikh at Anandpur Sahib— the place of birth of Khalsa—and married Malvinder Kaur, who teaches English at a college in Nangal. The couple is living at Nurpur Bedi since then. He strictly follows the tenets of Sikhism. Darshan, a dedicated Sikh missionary with profound knowledge of ‘gurbani’ and ‘gurmat’, said that Sikhs were known for their honesty, integrity, hard work and bravery. He is disappointed with the present situation in Punjab and says that today’s politicians have created an environment in the state where all such virtues are evaporating. Rudel, who uses only organic methods at his farm, said Punjab needs ‘genetically modified corruptionfree politicians’, who are nowhere in sight. Darshan had to face the wrath of policemen in Delhi in 1991 for sporting a turban while coming to India. He was subjected to interrogation for several hours to ensure that he was not a militant or sympathizer of Sikh hardliners. He had also written to the then union home minister, Shankar Rao Chavan that all Sikhs should not be treated as militants. However, no reply was ever received from the minister, he said.

CHAPTER 6

GERMANY

INTRODUCTION

It is one of the important countries of Europe for Sikh migration not only because of large presence both of Sikhs and gurdwaras but also because Sikhs started migrating there from 1960s as students or as employees or for setting up businesses. Of course, the numbers were minuscule up to the early 1970s. Many immigrants to Europe in earlier times first headed for Germany from where they moved to other countries. The Sikh presence in Germany in terms of numbers is second only to Italy in Continental Europe but so far as the number of gurdwaras is concerned it is ahead of Italy. The decline of the USSR and the fall of Communism enabled Germany’s unification in 1990. With the unification of the two German states, the country became Europe’s most populous nation and strengthened its role as a key member of the European Union and of the continent’s economic, political, and security organizations. Germany is Europe’s most industrialized and populous country. In the twenty-first century, Germany is a great power with a strong economy; it has the world’s 4th largest economy by nominal GDP, and the 5th largest by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). As a global leader in several industrial and technological sectors, it is both the world’s third largest exporter and importer of goods. A developed country with a very high standard of living, it upholds a social security and universal health care system, environmental protection, and a tuition-free university education. The Federal Republic of Germany was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957 and the European Union in 1993. It is

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part of the Schengen Area and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999. Famed for its technological achievements, it has also produced some of Europe’s most celebrated composers, philosophers and poets. Germany’s contribution to the world of classical music is undeniable. The excellence of its beer derives from the sixteenth-century Reinheitsgebot, the world’s oldest food purity law. Germany’s food culture is traditionally characterized by wholesome but hearty dishes, a vast array of sausages and excellent but calorific cakes. HLC REPORT 2001

The Indian community at 35,000 is barely 0.04 per cent as a percentage of a population of 82 million. Of these, only 10,000 Indians are estimated to have acquired German citizenship, mainly due to restrictive citizenship laws. The majority of Indians emigrated in the 1960s and 1970s. There are places of worship for the Indian community in almost all major German cities. The NRI community is comprised primarily of technocrats, businessmen and nurses. In addition to the estimated 6,000 registered asylum seekers, around 2-3,000 illegal Indian immigrants may have entered Germany through Central Asia/East Europe. Recently, noting the contribution of Indian IT experts to the American economic miracle, Germany has begun to actively woo high-tech Indian professionals with offers of attractive employment opportunities. A few Indians have also acquired political eminence. R. Gujjula, a doctor in Altlandsberg, holds the post of Mayor. Sebastian Edathy is a Member of the German Parliament from the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD). Debashish Bhaduri, SPD, is a Municipal Councillor from Tiergarten Mitte Berlin. There is a rich independent legacy of studies on India in Germany. Indology Departments were set up in Bonn University in 1818 and later on in Humboldt University in 1821. 22 universities in Germany offer courses in Indology. There

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is an Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) in Berlin. The Gandhiserve E.K., also in Berlin, is devoted to the dissemination of information on Mahatma Gandhi (its President is Peter Ruhe). INDIAN MIGRATION

The largest ethnic minority in Germany of more than two million migrants is from Turkey. Compared to this, the 110,204 Indians (43,175 people holding an Indian passport, and 67,029 with German passports)—source Wikipaedia (accessed March 2018), hardly matter. As far back as before World War I, some Indians students and freedom fighters had come to Germany. It was an attractive destination as it had no involvement in the colonization of India and its universities were famous. Soon after the end of WW II, students started coming again to Federal Republic of Germany, and a few also to the German Democratic Republic. Arising from the West German economic miracle there was a shortage of workers which made the government look for workers from other countries. A number of Christian women were recruited from Kerala to act as nurses. This phase lasted from 1955 to 1973 and ended with recruitment ban for foreign workers. The restrictive immigration policy from the 1970s onwards resulted in a considerable decrease of Indians coming to West Germany. Only spouses and some students were allowed to enter legally, all the others who wanted to come had to apply for asylum. In the 1980s many young Punjabis, most of them Sikhs sought entry into the country for political reasons. The major change though came in the year 2000 when the German Chancellor announced a ‘Green Card’ for IT specialists. In the following years many young Indian IT professionals came, some bringing their families along. As a consequence the number of Indian citizens living in Germany went up substantially. SIKH MIGRATION

Sikhs continue to form a significant percentage within the Indian diaspora in Germany. Sikh population is estimated to

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be around 20,000–30,000 but some estimate the numbers to be as high as 50,000. In either case Germany has the second largest Sikh population after Italy in Continental Europe. Sikhs started migrating to Germany post WW II for studies, through marriages or for setting up small businesses but the numbers were small. Post the 1979 Islamic revolution, some Sikhs came over from Iran. Till 1980 Indians could get visa on arrival. In the 1980s, hundreds of Punjabi Sikhs sought political asylum in Western Germany. Although the German authorities did not grant asylum to all the Indian applicants, the asylum seekers could at least stay as long as the legal procedures lasted. After the refusal of asylum they could stay on in ‘Germany’ only if they married ‘German’ spouses, or if they opted for an undocumented stay with constant danger of being uncovered and deported. A few of the Sikh asylum seekers were able to establish themselves in the skilled labour force but most of them were forced by their precarious legal status to do unskilled or semiskilled work. In the early 1990s many Sikhs came from Afghanistan as refugees arising from the Soviet invasion, and Taliban take over and the American military intervention post 9/11. They even founded an organization with the title the ‘Zentralrat der Afghanischen Hindus and Sikhs in Deutschland e.V’ (Central Council of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in Germany). It is estimated that there are currently 7,000-10,000 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs living in Germany who run six temples and three gurdwaras. Presently family reunification remains the most important way to enter the country, but independent migration is not uncommon. Most Sikhs live in western part of Germany, but communities can be found all over the country. Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Hamburg are the four cities with the largest Sikh population. Most of the earlier immigrants were unskilled or semi-skilled workers. The language barrier added to their disadvantage. As a result most of them ended doing blue collar jobs in restaurant kitchens, factories, and on the agriculture fields, etc. White-collar Sikhs are in minority. However, many Sikhs today own businesses such as restaurants, fast foods, gas stations, grocery shops, textiles and import-export com-

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panies. Others run taxis and construction companies while many others are on salaried jobs. For the second generation Sikhs with local educational qualifications, all areas of business, jobs or professions are available. They are also in a better position to integrate themselves as German Sikhs or Sikhs of Indian origin. GURDWARAS

There are 39 gurdwaras in Germany, four in Cologne; three in Hamburg; two each in Berlin, Hanover, and Stuttgart; one in Frankfurt, and in many other cities and towns. The first gurdwara was set up in 1979 in Frankfurt by Yogi Bhajan’s followers (3HO)—Sikh converts. The next gurdwara by the Sikh immigrants was set up in Cologne in 1982. Sikhs in Germany are very devout and at the same time very generous as well, to donate for the gurdwaras that offers them a common religious, social and political platform. Under the umbrella of the gurdwaras, events like ‘Kabaddi’ and other sports can be seen here. ‘Kabaddi’ tournaments are held all over Germany and the teams from other German and European cities are invited. Several gurdwaras offer young Sikhs Punjabi & Gurmukhi classes. Every Sunday Sikh children in the age groups 5-12 years can be seen learning the language. Sikhism and German Sociology is also being taught in the gurdwaras. Occasionally some social camps on Sikhism are also hosted by the gurdwara in Frankfurt. Sometimes the Sikh children attend camps organized in other European cities. On Sundays, gurdwara become a playground for the children of all age groups. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

SIKHI CAMP, 2009 Sikhnet.com: Sikh Youngsters Mark an Accent in Germany, 8 December 2009

‘Sikhi Camp 2009’ was the first camp for German born Sikhs organized by Sikh youngsters who themselves grew up in

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Europe. Although the camp only lasted two days, the camp was an eye opener for the kids, who left the camp inspired, and with a fresh perspective. The sessions included icebreakers, team building games, sports, ‘Gurbani Kirtan’ (harmonium and ‘tabla’), the importance of role models (the ten Gurus), an art workshop, self-defence, ‘dastar’ tying, soccer, question & answer sessions, and the animation film Sundari. The organizer of the camp Khushwant Singh was ‘more than satisfied with the outcome of the adventure’. Khushwant Singh has been teaching Sikhi in German and Panjabi to youngsters since the beginning of 2008. He also represents Sikhs in the newly constituted Council of Religions in Frankfurt. Just two days after the camp another important event took place. For the first time, Sikhs participated in a public interreligious celebration of the Council for Religions. Representatives of nine religions prayed according to their unique tradition. CASE STUDIES

SWARAN SINGH Interviewed on 9 July 2012, Koln (Cologne), Germany Swaran Singh is from Kapurthala, Punjab who left India in 1979 at the age of 24 years. He first went to Norway where he stayed with his brother for a week. He then came to Kiel, Germany seeking political stay which was thought to be more feasible in Germany. He used to wear turban which he took off soon after arriving in Germany. He worked in restaurants. It took him six years to get temporary residence permit. Afterwards he went to Norway by car with a friend where he lived for one and half years. He applied for residence papers there but without success. He, thereafter went back to India in 1987 to get married and came back to Kiel, Germany after three months on a tourist visa. His wife joined him after a few months as a tourist. Both of them moved to Cologne in 1989 from where they applied for political asylum. They were blessed with a boy and a girl. Initially they could get visas for 5 months at a time only. Then they got permanent visa (offenthal) after nine years. He continued to work in restaurants. His son is 22 years and is not interested in pursuing studies as

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his passion is automobile mechanics for which he is seeking a job. His daughter is 20 years, who is pursuing a diploma course in medicine (three years study programme). Swaran Singh does ‘sewa’ in Gurdwara almost on daily basis. According to him, about 150-200 people come to Gurdwara on holidays (Sundays). There are four gurdwaras and one Sindhi temple with SGGS in Cologne. The ‘sangat’ is almost 50 per cent with turban. Granthi name is Daljit Singh. Earlier ‘sangat’ size was 400-500 people but now they are spread out in four gurdwaras. The gurdwara’s building construction was started in 1992: earlier on the gurdwara was in rented premises. There are quite a few Afghani Sikhs in Stuttgart, Essen, Munich and Hamburg. Afghani Sikhs keep the ‘Sikhi Saroop’ and are very regular in attending the gurdwara.

SATPAL SINGH BHASIN Interviewed on 9 July 2012, Koln (Cologne), Germany I tried to go abroad in 1974 visiting Afghanistan, Iran and Doha but had to return. Thereafter, I got to know an influential person in Delhi, Khazaan Singh Chaudhary who introduced me to Balbir Singh who was having business in Germany. Balbir Singh was married to a German lady but he kept Indian passport for a long time (He must have migrated in late 1960s). I had been working with their Export House in Delhi and was posted for a few months in Yugoslavia where the main job was to participate in various exhibitions. Our stall was very popular and attracted a large number of visitors. Every evening we invited many prospective buyers for a meal. My job in India initially involved collections against sales. Soon I was put in-charge of sourcing textiles from India. Balbir Singh sponsored me to work for him in Germany in 1976. Initially I stayed as a paying guest. Balbir Singh, specialized in Indian textiles, leather goods and handicrafts. He did extensive travelling to take part in exhibitions in various countries of Europe. He started to devote more time in Yugoslavia. Balbir Singh finally moved to Yugoslavia closing his business in Germany. He was travelling too much and his health deteriorated. He moved back to Germany where he tried to meet with his wife and son from whom he had been separated for 30-40 years. He died in 2011 in India. Prior to his death, he donated a lot of his wealth to the gurdwara.

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He recommended me to his friend with whom I worked from 1979 to 1983 when his business closed. I tried to set up my own business but without success and was unemployed for one and half years. I was quite active in gurdwara and came to be known amongst the community. One Sikh helped me get married in 1982 to a Sikh lady (British passport). Our marriage was registered in Germany but ‘Anand Karaj’ was in UK. Sikh Scene: The first gurdwara in Germany was built in 1982 in Cologne, Shri Dashmesh Singh Sabha.

JOGINDER SINGH (A 1960 immigrant and how the turban helped!) Interviewed on 11 July 2012, Frankfurt, Germany Joginder Singh, born 1936, was working in State Bank of India, New Delhi. His family is originally from Rawalpindi but post Partition, they moved to Hoshiarpur (village Bassi Mudha), Punjab. His father, Mahant Singh, had studied in Lahore. Later on he became a journalist in Hoshiarpur and wrote 30 books in Punjabi and eventually became a social worker. His father was well known and started his own newspaper Mansarovar which he published for eight years (1952-60). After graduation from Delhi in 1950, Joginder joined State Bank of India in Foreign Exchange Department. He met with one German, a banker, who was staying with Mohan Singh of Punjab & Sindh Bank. The visitor gave him his visiting card to enable Joginder contact him if ever he came to Germany. Joginder went to Germany in 1960 and met with Herr Kraft for dinner. In the meantime, Mohan Singh had telephoned Kraft about Joginder’s visit. Mr. Kraft suggested that he should take up a job in Germany for which he extended his help. On return to India, he received a letter from Bank Fur Gemein-wirtschaft (BFG) offering him six months training in Dusseldorf. Based on this letter, Joginder went to Germany. Thereafter, Mr. Kraft helped him get a job with Deminwirtschaft Bank (DFT). He subsequently changed jobs and joined Commerz Bank where he worked for two years. One day in 1962, a Sikh walked into the bank to open an account and naturally they met. They agreed to have dinner together after office hours. The visitor was Dr. Duggal from USA who had come to Germany to set up a trading company, India House. He had access to large amount of funds and was also able to get about 12 million DM

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German Aid. Duggal was from Rawalpindi and it so happened that the two of them found some family connections. Duggal invited him to join his company. Joginder wrote to his father for advice and both parents advised him to continue with Commerz Bank. But he decided to join Duggal as he was impressed by this guy. Ms Vijay Laxmi Pandit came as Duggal’s guest to inaugurate the seven-storey building of India House set up in record time of one year. Duggal made partnership with Hari Leela of Hong Kong fame. They started a 200-seat restaurant. Hari Leela told me that they had decided to transfer him to Frankfurt where they had created a new position for him. Although he agreed to this transfer, he was somewhat confused. Frankfurt operations were to be a totally Hari Leela business and he was supposed to be working with Duggal? He worked for ten years from 1964 to 1974 with Hari Leela (earlier Duggal-Hari Leela) in Frankfurt. He admitted that he learnt a lot about business from the Sindhis and for him it was quite a transformation from banking to business. Duggal in the meantime employed, Logani (a Punjabi Sindhi) working in Consulate of India. Logani did ‘hanky panky’ with Duggal, who was mostly travelling. As a result, Duggal received an arrest warrant for some infringements. Logani advised Duggal not to come to Germany and he never did come. Logani sold/grabbed all of Duggal’s assets. In the meantime, Sindhis of Frankfurt started complaining to Hari Leela as to why he was employing Joginder and not a Sindhi as his Manager. In the beginning he resisted these insinuations but later succumbed and appointed a Sindhi to oversee him. As a result JS decided to resign and set up his own business. Joginder set up a company, Singh K.G. in 1973, which sourced textiles, garments, handicrafts and other items. Using his extensive contacts with the American Army establishments in Germany starting with Munich, he could build up an attractive business. He displayed his goods in American bases which resulted in obtaining good orders. He then set up retail outlet, where margins were higher than in wholesale. Turban helped as the American Army head had a Sikh friend whose family he had visited in Patiala. Joginder’s sister came over from India and there was no one to follow up in India. Therefore, he had to visit India almost on monthly basis to look for new items and bring samples. One day a ‘Kashmiri’ came to his shop. He had been in Germany for a year but could not sell his carpets. JS bought his entire stocks for DM 60,000. He soon

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found out that the Americans were not interested in buying these carpets as they preferred wall to wall carpets. He contacted a German who bought these for DM 70,000. After two months this German wanted to buy more carpets of up to 1 million DM. He suggested that they go to India together and select the items jointly. He placed the order in India and on return gave JS a cheque of DM 60,000 for his efforts. This German is still his client and has become a family friend since mid-1970s. Thereafter carpets became JS’s main business and slowly he lost interest in US Defence business which continued but at a low level. Margins on carpets were good. Additionally, he started retailing Indian handicrafts and other items. He opened a few boutiques—one in Dusseldorf for his sister and three more shops. They had a central office in Frankfurt. ‘My wife also got involved in business. It was boom time in Germany and people would pay the price we asked for, yielding good margins. The business was booming in Germany from 1960s till 2000. Nowadays it is tough times here and margins have shrunk dramatically.’ Around 2008, we closed the businesses as my health deteriorated. Joginder was married to a German lady, Doris in 1963 in Dusseldorf. According to him in that era the turban made him a star attraction for most girls (freuleins). He said that he was well liked for his value system including small gestures like picking up the tab when dating girls. Jokingly he said that he was able to create a ‘Maharaja’ like image. So Doris agreed to marry him! They have a son, named Jaspal Singh (Pali), studying for Ph.D. Pali did his Masters from Meinz University.

AMARJEET SINGH (BERLIN) Interviewed at our house, Chandigarh, 23 October 2013 Amarjeet was born on 15 May 1937. He was studying in Lahore when his family moved to Amritsar on 15 August 1947. After studying in Schools in Amritsar and doing F.Sc. in Hoshiarpur, he got his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1958 from Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana. He initially worked for 3 months in Bhakra Dam before joining Hindustan Steel, at their Rourkela plant. He had initial four month’s training at Jamshedpur with Tatas. Soon thereafter, he joined the German Engineering Company, AEG, in Rourkela where they were the contractors. He worked with them from 1962 till

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he took early-retirement in Berlin in 1980. He was with them for only two years in India before moving to Germany in December 1963, where he finally settled down. AEG put him through a four month language course in a small town, Iserlohn. He got married to Herta in 1970 in Germany. They met at a summer festival in Berlin where Herta was visiting from Munich. The very next day they went together to see Mein Kampf, the film on Hitler and soon thereafter they started going steady. Herta invited Amarjeet to her annual family get-together where he was warmly welcomed. Herta worked as a psychiatrist with the Government but post retirement, she is running her own consultancy. Post his marriage he visited India in 1971 with his wife when they mostly holidayed in Goa. They adopted a 6-week old daughter in India in 1980, whom they named Anita Mira Singh. Since the baby had to be looked after, Amarjeet decided to resign from AEG while Herta continued to work. Anita, their daughter, is not much connected with India but of late is showing some interest in reconnecting with the land of her birth Amarjeet’s father was a ‘Raagi’. He has a sister who lives in Kalka and a brother (a Mining Engineer from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad) who has since migrated to Vancouver. Sikh Scene: One Devinder Singh had migrated to Berlin before him and had brought SGGS with him. He had known Kirpal Singh, a renowned Scientist. Government of India had advised the Indian Embassies abroad to celebrate 500 birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1969. He was invited by the Indian ambassador, Das Gupta, to help with the celebrations at the Embassy in Bonn. At the function there were about 25-30 persons, out of which only 4 were Sikhs. In an interesting happening while they were performing the ‘Ardas’, a fifth Sikh walked in—to every one’s surprise making it the traditional gathering of Panj Pyaras. These five persons were Amarjeet, Surjit Singh (died 2 years ago), Gurcharan Singh Sood (died 5 years ago), Devinder Singh and the fifth Sikh who was then working with the Indian embassy in Moscow. The first ‘prakash’ of SGGS in Berlin was at the house of an Irish Sikh convert, Gursangat Singh and his German wife. There are presently several gurdwaras in Germany which were set up from 1980’s onwards. There has been considerable infighting amongst the Sikhs as the asylum seeking Sikhs have tended to take over the management of the Gurdwaras promoting extremist following.

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Some interesting incidents: Being the only turbaned Sikh in earlier days, there were several interesting episodes—all very pleasant. After a somewhat disastrous episode when his coloured turban which was being so helpfully washed by the landlady, her entire load of ‘wash’ got smeared with the colour. Since then he switched to wearing only white turban, except when he comes to India where he wears Manmohan Singh light blue colour turban also. When he first came from India, he had brought three bottles of ‘Simco’ hair fixer for his beard. The land lady was curious as to what it contained. She invited the neighbour lady and they tried to figure out in his absence as to what kind of a special exotic drink Amarjeet had brought along all the way from India. They tried various combinations and finally succumbed to asking him as to what it was. When he explained the fixer, the ladies had a big laugh! One day the owner of a neighbouring ladies boutique beckoned him to come in to meet one Iqbal Singh, who was called king of ‘Rock n roll’ at that time. Another Sikh who was very fond of fast cars had a serious car accident and had no friends or relations in Germany. A lady from an NGO literally nursed him to revival and later married him. SOME PUBLISHED CASE STUDIES

SANDEEP SINGH CHHATWAL A Second-Generation Indian Excerpted from South Asians in Germany: A Brief History of South Asians Living in Germany. www.dw.com/en/sandeep-singh-ch. Author Debrati Guha (chhatwal-a-second-generation-indian/a-2345640. An interview by Deutsche Welle TV). Sandeep was born in 1973 in Germany and, compared to his father; he has had a much easier life—the life of a second generation immigrant of Indian origin in Germany. DW-WORLD 1. Q: When did your family come to Germany? Sandeep: My father came to Germany in 1956 to study mechanical engineering but before he could start his course he had to do an

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internship for six months. It was winter and since he spent the whole day in a coal-mine he did not even get to see the sun in those six months. It was a very hard time for him and more so because he did not know anybody. He began his studies after the internship but had to interrupt them many times because he needed money to sustain himself. He would do odd jobs till the late hours in his simple struggle to survive. But he never gave up and finished his studies relatively quickly—in almost six years. My mother joined him in 1968. 2. Q: How was Germany for you as a child? As a child, I was simply one of the German children with whom I used to play or go to school. There were a few incidents in which the kids made fun of me, but I had learnt not to take them very seriously by then. I learnt how to be one of them and also when and how to show them the difference. Today I think that I never really had a serious problem in school. I remember incidents of other children in my class being bullied very badly—at least more than me, and they were not always foreigners. I am a Sikh and traditionally a Sikh boy is supposed to keep his hair long and wear a ‘patka’ or a turban on his head. But my parents decided to cut off my hair when I was a child. I think that this decision was truly wise and it may have helped my integration into German society since we lived in a very small city. At the beginning, my family used to speak Punjabi and English at home. But soon after, when I was around 3 or 4 years old, they changed the language spoken at home to German. My parents wanted me to speak German as my mother tongue, like any other German child. 3. Q: Did you feel any difference once you had grown up? By the time I had grown up, I had understood that I was ‘somehow different’. I understood that I had a very uncommon name compared to the rest of my friends and that my skin colour, or my build is entirely different. At the end I told myself, I am a German but with Indian roots. I had the same problems at puberty as any other German child of my age. I did not know that, for a majority of Indians, this stage of life simply does not exist—they either suppress it or it is suppressed for them. For me, it is a part of life when a young boy or a girl simply rebels against his or her parents, or against the prevailing social order—representing a period in life when one looks at things a bit more critically than at other times. At that point in my life, I also had long hair, drove a Vespa and went to night clubs, met friends. Before puberty, I was mostly interested in sports but from then I also wanted to go to pubs, go pub-hopping and chill out.

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4. Q: Did you have girlfriends at that age like Germans? I had girlfriends from an early age—which is again unheard of in India. My parents are really open-minded and wanted me and my brother to have the same amount of freedom as the other kids in Germany. They never had a problem when I brought my German girlfriends home because that’s what was normal for a boy who was growing up in Germany, my parents thought. All they wanted from me was to know what I was up to and that I was not hiding anything from them. I think they would have reacted similarly if I’d had a sister. Obviously I knew that my youth was very different from that of the average youngster in India. Whenever I visited India and had a chance to talk to my relatives or friends of the same age, I realized it all over again. 5. Q: You are now 33 and live in Cologne. How do you earn your bread? I am a lawyer by profession and have a law firm of my own. I want to specialize in Indo-German company law and want to guide Indian companies coming to do business in Germany. I think that because I am an Indian trained in German law, I would be the best guide for an Indian firm setting up in Germany. I have been visiting India almost every two years and I also speak a bit of Hindi or at least understand most of it. As I was brought up in a traditional family, I am very much accustomed to Indian customs and traditions. As for the Germans, I think, I am not a bad choice because I understand German culture and mentality of the Germans. I believe that one should readily integrate wherever one is living. My parent never forced me to lead the life of an Indian in Germany. 6. Q: Do you feel ‘exotic’ in Germany? I know that I look different but everything else about me is basically German. That’s why I do not want to be branded as ‘exotic’. I love Indian food but my food habits are German. I would happily watch a Hindi movie but I would actually prefer it to have German sub-titles. I feel comfortable in European clothes but I’ll also wear an Indian kurta while attending an Indian gathering. I have had German girl friends but I could also marry a like-minded Indian girl or maybe even a Chinese or simply a good girl from anywhere else. I value the Indian family and would love to give my kids the same kind of upbringing I received at the hands of my Indian parents—the language, the food, the tradition and the rituals of the country. So that they too can grow up with an open mind and understand the roots of their parents,

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their grandparents, not to speak of their own. Because a part of them would be exactly like their father’s—Indian. 7. Q: What do you do in your free time? I try to be active and go to the fitness studio regularly. I love computer games and I’m very keen on recent developments in world economy. Though I try to read as much as possible, especially on law, I have read only some Indian authors. Maybe I’ll do that at some stage in my life. And I’d love to travel. My dream is to travel all over the world. But for the moment my main interest is to work on my concept of being a mediator between Indian companies and German bureaucracy. 8. Q: How would you describe your identity? I think each and every individual is unique in the true sense of the term. I don’t mind being ‘interesting’ either for Germans or for Indians. But I’d never want others to typecast me as a ‘Germanized Indian’ or an ‘Indianized German’. I want everybody to take me for what I am, just Sandeep.

KRIPAL SINGH SODHI, BERLIN An Important Sikh Scholar He came to Berlin as a student in 1937 and became director of the Institute of Psychology at the Free University in West Berlin in 1955. He is considered to be the founder of modern social psychology in Germany. K.S. Sodhi was born on 15 April 1911 in Roorki where his father, Dr. Ganda Singh Sodhi was a medical doctor (so was his grandfather). K.S. Sodhi attended the American Presbyterian Mission High School in Dehra Dun and studied English literature, philosophy, economics and history at the University of Allahabad for his Bachelor’s degree in 1934. He did his Master’s degree in 1936 from Panjab University, both with distinction. He married a German woman (Sigrid) immediately after the war. Their only child, Rana, was born in 1946. K.S. Sodhi died in Berlin of heart attack at the early age of 50 (i.e. in 1961). He has 14 works in 42 publications in 2 languages to his credit and has authored a very well-known book: Judgment Formation in the Social Force Field: Experimental Studies on the Foundations of Social Psychology, published by C.J. Hogrefe, 1953. (Email from Christiane)

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POET LAUREATE RAJVINDER SINGH Indian-origin poet Rajvinder Singh excels with German oeuvre Times of India: IANS, 19 April 2015 Essentially a poet and a short story writer, besides being a feature journalist, this ‘Punjabi by heart’ has 14 anthologies of poetry to his credit, two in his mother tongue and 12 in German, which he lovingly calls his ‘stepmother-tongue’. Based in Berlin since January 1981, the 60-year-old bearded Rajvinder Singh’s latest project is to make literature in modern Indian languages accessible to the wider world through translations. To this end, he is now translating Punjabi novel Parsa, by Gyanpeeth award winning novelist Gurdial Singh, into German. This three-time German poet laureate has been lauded for enriching the German vocabulary. Rajvinder Singh, who wrote his Ph.D. thesis in semiotics at Berlin’s Technical University, holds that translating from Punjabi to German is not an easy task. Both the languages have completely different dictions. Rajvinder Singh, who was born in Punjab’s Kapurthala town and had spent his initial years in Chandigarh and Jammu, occupies a pretty prominent place in German literary circles. His poems inscribed in stone are displayed at four public places, which include the city park and three senior schools in Trier, one of the oldest German cities where Karl Marx was born and brought up.

CHAPTER 7

GREECE

INTRODUCTION

Greece is an interesting destination for Sikhs. In earlier days Punjabis signed up on Greek vessels and subsequently jumped the ships when in a European port. The Sikhs started coming in 1970s. I had absolutely no contact there but ultimately ended up spending six days with full itinerary visiting five gurdwaras on mainland in Athens and surrounding towns and villages and one on Island of Crete where we made a flying visit. According to one estimate (Wikipedia), there are about 20,000 Sikhs in Greece. ‘Nagar Kirtans’ in many towns are held— Government permission is needed. According to Reena Kukreja in an article ‘Looking for a Home in Greece’, Indian Express, 4 November 2018: Today, around 15,000-16,000 regularized Indian migrants live in the country while the number of those who are undocumented is estimated to be around 50,000. THE COUNTRY

The historical and cultural heritage of Greece continues to resonate throughout the modern Western world—in its literature, art, philosophy and politics. Situated in the far south of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece combines the towering mountains of the mainland with over 1,400 islands, the largest of which is Crete. Post-World War II, Greece saw rapid economic and social change with tourism and shipping becoming major contributors to the economy. The global financial crisis of the late 2000s hit Greece particularly hard as the legacy of high public spending and widespread tax evasion combined with the

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credit crunch and the resulting recession, to leave the country with a crippling debt burden. While its economic reputation has taken a battering, Greece remains a premier-league travel destination. Its incredible historic sites span four millennia, encompassing both the legendary and the obscure. For anyone with a cultural bone in their body, Greece cannot fail to inspire. Minoans, Romans, Arabs, Latin crusaders, Venetians, Slavs, Albanians and Turks have all left their mark. The wary and genuine welcome you receive at the simplest taverna is often enough to ensure a return passage next year as soon as you have reached home. HLC REPORT 2001

Indians comprise 0.05 per cent of the Greek population of 10 million. Till the 1970s, one route of entry was for Indian seamen jumping ship to slip into the country illegally. Following the deteriorating conditions in Lebanon, more than 2,000 Indians living there left for Greece and stayed on quietly after the expiry of their visas. On 1 January 1998, the Greek government granted a general amnesty to all illegal immigrants, thus legalizing the status of Indian immigrants also. Most Indians hold low to middle-level positions in shipping companies, banks and other companies. Some of them have their own businesses. Illegal Indian immigrants are working in agriculture, industry and shops or as domestic help. The Greek Orthodox Church does not allow cremation of dead bodies in Greece. Indians have to take their dead to India for cremation. As permission of the Greek government is required for setting up any place of worship by foreigners, there are only make-shift gurdwaras in a few areas. Indians in Greece have no role in the country’s politics. SIKH MIGRATION

The following is excerpted from (1) Brill’s Encyclopaedia of Sikhism and (2) the book: Sikhs in Europe by Jacobsen and Myrvold.

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In the First World War, as a part of the Indian army, Sikh soldiers fought on the Solonika Front in Thessaloniki, where there is a cemetery in memory of the Indian soldiers. Some of the tombs at the cemetery carry religious inscriptions in Gurmukhi ‘Ik Onkar Sri Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh’. Indian immigrants at 2 per cent of the immigrant population is minuscule but ranks second amongst the Asian immigrants. Indian immigrant population is about 20,000. Sikhs constitute the most dominant group among the Indian immigrants in Greece (Pakistani presence is larger). The first Indian immigrants were mainly sailors who joined Greek shipping lines and at some point decided to settle permanently in the country. Post mid-1980s and in 1990s numbers of immigrants increased substantially. The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens provided another opportunity for Indian migrants to get tourist visas and get jobs as unskilled labour to work on the construction sites. Greece also became important destination as a result of various amnesties in 1998, 2001 and 2005, which helped regularize the status of the illegals. Greece has 6,800 km of vast coastline and 2,800 km of mountain border which is difficult to patrol and hence is relatively easy target of entry to Europe by the illegals. The country’s geographical location is also very convenient for entry from Asia and the Balkans. A large majority of the Sikh immigrants live in the countryside and work in agricultural sector comprising cultivation, gathering fruits, livestock farming, and fish farming. The Sikh concentration is in Central Greece, mainly in Attica (Marathon and Megara), Boiotia, Argolidab, the Argosaronikos Islands and Crete. Smaller settlements of Sikhs can also be found in and around Athens, in which about 4,000 Indian Sikh immigrants live and primarily work in industry and construction. A small percentage of the Sikhs are into retailing mainly of electronic gadgets and Indian products. A few regions in the centre of Athens, Piraeus and Marathon are known to the locals as ‘little India’ as they comprise supermarkets, restau-

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rants, kiosks, hair salons, video clubs and shops selling Indian art. Small business with Indian products, especially food can be found both in big cities, such as Athens or Piraeus and in smaller cities or village with an Indian population. Learning of the Greek language is one of the main challenges for the Sikhs. Only few of them speak Greek well and even fewer can write it. This makes communication with the Greek civil services and integration into Greek society more difficult. Due to somewhat strict Greek legislation concerning migrant’s family reunification, the male population is much larger in Greece than in other countries. The immigrants tend to send a large part of their earnings to their families back home. Present Situation: The financial crisis post 2008 has resulted in bleak times for Indian migrants in Greece. Some have decided to stick it out, and others are talking of migrating further West. Returning home is simply not an option. Today the Greek government provides several options of free tickets to encourage migrants to return to their home countries. GURDWARAS

According to the Greek constitution, religious freedom is protected and followers of different religions have the right to practice their faith in their own religious places. In practice, however, religious bodies other than Orthodox Church face difficulty in getting permissions to set up their own place of worship. Migrants, therefore organize their religious life through Cultural Associations which simultaneously function as places of worship. Since the Sikhs face difficulties in establishing gurdwaras, they have created centres that are registered as Indian Cultural Associations, rather than religious places of worship, although in practice the centres function as gurdwaras. The first association of this kind was founded in Marathon in 1996 under the name Dashmesh Singh Sabha Marathon. Unfortunately most of the websites of gurdwaras

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in Europe, there is no mention of gurdwaras in Greece which is understandable given the above explanation. There are associations and gurdwaras in the following towns and Greek Islands. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Athens, Tavros: Shri Guru Nanak Darbar. Marathon, Attica: Dashmesh Singh Sabha. Oinofyta, Boiotia: Guru Nanak Committee Oinofyta. Theba, Boiotia: Guru Singh Sabha Sarbat da Bhala. Krinidi, Argolida: Sarbat da Bhala. Koropi, Attica: Singh Sabha Koropi. Megara, Attica: Shri Guru Arjan Devji. Arkadi: Gurdwara Singh Sabha Mata Jeet Kaur Ji. Poros Islands: Indian Cultural Association. Crete Islands: Singh Sabha Kriti. Cyprus: Gurdwara Sangatsar. Schimatari: Gurdwara Sahib. Skala Oropas: Sarab Sanjha Darbar. Korinthos: Gurdwara. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS AND PERSONS

LANGAR BY GREECE SIKHS IN FATEHGARH SAHIB Tribune India, 24 December 2004. Sikhs from Greece hold ‘langar’ Sikhs from Greece have set up community kitchen on the eve of the tercentenary of the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas at Fatehgarh Sahib. The Sikhs from Greece who are visiting stated that though they live away from their motherland, but they too are imbued with religious fervour and spirit of service enshrined in the Sikh religion. So the ‘sangat’ of Krinidi town in Greece, decided to organize a ‘langar’ at Fatehgarh Sahib. They have been able to collect more than Rs. 5 lakh for the purpose and they have come on their own expenses. Even their employers supported them and granted them leaves for the purpose. They added that to commemorate the event in Greece more than 15,000 Punjabis settled there would organize religious ‘divans’ on 31 December and 1 January at Thiva.

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MANY PUNJAB WOMEN ENTERING GREECE ILLEGALLY, SAY GURDWARAS Source: 20 November 2010 (IANS) The Greece-based gurdwaras have written to Punjab NGO Lok Bhalai Party (LBP), which works for the rights of Indians stranded abroad, to stop Punjabi girls from coming to Greece. They have pointed out that Punjabi girls, in search of better jobs, are reaching Greece illegally, but there are no opportunities available for them there. Failing to find any jobs, these girls live in very miserable conditions and many of them are forced into flesh trade. Around 50 girls are currently stranded in Greece, he said. They can stay in the gurdwaras during the day but according to the rules of the Greece government, they cannot stay there at night. So, the girls are on roads at night and are sexually exploited many a time. It is reported that one agent takes Punjabi girls to Georgia and then hands them over to Pakistan-based agents, who illegally take them to Greece through the forests of Turkey. The stranded girls are in their early 20s and they had reached Georgia on student visas. DR. BRIJ PAL SINGH A Sikh scholar in Greece—an inspiring story Accessed 26 January 2010. Source: a-sikh-in-greece.blog spot.com

Dr. Brij Pal Singh is one of the five Asians who was awarded a doctoral study scholarship by Government of Greece in 19767. He was in Athens from 1977 to 1980. Dr. Singh worked as Professor of Economics from 1984 to 1996 at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. My exterior Sikh form turned out to be my greatest asset. I have been in Athens for the last eleven months or so, on a Greek government scholarship for doctoral research. My topic of research is ‘Tourism and Greek Balance of Payments’. I have to visit libraries and offices to collect data and information. The moment I enter any office, the receptionists noticing my turban and beard seem interested in me. It is easy to get to the person concerned. After a stay of about eleven months, I have come to know that there are hundreds of my brethren here but they are all ‘monas’ or ‘shaven’. They are, however, mostly illegal entrants to

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this country and almost all of them are illegal residents. They want to conceal their identity. Most of them come here attracted by higher wages and search for a better life. Most of them work on ships as unskilled crewmen. Visa and resident permits are not required on high seas. They can save some money and send home as well. Everything seems to be in the knowledge of the government here as well. They simply tolerate it in their own economic interest. CASE STUDIES

AVTAR SINGH, GRANTHI Interviewed on 12 June 2013, Guru Nanak Dev Gurdwara, Oinofyta. Avtar Singh (born 1977) belongs to village Raungla in Patiala District. After passing matric, he joined Satsang in gurdwaras. He came to Oinofyta in 2008. He is registered with SGPC as a ‘granthi cum akhandpathi’. Before coming here he was in Malaysia for four years in two phases: first from 2002-4 and again from 2006-8 on work permit. He got married in Punjab in January 2008 and his wife joined him in Malaysia. From there, they went to Stuttgart in Germany on Schengen tourist visa (17 days) the same year through sponsorship by his relatives. He was then invited to come here in Greece as a ‘Granthi’ which meant overstay of the Schengen visa. A child was born in 2009. When asked if they have faced any difficulty because they have no proper residence papers, he told that they have faced no difficulty so far. Once, when they had gone to a shopping centre with their child and some friends, the Police asked them about their papers. They had been coached to say that they had the necessary papers and that these were being kept at home. They, however, refused to tell a lie and admitted that they were overstaying in Greece. When the Police questioned as to where the child was born, they were generous to let them go because the child was de-facto a Greek. Granthi’s wife, Gagandeep Kaur, is happy here and said that the local Sikh community was very helpful and friendly. In 2004 the Sikh community rented this house for making Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurdwara. The original rent deed was for Euro 2,700 which has since been reduced to Euro 1,600. ‘Sangat’ in gurdwara is approximately 150-200. About 100 families live in this town, which is 45 minutes drive from Athens. Sikhs are working mostly

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in factories and agricultural farms. Getting Indian food is no problem. Sikhs are living here from last 20-5 years and the second generation comprises of very young children. Most of the immigrants are on Indian passports. To get local passport, language literacy is necessary. Gagandeep Kaur and Pardhan Sukhwinder Singh Sandhu, are the earliest immigrants. Sukhwinder does not wear turban and works in a factory. He also runs an Indian grocery store and has his own house where they live with their three children. Most Sikhs live in rented premises. There are about 20-5 turbaned Sikhs. Interestingly, 3-4 Sikhs are married locally to Greek girls. At the time of marriage, they have to go to church to register their marriage. However, if an immigrant gets married in India, an Indian court document or a certificate by a ‘granthi’ is accepted as a proof of marriage. Sikhs have to wear helmet while driving motor-cycle. Ladies and children do ‘kirtan’ in Gurdwara. ‘Gurpurbs’ and Baisakhi are celebrated when ‘nagar kirtan’ is taken out with SGGS. Some gurdwaras have evening service also. ‘Kirtan’ learning is quite popular amongst children. Punjabi and ‘kirtan’ classes are held on Sundays. Additionally, during school vacations there is an opportunity to undergo intensive coaching during summer. As a result, some of the children have become proficient in Punjabi language and can read newspapers. A number of immigrants come from Turkey and Georgia who sometimes spend entire day at gurdwara as they get free ‘langar’. However they are not allowed to stay at night. There have been hardly any new immigrants for last two years and there are hardly any illegals at present. Earlier many had come via the ‘donkey route’. Young Sikh girls (about 15 or so) also came in groups of 4-5 each but have since returned. Up to 2008 local economy was doing well but thereafter economic conditions have deteriorated significantly. There is dearth of jobs as locals are preferred. The standard earnings used to be Euro 1,500-2,000 (and some could earn as much as Euro 5,000) but now the minimum wage is Euro 560, which is hardly a survival wage. As a result some of the immigrants have sent their families to India and several of them who have stayed back share accommodation. Many men have also returned except for those who have permanent jobs. Turban is a non-issue except for riding a two-wheeler where helmet is compulsory. Children can go to school with turban—no issue.

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GURPAL SINGH Interviewed on 12 June 2013, Thiva, Greece Gurpal Singh (born 1976), is from Phagwara, Hoshiarpur Road, Jagjitpur. Several of his village folks have gone abroad mainly to North America, some to Europe and others to Gulf countries. He has two brothers and four sisters. All of them are living in India. He had done diploma in carpentry from Ramgarhia Institute, Phagwara and had worked in India for two years as a carpenter. He came to Greece in July 1997 by air on ‘seaman’ visa. He worked for two weeks on a ship and then walked out. He stayed with his friend who was from his village and worked as a farmer for two months along with him on a flower farm. He then moved to Athens where he worked on a construction site. Later he took up a job with a contractor for 11 years. This job provided him with an opportunity to additionally do his own side contracting work. As he gained experience and confidence, he decided to fork out on his own as a contractor which enabled him to make higher earnings. He was married before coming to Greece. He has two children, son age 18 years born in India and daughter eight years old born here. Wife and children live in India where he goes twice a year. On getting residence permit after two years, he went to India for the first time in 1999. He was not wearing turban when he first came to Greece but has started wearing a turban since the last two years. Sikh Scene: When he had come in 1997, there were very few Sikhs here. In 2004 many Sikhs came on tourist visa which was easily available because of the Olympic Games. Gurdwaras were built in Marathon and Poro around 1992-3. Athens gurdwara was built in 2008: earlier it was operating from rented premises. Thiva, Oinofyta, Krinidi, Nagara and Crete Gurdwaras have their own buildings. Most of these places are located in agricultural areas. JATINDER SINGH BILLA, KRINIDI An Interesting meeting with a Sikh girl student Interviewed on 13 June 2013, Krinidi, Greece We went by bus to Krinidi (166 kms from Athens), where the bus terminus is located in a hotel. On arrival, we saw some young students and noticed an Indian face to whom we greeted with ‘Sat Siri Akal’.

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She responded and told that her father worked in a fishery. We were to go to gurdwara by taxi and told her our plans of spending 2-3 hours in Krinidi. She took the initiative to inform her father who took the trouble to come to meet with us at the Bus terminal before our return. Jatinder Singh Billa (born 1972) is living in Greece since 1999. He is from village Chintgarh near Kurali, India. Billa came here in 1999 to look for his missing 18 year old brother involved in Malta boat tragedy of December 1996. The Travel Agent won’t return the money paid to him (Rs. 3.2 lakhs) for which they had mortgaged their land. Jatinder came to Greece as the agent misguided them in believing that his brother was still alive in Greece. Later the agent told another lie that his brother was in Italy based on which he called his other brother to go to Italy. In the meantime immigration had opened in Greece (2001). So, his brother came here instead. As an aside, he mentioned that they have since been able to pay the money from their earnings here to get the land mortgage released. In 2005, his brother got married but had difficulty in getting visa for his wife. Disbelieving them, the wife filed a legal suit for divorce which cost them a lot of money. In August 1999, Billa had flown from Delhi to Lebanon along with 30 other persons. This group were put in a boat to go to Crete, Greece. On landing at the island of Poro, he met with a Pakistani who guided him to an Indian who helped him get a job in an Olive Oil Mill. He worked there for 2 months and then did various odd jobs over the weekends. He later started working at a Super Market. No body checked his visa status. He worked for a year for the Athens Olympics. He got Residence Permit in 2001 and could go back to India for the first time in 2003 and again in 2004-5. The later visit was significant because the ‘sangat’ of Krinidi held a ‘langar’ in Fatehgarh Sahib (see under Interesting Events above). His family came to Greece in July 2006. His daughter Jaspreet is now 14 years old and son Gurtej is 17 years. Son is studying in 10th and daughter in 7th standard. Jatinder’s father expired in 1992 and his mother is living alone in the village. Jatinder is now working in a fish farm which is 17 kms from the town. He had worked there for a short period and then left. The man for whom he had been working in the fishery died. His last words to his wife were that ‘Billa is a very good man’ and told her to look after him. One day he was walking in the street and saw a lady in black

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dress and they recognized each other. She asked him to come to work for her. He has been working with her now for the last 12 years. There are no retiral benefits in this job. Greece Government’s social security services are very poor. His brother who is working as a gardener gets a salary of only Euros 700 with free accommodation but no food. Life has become very hard now. There are around 300 Punjabis here and only about 20-5 families. Turbaned Sikhs would be around 30 or so. Many have sent their children to India for studies. According to him there are about 15,000 Sikhs in Greece at present. Pakistanis are more than us. Talking about sad experience faced by many on arrival at Delhi airport—the Immigration authorities harass them asking all types of questions and let them go only when paid some money. Billa told us that as per Dr. Satwinder Kumar (Congress ‘Pardhan’), and a farm contractor, there are about 26,700 Indians out of which 15,800 have valid papers for staying here. Seventy to seventy-five per cent of Indian immigrants are Punjabis. KRINIDI GURDWARA

Based on interviews on 13 June 2013, Krinidi, Greece. Some details of ‘Sarbat da Bhala Gurdwara’, Krinidi. Land cost 20,000 Euros but total cost including building is 4 lakh Euros including 21 per cent taxes (taxes have to be paid even if building is self-constructed). UK ‘sangat’ helped with 40,000 Euros and the remaining was managed through collections from all over Greece. Monthly expenses are Euro 2,000, including water, electricity and other items. Gurdwara name is registered as ‘Napanamakinto Centro Indu’, i.e ‘Society for meeting of Indian People’. 10-12 children come to gurdwara but there are no Punjabi classes. Granthi makes the ‘langar’ for the ‘sangat’. New immigrants face difficulty due to visa and other documents. Gurdwara has a car donated to it by a Sikh when he returned to India. ‘Granthi’ drives the car locally but without license—nobody seems to worry. About 15-20 cars come on Sundays. Helmet is required for driving a two wheeler but in his case the police let him drive with turban in deference to his being the priest.

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BALVINDER SINGH, CRETE Interviewed on 14 June 2013, Island of Crete, Greece He came in 1999 by ‘donkey’ route to Lebanon and then by ship to Greece. He worked first in Avalon on mainland for six months: there were many Punjabis there but no families. He subsequently moved to Crete where there are about 1,000 Sikhs. Families started arriving beginning of 2,000 and now would number 150. When he arrived in Crete, there were about 500 Punjabis only. Earliest immigrants here came in 1992-3. In 2002 gurdwara was in rented premises. One more gurdwara was set up in 2004 as there were divisions within the ‘sangat’. This gurdwara has since closed down. The gurdwara in village Paga, was set up in 2012 in its own building. ‘Sangat’ size is about 300 and they also hold Punjabi classes. People come from up to 15 kms in their cars or on two wheelers. Gurdwara has its own car. They have ‘nagar kirtan’ with SGGS from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. for celebration of ‘Baisakhi. We have to take Government permission and approximately 300-500 people join this function. Gurdwara Committee is doing a good job and helps out the member whenever a need arises. Economic situation is not good—many people are jobless and many who have jobs are paid low wages. Minimum wage is Euro 500. Those who can are moving elsewhere in Europe or even North America. People are sending their families back to Punjab. Because of this scenario, less illegals are coming to Greece as of now.

BALBIR SINGH, KORINTHOS Interviewed on 15 June 2013, Korinthos, Greece Balbir Singh came in 1990. He started working in a farm of poultry and piggery along with two others (Lal Singh from Raikot, and Billa Singh from Ludhiana), who had come earlier in 1982 or thereabouts. Soon more immigrants came and by end 1990, there were about 40 of them. Besides Greece, other popular destinations in 1990s were Germany and Italy. According to Balbir Singh, his uncle Jang Singh had come in 1972, who married locally and got nationality. He came from village Hawara Kalaan, District Fatehgarh, Tahsil Khamaanu Kalaan. Immigration opened in 1998. It takes 2-3 years before families are allowed to join in. So numbers started increasing from 2001. However

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due to poor economic situation, people have started sending their families back since last two years. A person can now remain outside for not more than three months but earlier there were no restrictions. Immigrants, however, want to retain their base here. At best they come and go frequently. Popular professions with our people are: as plumber, carpenter, welder, electrician, farming, piggery, and poultry. Most immigrants come here after taking some basic training in India and further improve upon these skills here. There is no crime by Sikhs and only the illegals are in jail. ‘Sangat’ size is 200 including 40-50 families, earlier 60-80 families. Korinthos gurdwara is rented at Euro 600 since last three years. The first gurdwara in Greece was started in Poro in 1990. Other gurdwaras are in Krinidi, Kreeti (Crete), Megara, Korinthos, Athena, Marathona, Inofita, Patra, Thiva, Nagara. The largest ‘sangat’ is in Athens followed by Korinthos and Oinofyta. No difficulties faced for setting up gurdwara. Krinidi gurdwara was the first owned building in 1993. Most gurdwaras are in rented premises except for those in Nagara, Karinidi and Crete.

JAGPARVESH SINGH VICTOR, ATHENS Interviewed on 16 June 2013, Athens, Greece Jagparvesh, born 1951, is from Ludhiana. Since his father was in the Army, EME, the family moved around quite a bit in India. ‘We are two brothers: brother retired as a Captain who lives in Ludhiana. In 1973, I thought of going to Germany for computer course but instead came to Greece via Afghanistan, Teheran, Turkey, and Bulgaria. On arrival in Turkey, I stayed with an agent for a night and next morning he left with others without telling me anything. I had to stay in Turkey for three months as I lost all the money I was carrying. I started working for a hotel in Turkey. I met a few Indians, most of them had been misguided by their agents and had no communication skills. I could manage to get a visa for Greece. I also helped many others to get visas; I became their agent—so to say. At that time agents were charging $100 per visa. On arrival in Greece, I had only $3 with me and a night’s stay in YMCA cost $1. Greece was the easiest place to go to in Europe in early 1970s. I could not go to Germany as border control wanted to see evidence of money with the traveller. I had started from

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India in December and arrived in Greece in April. In Turkey, I had learnt about shipping lines from various people. On arrival in Greece, I went to Piraeus port area and started walking around with my back pack when I saw an Indian guy. It so happened that I had seen him in Chandigarh where I had studied. As it turned out, they were twins and he was Raju, my friend’s brother. I told him that I had arrived only yesterday and was looking for a job and accommodation. Raju was making truck bodies and helped me get a job and accommodation. I started contacting people whom I had met and helped in Turkey and some others. I left the job in favour of starting on my own furniture painting enterprise. Thereafter, I worked as a mess boy for six months with a Greek shipping company. I joined the ship in Bremen with the Company buying my air ticket. On the ship, I had problems with the Greek crew and hence returned to base to get my dues. Since then I have been living here in Athens. I had cut my hair in Chandigarh before venturing abroad. I went back to India in 1986 for the first time just for four days. Strange, but I had to go back—heart ruling the head, a Taurus trademark. Instead of coming back to Greece, I went to Germany but had to leave that country. I then decided to come back to Greece. Although I was earning much more in Germany, I did not like the country—much preferred Greece. In 1991-2, I got married to a Greek lady which meant my being baptised as a Greek Orthodox. Immediately thereafter, I got Greek citizenship. I divorced my Greek wife within six months. I then went back and got married in India in 1994 through advertisement. It turned out that both our families knew each other from Orissa. I could bring my Indian wife as I had now a Greek Passport. He runs two restaurants, ‘Shere-e-Punjab’ and a Greek eatery. He is still doing furniture painting. He has no children and unfortunately has some heart ailment. Sikh Scene: According to him, many Sikh immigrated from 1974-5 but by 1978, the Government started sending them back. The illiterate immigrants worked in farms and those who were somewhat literate got jobs as ship crew. In 1980s the trend of Sikhs was to migrate to other European countries in preference to Greece. The migration, however, increased in 1990s, majority coming as illegals, who were welcome because economy was booming and the country needed work force. Simultaneously immigrants from East Europe and Central Asia also started to come in large numbers resulting in depressed wages.

CHAPTER 8

ICELAND

INTRODUCTION

I could not find a Sikh in the country and hence had to request Ari Singh, who is Iceland citizen to come over from UK to meet with me in Reykjavik and he was gracious enough to oblige. So, I can say I met a Sikh in Iceland! THE COUNTRY

Because of permafrost, there are hardly any trees as roots cannot grow deep. The plus side is that: ‘You cannot get lost in the country because all you have to do is to stand up and you will be spotted’! A sparsely-populated North Atlantic island, Iceland is famous for its hot springs, geysers and active volcanoes. Lava fields cover much of the land and hot water is pumped from under the ground to supply much of the country’s heating. Geologically the island includes parts of both continental plates. Iceland is the world’s eighteenth largest island, and Europe’s third largest after Greenland and Great Britain. Many fjords punctuate Iceland’s 4,970 km long coastline, which is also where most settlements are situated. The island’s interior, the Highlands of Iceland, is a cold and uninhabitable combination of sand, mountains and lava fields. Iceland has three national parks: Vatnajökull, Snæfellsjökull, and Þingvellir. Iceland has many geysers, including Geysir, from which the English word is derived, and the famous Strokkur, which used to erupt every 5-10 minutes. Geysir has since then grown quieter and does not erupt often.

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Iceland became an independent republic in 1944 and went on to become one of the world’s most prosperous economies. However, the collapse of the banking system in 2008 exposed that prosperity as having been built on a dangerously vulnerable economic model.The affluence enjoyed by Icelanders before 2008 initially rested on the fishing industry, but with the gradual contraction of this sector the Icelandic economy developed into new areas. Earlier on it was prohibitively expensive to visit Iceland as a tourist because of the highly valued Krona (ISK). The financial crisis of 2007-8 brought a collapse of Icelandic banking sector. Krona which was valued at about 90 to the Euro at the start of 2008, got devalued to 131 and further to 340 against Euro. However, since then the economy and the currency have strengthened and the rate as on 15 October 2018 is 137 Krona to Euro. INDIAN AND SIKH IMMIGRATION

According to Sikhi Wiki there are 15-25 Sikh families in Iceland. This probably refers to some converts to Sikhism belonging to 3HO promoted by Yogi Bhajan Singh. Since 2000s they are trying to get their own gurdwara built. One of the first, if not the first, Sikh in Iceland was Manjit Singh. He had to change his name to Ari Singh, as the Icelandic government does not grant citizenship to non-Icelandic first names. I could not locate any Sikh in Iceland but Ari Singh was kind enough to fly in from London so that I could say I met an Icelandic Sikh. Bravo, Ari! There was indeed another Sikh who was attached with a hospital but he refused to meet with me. According to the population register and the data on country of birth, there are 151 Indians with Icelandic parents (probably adopted children from India), 14 born with one parent of Icelandic origin (inter-ethnic marriages) and 118 immigrants with India as the country of birth. There are also 80 people registered with India as citizenship. Because of the limitation of the governmental data, I would guess the number of Indians

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could be higher. There are at 10 Singhs and 2 Kaurs on the white pages for Reykjavik, but the names can also be tricky as I know some Sikhs who have changed their names to Icelandic because of the old-fashioned rules for gaining citizenship in Iceland—a rule which has recently been changed. So there might be some Sikhs who go under Icelandic names because of the patronymic rules, especially those in the second generation who will have their family names constructed by their father and their gender, for example Einarsson (the son of Einar) if a boy and Einardottir (the daughter of Einar) if a girl. This naming rule and practice in Iceland is very interesting and something which makes locating Sikhs difficult. INTERESTING EVENTS ‘First Akhand Path in Iceland Completed’, 12 August 2013 by Guru Suraj Kaur, Source: www.sikhsandseekers.org Report from Guru Suraj Kaur, 4 September 2013 It was a sublime feeling to be sitting in the gurdwara of the first Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Iceland, reading from it in the very early hours of the morning. A wave of gratitude washed over me as I felt myself a part of this rich, vast, living tradition. On 5 August we finished installing the Guru and on 12 August we finished the very first Akhand Path done in Iceland. Bringing the Guru to Iceland started out as a deep need in my being that I could not ignore. Once that was settled it became very clear that we needed to start with an Akhand Path. If you ask me why, I have no tangible answer; it was just something that needed to happen. The steps from committing to installing the Guru to finishing the Akhand Path were many and I had really solid backup— from Sikh friends in New Mexico and London and great help from my husband and yoga friends—but the strongest element in all of this was faith. Faith that we should and we could, and we did! It is a very young Sangat here in Iceland, no Sikhs but many seekers. About 40 people were willing to answer the calling of their soul and participate, more wanted to join once word got out about how great it was. Everyone reading and doing ‘seva’ felt on some level that this was a true blessing for them personally as well as a blessing for the community as a whole. It was a really good feeling to sit and talk with all the

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people that came to read or just to be; it elevated our ‘Sangat’ and brought us closer together. The calling is still strong and now more people feel it—the need to meet the Word of the Guru in this powerful way. Our second Akhand Path will start on 31 October. If you feel the calling, you are welcome to join! CASE STUDIES

ARI (MANJIT) SINGH Interviewed on 26 June 2013, Reyjkvik, Iceland Ari is a citizen of Iceland where he lived from 1978-99. He was married to an Icelandic lady whom he met while she was working with Iceland Airlines who had wet leased their aircraft to Kenya Airlines. Ari was also working with Kenya Airlines at that time. Ari was born in a well-known and successful Sikh family of Kenya. His name was Manjit Singh but had to adopt an Icelandic first name, viz., Ari, a precondition for taking up Iceland citizenship. Ari was born on 7 October 1949. Besides his schooling in Kenya, Ari obtained a diploma in Aeronautics from Southern College, Chalakudi, Kerala in 1969. From Kenya he moved to Iceland where he spent 21 years. Thereafter he has been engaged in trading and real estate development in various countries of the world. This involved moving his residences to Barcelona, Spain (1999-2002), Cyprus (2002-6), Odessa, Ukraine and Bulgaria (2006-10). He has settled down in the UK since 2010. Besides Europe, he has business interests in USA, Canada and Germany also. He has three children. 1. Angelikha Singh Arievna (Russian-Armenian-Sikh), resident in Rostov, Russia, 9 years (from Russian mother). 2. Kristján Johann Singh Arason, resident in Reykjavik, 30 years old. The name is derived: Kristjan from his Scandinavian grandfather; Johann from his Austrian grandmother’s father; and Arason from his father. 3. Anita Margret Aridóttir, resident of Iceland but currently training horses in Switzerland, 32 years old. (Note: Arievna, Arason, Aridóttir refers to father’s name Ari. In Icelandic custom Arason means son of Ari and Aridottir means daughter of Ari).

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When questioned about other Punjabis or Sikhs in Iceland, he replied that he does not have any Punjabi contacts in Iceland. Ari had been fairly active in Iceland where he sponsored ‘Strongest Woman’ of the world competition continuously for seven years besides being the leader in creating and sponsoring beauty contests both in Iceland and worldwide for twenty years. He was also involved in Marketing Studies in a local college. ‘By the way, my father’s name is Nand Singh from Lodi Chakpind. He was a prominent businessman in East Africa. He was president of Indian Association (before partition of India) and of the Sikh community of Mombasa for many years. The new gurdwara in Mombasa bears a plaque in his name. Ari’s seven brothers and sisters are settled all over the globe except for one brother, Sarabjit Singh, who runs a mechanical workshop in Mombassa. My father had eight children. The eldest is Gurdev Kaur who now lives in London, the second after her is my brother Harbans Singh who lives in Nairobi and is one of the most notable structural engineers in Kenya. After Harbans comes Gurdev Singh, one of the well-known builders in Mombasa and politician (he was the only non-black person holding the job of Sheriff of Lamu). He was also president of Rotary International. After Gurdev comes Rabinder Singh who moved to London, married an English lady, and established many electronic shops, and then moved to Malaga in the same business and finally married a Moroccan lady and moved to Rabat. He died 2 years ago. After Rabinder comes me (Manjit). After me comes my sister Surjit Kaur who lives in London. After Surjit is Harkamal Singh, also a builder, who now lives in California. After Harkamal comes Sarabjit Singh, who lives in Mombasa and has a mechanical workshop. He is active with the Sikh community in Mombasa like Gurdev.

CHAPTER 9

ITALY

INTRODUCTION

Italy has the largest Sikh population in Continental Europe. Amongst the total Indian immigrant population, Sikhs are in majority. The earliest Sikh immigrants came as circus workers. Italy is a popular destination for settlement by Sikhs especially as in many other countries especially in the Central and Northern Europe, they are not getting opportunities to obtain residence status. Italy continues to offer openings for new immigrants every few years which enables them get legal status. The majority of the Punjabis work in agricultural sector in Lombardy and other regions of northern Italy. A popular profession where the Sikhs are occupying almost monopoly status is milking and looking after cows with farmers running the dairies. Since Sikhs have almost monopolized this sector (cheese making), the internet including YouTube has a number of videos on the subject. Attendance runs into above thousand in major gurdwaras of Brescia and Reggio Emillia. It took me a long time to ‘matha teko’ in the gurdawara. There are about 30 gurdwaras in Italy. A large number of Sikh soldiers took part in WW II as a part of British Indian army who have been honoured through a number of War Memorials. The Italian state has yet to officially recognize the Sikh faith for the purposes of special tax breaks for religious organizations. There were some problems in the past at some airport regarding the turban and security checks which have since been sorted out. Sikhs now have the right to take ID card photos with their turban on.

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Located in Southern Europe, Italy is a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea. On the European side, Italy is surrounded by Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, and France. From 1870 until 1922, Italy was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament elected under limited suffrage. In 1922, Benito Mussolini came to power and established a fascist dictatorship, effectively ending the era of parliamentary governance for a period. Mussolini’s alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy’s defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. The country has faced precarious political life and has had several dozen governments since the end of World War II. However, since the end of World War II, the Italian economy has changed dramatically from agriculture-based to industrybased, it is now the fourth largest economy in Europe. But it became one of the first eurozone victims of the global financial crisis of 2008. By mid-2012, Italy had the second-highest level of public debt—a towering 123 per cent of GDP—in the eurozone. There is concern over Italy’s birth rate—one of the lowest in Europe—and the economic implications of an ageing population. Today, Italy must deal with persistent problems such as illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north. Rough Travel Guide: Ask an Italian where in the world they would most like to live, and the odds are that they will say ‘right here’. Indeed, most people not just Italians—have raved about Italy since tourism began, and to be honest the country really does have it all: one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in Europe; the world’s greatest collection of art treasures; a climate that is on the whole benign; and, most important of all for many, a delicious and authentic national cuisine. Italy might be the world’s most celebrated tourist

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destination, but Italians often feel more loyalty to their region than to the nation as a whole—something manifest in its different cuisines, dialects, landscapes and often varying standards of living. However, if there is a single national Italian characteristic, it’s to embrace life to the full. In an interesting comment in the Economic Times dated 14 March 2013, titled ‘Of Marco Polo, Punjabis and Rossellini’, it says ‘Italy is so different from India. And yet so similar: people are loud, love food and festivals, and graft is a way of life.’ HLC REPORT 2001

The Indian community as a percentage of a population of 57.4 million is about 0.063 per cent at 71,500. Italy and India have had relations since ancient times. The Romas or the Gypsies who migrated to Italy claim to be persons of Indian origin. However the number of Indians trying to enter Italy has never been significant. From 1990 onwards, however, the Italian Government declared a series of amnesties for illegal aliens in view of acute labour shortages. Consequently more Indians started arriving in the country. Italy’s membership in the Schengen Agreement also facilitated the flow of illegal immigration. Most of the Indian immigrants are farm labourers from Punjab. Some businessmen run restaurants and jewellery and other shops. Some Indians are working in international organizations, hospitals and churches, the latter mainly hailing from Kerala. Places of worship of different faiths have been constructed. Keralites have formed an association of the Indian Priests and Sisters Union. Certain universities in Venice, Milan, Rome, Naples, Genoa, and Turin have departments on Indian studies. The Indian community has generally adapted well to the local conditions and is regarded as sincere, law abiding, hardworking and has earned the goodwill of the local community.

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According to Kathryn Lum (CARIM-India Research Report 2012/2): In a very short period of time, from the mid 1970s onwards, Italy has transformed itself from a traditionally emigrant-sending country into an immigrant receiving country. Mass immigration began in the early 1980s and by 2011 the resident population of Italy comprised of 7.5 per cent foreign nationals. Indian immigration, although a recent phenomenon, has been growing rapidly. Indian population in Italy was estimated at 121,036, which represented an increase of 14.3 per cent over the previous year. Italy now accounts for the largest Indian population in continental Europe. According to estimates provided by the Indian Consul General in Milan, at least 80 per cent of Indians in Italy are of Punjabi origin, the majority of whom are Sikhs.

It is interesting to note that up to early 1980s, the total Indian immigrants were a meagre 12,000 mainly working in the textile and leather industries. From mid-1980s to early 1990s, a number of Indians (mostly Punjabis) took advantage of the asylum facilities in large numbers. Italy is reported to have admitted more than 40,000 asylum seekers during this period. Sikh immigration is continuing till now basically as agricultural workers. Most Indians have settled in the northern and central regions of Italy and with relatively small numbers settling in the southern regions. SIKH MIGRATION

Sikhs community in Italy is the largest in Continental Europe and they also constitute the largest community amongst the Indian immigrants. As a part of the British Imperial Army, about 50,000 Indians including Sikh soldiers were involved in the WW II in Italy. There are a total of 41 cemeteries and 4 memorials in south and north of Italy namely Cassino Memorial, Forli Indian Army Cremation Memorial, Rimini Gurkha War Cremation Memorial, and Sangro River War Cremation Memorial. These have memorials of Sikh soldiers:

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engraved on the graves of Sikh soldiers is ‘Ik Onkar Siri Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Sanskare Gaye’ in Gurmukhi. Since 2007, a public ceremony takes place in Forli during the summer and is dedicated to the memory of the Sikh soldiers in the British Army who died during World War II. Many Sikhs from various gurdwaras in Italy take part in the commemorations of these Sikh soldiers through a collective prayer, ‘langar’, the distribution of books and leaflets in Italian about Sikhism and through public speeches by the participants. In 2011 the Italian Sikh community financed the building of a 60,000 bronze statue dedicated to the Sikh soldiers, which has been placed at the cemetery entrance. Sikh migration started in 1970s but picked up in 1980s and jumped up in 1990s. Immigration is continuing in 2000s and even today. Italy is a popular destination for settlement by Sikhs especially as in many other countries of Central and Northern Europe they are not getting opportunities to obtain residence status. Italy continues to offer openings for new immigrants every few years which enables them get legal status. The Sikh/Punjabi population is reckoned to be at 50-60,000 to 100,000. Attendance in gurdwaras runs into thousand and above in two major gurdwaras of Brescia and Reggio Emillia closely followed by Castel Gomberto in Vincenza. Many Sikhs and their children wear turbans or ‘patka’. Illegals have to take off turban to merge with local population but many start wearing turban when their status is regularized. The initial migration of Sikhs was as workers in circus mainly carrying out background jobs such as looking after the animals. The Government was liberal in allowing circuses to get foreign workers considering them to be specialists of sort. According to 2008 data from Istat, the Italian Institute of Statistics, 42.9 per cent of Indians work in the agricultural sector in the Lombardy region showing a marked tendency for Indians to concentrate in agriculture, particularly in northern Italy. A new trend of contract (theka) farming is taking shape. Other popular profession where the Sikhs are occupying almost monopoly status is milking and looking after cows

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with farmers running dairies. Since Sikhs have almost monopolized this sector, this topic has been discussed in more detail under a separate heading of ‘Sikhs and the Italian Cheese Industry’. The Punjabis are now also increasingly working as labourers in factories such as metal working, mechanical industries, bakeries, tanneries, meat industry, and in the services sector, especially in the catering industry. Basically these are low paid and dirty jobs. Some immigrants are opening retail shops. A small but growing number of them are entrepreneurs. Second generation of the immigrants have more options including entering various professions. Locally born children can get citizenship at the age of 18. This would become significant in the next decade and thereafter which would have an impact on social aspects. Present immigrants have frequent contact with Punjab through visits, telephone, new arrivals, spouses, etc. Some but a few are even thinking of retiring in Punjab for at least part of year. Most immigrants state that ‘law and order, and security are not a problem here and that there are no day to day hassles; no telling lies all the time. People in Punjab and India seem fed up’. The largest concentration of Sikhs is found in the northern region of Lombardia (the capital of which is Milan, followed by Emilia-Romagna (central Italy), and some in Veneto (north-east Italy), and Lazio. Within the region of Lombardia, the province of Cremona stands out for its particularly dense Indian population: in this province Punjabis constitute the single largest immigrant group (20 per cent of the total immigrant population). There is a small but significant Sikh population in the central Italian region of Tuscany. In contrast, due its weaker economy, very few Indians have made southern Italy their home. The more buoyant economy of northern and central Italy explains this regional concentration, and also the chain migration. Although not proficient, most recent (male) migrants have a basic knowledge of Italian. Their children are fluent in Italian, but may face bullying at school, particularly male Sikh

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children who are singled out because of the ‘patka’. Sikh boys have the right to wear both the ‘patka’ and the turban at schools, but understanding of these religious articles by the locals is very limited. The Italian state has yet to officially recognize the Sikh faith for the purposes of special tax breaks for religious organizations. Perhaps the most vexing issue for Sikhs has been recognition of turban. Italian (and other) Sikhs complain of being sometimes asked to publically remove their turbans at Italian airports. The issue had become so sensitive that it lead to diplomatic tension between Italy and India. In 2011, a well-known Indian golf trainer was asked to remove his turban with other passengers present, leading the Indian government to summon the Italian ambassador in Delhi over the incident. It has now been agreed that the Italian airport authorities would draw up consistent guidelines for how to deal with the turban inspired by the British model. The help and support of the larger and more politically powerful British Punjabi community in changing Italian policy was very productive. Sikhs will also henceforth have the right to take ID card photos with their turban on. Italian Sikhs have yet to win the right to ride a motorcycle or work in a construction site with their turbans, as they have in the UK. The general portrayal of the Indian community by the press is quite positive. Sikhs are depicted as industrious, hard-working, and praised particularly for their role in saving the cowmilking industry in northern Italy. Time and time again, employers and employer associations are quoted praising their reliable and conscientious Sikh employees, adding to an already positive impression of the community. However, till date there have been few Sikh-led initiatives to promote greater awareness of the Sikh faith in Italy. SIKHS AND THE ITALIAN CHEESE INDUSTRY

The Punjabis are predominantly employed in the agricultural sector, particularly in the dairy industry. Such is their importance to the dairy sector that without them Coldiretti (a lead-

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ing organization of farmers at national and European level having half a million members) leaders have declared that the emblematic Italian cheese industry would be at risk. Among the 98,000 foreign nationals who work in the agricultural industry in Italy, Indians constitute the second most numerous group, exceeded only by the Albanians. In the North, most Sikhs work as cow milkers, known as bergamini in Italian. 90 per cent of the workers in the dairy industry are Indians, which includes allied jobs such as transporting milk and other dairy products to their destinations. Almost 50 per cent of Indians work in the agriculture sector. The economic boom that Italy experienced in the post-war period led to new aspirations for the young Italians which could not be fulfilled by working in the cascine (dairy farms). Also the low social status associated with cow milking was an additional incentive to look for other work, even when the salary was raised and working conditions improved considerably with mechanization. The men working as bergamini (cow milkers) could not find local women willing to marry them. There was thus an exodus from the cow milking industry which provided the Punjabis an opportunity to fill in this gap. Beginning in the 1980s but mostly in 1990s, Punjabis started to find work in the cow milking sheds of small dairy farms dispersed across northern Italy. Two decades later, this work has become something of a Punjabi niche market, with 90 per cent of the workers in this sector estimated to be Indians. Thus, unknown to most Italians, much of the milk they drink and cheese they consume (particularly grana padano) has its origins in cows milked by Punjabis, who continue to remain relatively low-profile compared to other immigrant groups. Over the last two decades, Punjabis have carved a successful niche for themselves in the Italian dairy industry. Thus the frequent charge that is levelled at immigrants—that they steal European jobs, does not apply in this case. Punjab, has gained, not only through remittances, but in enabling the family migration projects of thousands of Sikhs to be realized through the processes of chain migration. Punjabis have proven them-

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selves to be hard-working and committed workers, which, have earned them a good reputation among Italian employers. Italian employers now prefer to hire Indians over both other immigrant groups and ethnic Italians. Indeed, on several occasions, Italian dairy owners remarked that ethnic Italian workers ‘were not reliable’, since those few still hired often did not remain for long, in stark contrast to Indian workers who have made a career out of cow milking. It has been said that production of Grana Padano cheese that the Po Valley is known for would shut down if the Indian workers went on strike. ‘Well, I don’t know if production would stop, but it would certainly create many difficulties,’ said Simone Solfanelli, the President of the Cremona City and Commune in Northern Italy. ‘They saved an economy that would have gone to the dogs because young people didn’t want to work with cows,’ Mayor Dalido Malaggi of Pessina Cremonese said. The basic salary for a bergamini starts at 1,500 Euros and can rise to as much as 3,000-4000 a month with overtime, seniority on the job, and extra payment for night work, and a portion of the profits on each quintal of milk produced. Indians are also drawn by the free accommodation provided by employers, as well as the fact that Italian nationals are no longer prepared to work as bergamini in isolated rural locations with unsociable hours. Dairy work provides stable employment as against much of the agricultural work which is seasonal and highly precarious. There are a plethora of news items, published articles, videos on YouTube, documentaries on Sikh connection with Italian cheese and dairy industry. Some details are given under Appendix. There is even a book by Pallavi Aiyar, provocatively titled Punjabi Parmesan published by Penguin in 2013. GURDWARAS

The first gurdwara in Italy dates back to 1991 and was opened in an abandoned flour mill in Rio Saliceto for Sunday worship. At the inauguration of a gurdwara in Novellara in 2000, the

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President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, was present. There are about 30 gurdwaras mainly concentrated in the northern and central parts of Italy. A list is given under Appendix. My diary entry for 6 June 2010: Around 11 a.m., reached Gurdwara at Falero near Brescia. What a sight of Sikhs turbaned and non-turbaned, at least 1,000 cars parked in all streets of the area—very orderly. ‘Langar’, lectures, tea, shoe storage arrangements on a massive scale. Never seen a sight like this overseas. I was told every major town of Sikhs have a procession (‘jaloos’) annually: In Brescia 20-30,000 people participate going through entire city for 4-5 hrs. In some places in Italy there are ‘Little Punjabs’, in fact more authentic than I see in Punjab. Went to another gurdwara, less ‘sangat’ because no ‘langar’ is allowed by municipality due to unsafe practices of using cooking implements during a fight amongst ‘sangat’—police had to intervene. SOME INTERESTING REFERENCES

SIKHS SABAUDIA Pallavi Aiyar, The Hindu, 29 July 2012 Punjabi Agricultural Immigrants: A Review The low-lying hills that punctuate the countryside of Latina in central Italy reverberated with the screams of Harbhajan Singh’s chainsaw. The 41-year-old Sikh attacked the trees that carpeted the hillside like a demon, cutting great bloodless gashes into the trunks. Originally from a village near Kapurthala in Punjab, Harbhajan has spent over 10 years felling trees in the Italian countryside for Trulli Vittorio, a timber company. The Punjabis were working on a Saturday afternoon in late February. Other than his blue turban, Harbhajan wore no protective gear at all. Angelino, a short, stocky Italian who was the Punjabi workers’ overseer, called a rest stop. Harbhajan had been working from 7 a.m. and it was now late in the afternoon, a few hours longer than the usual working day. The bosses needed their workers to put in a few more hours than stipulated in their contracts. Harbhajan didn’t get paid extra for the additional hours. ‘With the economy like this we’ve all got to work a bit harder. I don’t mind,’ he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

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Harbhajan was one of Italy’s immigrant worker elite. Not only had he secured a kosher Italian residence permit during one of the periodic legalisation initiatives Rome undertook every few years, but also had a permanent work contract with his company. He was paid 65 for an eight-hour day ‘We’re cheaper than most other immigrants,’ he boasted. Even the Romanians and Armenians wanted at least 80 for a day’s work. The illegals amongst the Indians often worked for as little as 3 or 4 an hour. Harbhajan and his coworkers, all of whom have lived in Italy for at least a decade, spoke of their work with pride. ‘Italians don’t like to work too much,’ said Sartaj Singh, a clean-shaven Sikh who was working alongside Harbhajan on the day. ‘They keep going on holiday and make life difficult for the bosses. Before we (Punjabis) got here, the fields were barren,’ chipped in Harbhajan. ‘There was no one to work in the fields. Today if there is agriculture in Latina, it’s all because of us,’ he beamed. This is not an empty boast. In the gurdwara in Sabaudia, I reckoned 400 odd devotees had come that morning from the surrounding farms for the Sunday prayers. Gurtej said the numbers could swell to 800. The gurdwara had been inaugurated only a few days after the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York on 9 September 2001. When neighbours heard the gathered Sikhs shouting out ‘Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’, the traditional jaikara Sikhs use to express religious joy, they called the police convinced that they were ‘terrorists’ celebrating the attacks. ‘We’ve had a tough time since then, trying to explain to people we are not terrorists,’ said Gurtej, ‘and they mostly get it now.’ But it wasn’t uncommon for workers returning home on bikes after a 10-hour shift in the fields to be pelted with lemons and stones by Italian kids. Why, I asked. ‘Because we look different,’ replied Gurtej remarkably serene. ‘They don’t really understand what they are doing.’ How do you put up with that kind of humiliation, I persisted? Harbhajan joined in. ‘The money is better and it’s not like life is without humiliations back in India. At least here we don’t have to deal with the kind of corruption we face back home.’ This was not an empty boast. Punjabi agricultural immigrants in Italy constitute the second largest Indian diaspora in Europe, after the UK. Official Italian government figures put the total number of workers from India in Italy at around 121,000. But given the high number of illegals, the real figure is probably closer to 200,000

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according to Marco Omizzolo, an Italian sociologist at the University of Florence, who studies the community. In the Lazio region, an area that includes Latina and the city of Rome, government estimates put the number of Indians at some 14,500, but in regions like Lombardia in Italy’s North West this figure rises to 46,372. The vast majority of the Indians in the country are Punjabi Sikhs who have immigrated over the last twenty years, and most of them work on vegetable and dairy farms. Tucked away in the remote Italian countryside. N.B. Pallavi Aiyar is the author of Punjabi Parmesan, published by Penguin in 2013. SIKHS IN ITALY By Seema Sirohi, Outlook India, 15 June 2007 An Immigrant Scene: Inside the small farm shed, a picture of Guru Nanak looks kindly down from the wall, competing with the brica-brac cramming the room’s beds, one book-shelf, suitcases in line and stacks of DVDs. The adjacent kitchen, which converts to another bedroom at night, has rudimentary cooking utensils, a rickety table, a huge plastic barrel of ‘atta’ and two refrigerators. A neat row of clothes pegs carries the burden of entire wardrobes. Harjit Singh, who came to Italy two years ago from India, is making ‘cha’ for the Punjabi workforce on this lush farm south of Rome.Tajinder Singh, barely 18, and who landed here just five days earlier after paying an agent Rs. 8 lakh, helps with the chores. He doesn’t have a job yet, but he has shelter, thanks to his village brethren. ‘Everyone comes here to earn money; I too decided to come’, he says, smiling shyly. But tears well up when he talks about his family. It’s still too raw: the departure, the journey, the touts, the alien languages along the long route of illegal migration.The two rooms are home to eleven men from Punjab, some legal, others illegal, but all bound by a common will to survive with few resources and many insecurities. Goldy Singh trundles back after a 14-hour workday, having secured delicate green bean tendrils with ropes and sticks. He opens a drink, shaking mud off his rubber boots and exchanges pleasantries with Satinder, a man of many trades and skills. Satinder, who connects Italian farmers with the Punjabis, owns two shops, exports Murano

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glass to Mumbai, drops names and goes to the West Indies for the World Cup, is one of the few regular links between the isolated workers and the world. The cell phone is another. There is comfort in brotherhood, as men from the villages of Punjab come together in farflung communities across Italy, a new favourite destination of immigrants. At a cultural event, a prosperous-looking Balbir Singh sat in the audience with his wife and son, recounting how he came 18 years ago after paying an agent Rs. 17,000 for a tourist visa. Today the price is anywhere between Rs. 6 and 10 lakh. ‘I didn’t know where or what Italy was, but I hoped to find work’, Balbir said, fiddling with his fancy cellphone sporting a Guru Nanak screensaver. Work he did find, first in a circus as a driver, then as a labourer and electrician. Today, he owns a factory making grills for windows.

SIKH VICTIM NAVTEJ SINGH BRUTALLY BEATEN

IN

ROME

Rome, 9 February 2010 A homeless Indian man was burnt and beaten after a savage attack in Italy at the weekend which left Navtej Singh Sidhu with a fractured skull and burns. The 35-year-old Sikh was savagely beaten, insulted and set alight in the small hours of Sunday as he slept at the railway station in the coastal town of Nettuno, south of Rome. Police have arrested three local youths aged between 17 and 30. Source: Sikh Philosophy Network, February 2010.

AMARJIT SINGH TAJ Letter from Amarjit Singh Taj dated 11 October 2014 (Tel:+39-34793-67-882, 29 Via Giacomo Puccini, 06077 Ponte Feicino, Perugia, Italy)

A LONELY SIKH I received your typed letter dated 8 July 2014 with reference to letter of mine in SR July 1992. I thank you for the same. I got your letter only today. In Italy private postal system has gone berserk. As you can see I’m penning this one in my own hand, i.e. it’s out of

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question for me to possess a computer, etc. I landed here way back in 1963 on Italian Government scholarships to study the Italian language, etc., but that was the only good thing happened to me then. I could not work and pay taxes to pretend (get) a minimum pension. I have no retirement pension money. I was born in Rawalpindi Cantonment in 1934 . . . you know the rest. I am married here. My wife’s name is Maria Stella. Have two grown up children (who do not have any sympathy for me) as I do not have money. They are typical Italian. Sikhs were unknown here until the 1984 tragedy. 99 per cent of Punjabis in Italy were regularized after 1990s. They do not know English or Italian properly. In this region the only turbaned and bearded Punjabi is myself. We visited Chandigarh in 1979. Never been to Punjab ever since. My mother died in November 1991. After that I have never been to Delhi or even to Rome (Italy). I travel by local buses. Though I worked in Chandigarh way back in 1958-9. Then to Delhi–Shimla–Delhi and finally here in 1963. I am Italian national since 1985 but without any pension only a family allowance of monthly 25 Euros. I do not visit any Punjabi immigrants here. So Sikhs in Italy is a myth. There is no gurdwara anywhere here. In Northern Italy, yes, but only a few elders who have come to join their families look like Sikhs. But I have no contacts. I close this one. I will be glad to hear from you. CASE STUDIES

AVTAR SINGH RANA Member City Council of Orbassano Interviewed on 5 June 2010 at his house in Orbassano He was born in village Bharaemjara situated on Phagwara–Banga Nawan Shahar–Chandigarh road. Born in 1942, he had done his primary school at nearby Jasso Mazara village. He belongs to agriculture family or jatt family. There was no school in his village. He had to go for his primary study to nearby village Jasso Mazara. For his middle school, he studied at Kharala Pind which was 1 mile away from his village. For matriculation he had to leave his village and joined Ramgarhia School in Phagwara. He did his F.Sc. from Mahindra College Patiala (1958-60). He got Mechanical Engineering degree from Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana in 1964 post which he gained teaching experience as an Assistant Professor. He joined the

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‘Mechanical Engineering Research Organization’ (which was under CSIR) as a Scientist in Ludhiana and got married in 1967. While he was with CSIR, he got scholarship for higher studies in Italy in 1968. He had to clear three-month course of Italian language post which he completed his Master’s degree from the ‘Polytechnic of Turin’. Post his studies, he joined Fiat Company which entitled him to change from Student to Work Visa. He was posted in Brazil for some time to spearhead ‘Products and Processes’. He has two children who were born in Italy: first son (Yadwinder Singh) in 1972 and second girl (Harnek Kaur) 1979. He has five brothers and two sisters, three of whom are living in UK. Excerpts from a Radio Interview: Radio Free Europe-Radio Free Liberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/1052787.html.14 May 2004, Avtar Singh Rana is an Indian-born politician serving on the city council in Gandhi’s small Italian hometown of Orbassano. He lives in Orbassano near Turin (Torino) and worked for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) factory whose HQ is located in Turin. ‘I had the chance to meet her (Sonia Gandhi) about two years ago at her house in New Delhi,’ Rana said. Meanwhile, Rana said there’s a new joke around town: ‘That’s the joke here in Orbassano. They like to say that the town may have given Sonia to India, but India has given Orbassano—Avtar Singh Rana.’ To a question as to if there was an Indian community in his town, he replied: ‘In Turin there are not many Sikhs, a religion to which I belong, but of the 4,798 Indians living in Piedmont, about 70 per cent are Sikhs and many live in Cuneo and in the province, Pancalieri, Carmagnola up to Mondovì and Saluzzo. The first Sikh temple of Piedmont has been opened, it is called gurdawara that is ‘Door to enter the kingdom of God’. Every Sunday food is offered to all the people who arrive, and is consumed sitting on the ground, because we are all the same and at the same level. I am the honorary president, too. I was a Councillor in Orbassano, the first foreigner in Piedmont, and still today I am a Councillor for ethnic integration and for the elderly. I also continue to do voluntary work and cultural interventions.

HOW

A

BRITISH SIKH

VIEWS

SIKHS

IN

ITALY

Arvinder Singh Garcha was in his 20s and travelled with me to Italy for the first part of my visit in 2010. He is a turbaned Sikh, born and brought up in UK with a great interest in Sikh

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community. Based on our short visit, his comments are given below. BIBLIYONEE BEACH, 8 JUNE 2010 Arvinder: ‘First of all I was born and brought up in England and am visiting Italy with Swarn from Chandigarh to meet with Sikhs settled in Italy. I came here with a different perspective but now my views have changed. Overall, I am quite impressed to see how the Italians see the Sikhs who have come from Punjab and how the Sikhs have retained their spiritual and cultural links. There are differences I see between UK and Italy in terms of Sikh numbers: UK had a very large Sikh population since many years ago; I am talking of 1960s and 1970s, so I am second generation. The Sikh immigration in Italy is a relatively new phenomenon basically in the past ten years. That is why we are seeing so much retention of ‘Sikkhi’ over here. By having said that, I feel that in next ten years there could be changes, as the second generation become significant, on the traditional ‘Sikkhi’ as it is doing in other countries. As an example in the gurdwaras the spiritual agenda is not really focused on the need of the new generations. It is more focused on the needs of the Sikhs who have come with focus on ‘Punjabiat’. So, that’s the big risk for the new generations. Our momentum has changed; gurdwaras are doing more ‘prachaar’ towards the young. They have different organizations, different groups that target youth. They don’t necessarily discriminate against those who are clean shaven Sikhs or ‘Trim Singhs’ as they are called, or the ones who are ‘Gursikhs’. It is quite varied over there whereas in Italy I haven’t seen that balance. But may be that’ll come in the future. In terms of quality of life I think Sikhs here are doing relatively well being a new community. If I compare new immigrants in the countries that I have visited, I think the welfare is not as good as what Italy provides. I think that’s why it has attracted so many Sikhs over here from Punjab. But certainly in Holland if you are a legal immigrant then your chances of getting work and chances of settling down are minimal and here in Italy it seems as if there is a big chance that you can get some kind of future here. This is why Sikhs here are calling everybody from Punjab. A lot of Sikhs are coming to Italy; there are very few of them who have been here for a long time like from the 1950s or the 1960s. In UK, we’ve got more of older generation. In Western Europe and Italy it’s very less and in the same sense the quality of life that Sikhs in other

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countries enjoy is much better than that in Italy overall. I already met one family here, which is Khushminder Singh; my father’s family: I’ve seen that they live according to UK Sikh Punjabi standards. That’s the only family I’ve come across so far and also there are so many gurdwaras here. However immigrants like Avtar Singh Rana are more integrated with Italian Society. AUTHOR’S DIARIES OF 2010 AND 2015 VISITS TO ITALY

It might be interesting to share my ‘Diary Notes’ of two visits to Italy. They give a flavour of Italy and Sikh presence in various towns. VISIT

TO

ROME

AND

SABAUDIA, 2015

9 October 2015, Rome–Sabaudia: Arrived Rome by fast train in the morning to track back to Sabaudia 60 kms away via Previrno Train Station from where Sabaudia is a half hour bus ride. At Previrno the bus just left as soon as the train arrived by taking only two passengers— driver felt he was already late (what an attitude). Next bus came after one hour. In the meantime, I met two Punjabis (non-turbaned Sikhs). So I could hear their stories while standing and waiting for the bus to Sabaudia. The local bus rolled in after an hour. I was under the wrong impression that hotel where I was staying was near the bus stop in Sabaudia—turned out it was far away. I came across quite a few Punjabis and some Sikhs. There was a ‘Punjabi Food’ shop and the guy told me that there are no taxis in this town and that I can take a local commuter bus but no bus came for more than half hour. Then a Sikh came along and suggested that we walk to gurdwara president’s shop about 200 metres away. It turned out that the owner had gone for siesta—common in Italy. He then requested a next door shop person (Punjabi) to drop me to the hotel which he did. The hotel is about 150 metres from gurdwara (see under ‘Some Interesting Events’). It turned out the hotel is owned by Alessia’s father, an Italian girl I had met in Chandigarh who in the first place told me about Sikh settlement in Sabaudia. She is now studying in Wasington DC. Her father is an Italian—Optometric shop in Town Centre and the hotel owner, and mother is American. Alessia had gone to Chandigarh to learn Punjabi.

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A Punjabi, Vicky (Amarinder Singh) works for the hotel and told me that Alessia had advised him that I might be coming in October. Nice hotel but I think, I was the only guest staying. Sabaudia has tourists in summer only as the beach is nearby. Vicky wanted to arrange dinner for me. It turned out that the next building was part of the hotel but basically it was a bar and restaurant. Vicky works daytime at the hotel and evening at this restaurant. He seems to be well liked. I was the only guest and the chef had made a very tasty pork dish for me with salad followed by cappuccino. All staff met with me. Earlier after arrival, I had gone to the gurdwara and met some people. I was advised that I should come after 8 p.m. when the president and some others come post-closing their shops. Met the president. In the meantime post dinner, I had met De Vittis, the owner who agreed to drop me next morning to bus stop. 10 October, Sabaudia–Rome: Vicky came along. The next bus to train station was not due till another hour or so. We had coffee and Vicky’s story unfolded, which I will caption as ‘Wandering Vicky’. Having arrived in Verona in Italy on work permit through his mother’s sister’s husband, he moved around Europe in France, Poland, and Austria before settling down in this hotel where he seems to have put in his roots, at least for now. There are many turns and twists because his stay was illegal for a long time. At Previrno train station, I met several Punjabis and a Sikh who were also going to Rome. It started to rain and on arrival in Rome, there was quite a heavy drizzle. I left for a gurdwara by metro and then bus. The bus stop for gurdwara was not very clear to me. We were now almost out of Rome city. I was cursing myself as to why I undertake such travels. I was almost ready to abort the trip when I saw the gurdwara flag. Went in and was told that the president had a shop just nearby. Saw a young boy of 15 yrs with a ‘joora’ manning the shop. On inquiry, I was told his father had gone to his factory (a small fabrication set up). Spoke to him on telephone when he told me he would come after an hour or so. This young lad is attending a school to become a pilot. So, I have a story ‘Budding Sikh Pilot’. His elder sister is a Doctor and one brother helps in the factory. Second older brother is in Mexico, where he went with a ‘Robot Football’ team. His team had won an award in China and did well in a competition in Belgium. In Mexico he had met a girl and has started working for a Canadian Bank there. The family youngsters are good at English, Italian and Punjabi. The family keeps going frequently to Punjab-

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Kapurthala. Interviewed the gurdwara president—as usual an interesting story. Many customers, some Punjabis, some Sikhs and some locals were visiting the shop and the young Sikh boy with ‘joora’ was handling them well. Quite a sight! They ordered a pizza which we shared. It started raining like our monsoon. Took bus and metro back to Rome Termini. 11 October: I went to other larger gurdwara in Rome on this Sunday. This gurdwara is totally on the other side from the first. I had to be fast as I was booked by 3 p.m. train to Torino (Turin). Weather is sunny today. Could meet the gurdwara president just briefly. Buses on weekend are less frequent and I had very little time—didn’t want to take a risk.

VISIT TO NORTHERN ITALY, 2010 (WITH ARVINDER SINGH GARCHA OF UK) 5 June: On arrival in Milan took immediately bus to Torino (Turin) west of Milan, Bus had left when I had to run after it to make it stop. In the meantime my ticket fell off somewhere. Bus driver accepted my word. Hardly any passengers. Avtar Rana came to receive. Drove through city—beautiful, to reach Orbassano where Sonia Gandhi is from. Rana knows Sonia Gandhi’s mother. Came to Italy on Scholarship in 1970 for MS. Stayed back and worked for Fiat, becoming a Departmental Head. He is now sort of deputy Mayor, an elected post. Arvinder from London joined me and we drove to Brescia about 250 km to East of Milan. Arrived at Novotel Hotel and went straight to a TV programme being filmed by ‘Sikhchannel’ TV network of UK. Subject was Bhindranwale, attack on Golden temple in 1984 and Khalistan. A lot of turbans in the hall. Went for dinner at Multan Restaurant run by a Sikh from Haryana hosted by Baldev Singh, correspondent of Daily Ajit. Late night—was dead tired. 6 June: Arvinder’s contact arrived in the hotel around nine. After breakfast met him in the lobby with his son. Interesting. He took us to a huge Deptt store. Saw a few turbaned Sikhs and young boys wearing ‘joora’ and patka. On driving found several Punjabis etc on roadside, parks, etc. Around 11 reached gurdwara at Flero Brescia. What a sight of Sikhs turbaned and non-turbaned atleast 1,000, cars parked in all streets of the area—very orderly. ‘Langar’, lectures, tea, shoe storage arrangements on a massive scale. Never seen a sight like this overseas. Every major town of Sikh concentration has a procession (jaloos)

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annually. We were told that in Brescia 20-30,000 people participate going through entire city for 4-5 hrs. A little Punjab, in fact more turbaned Sikhs than I see in Chandigarh. Went to another gurdwara, less sangat because no ‘langar’ is allowed by municipality due to unsafe practices of using cooking implements which were used during a fight amongst ‘sangat’—police had to intervene. Went to a farm house to meet a ‘stahl’ worker—in this case a cow milker—Dayal Singh and his wife Surjit Kaur. Work is hard for 10 hours, 0300-0800 a.m. and in the evenings again. It was a sight to see cows being milked—average daily yield 35 litres. Tried to set up a side business with wife in-charge but did not have much success. Son studying in Westminster University, UK, daughter in Class 12 in India. Wants to return to India to set up small manufacture. Ended up late afternoon for a sumptuous Punjabi meal including fresh green leaves salad from the house kitchen garden. Had good Italian coffee and headed for Reggio Emilia 120 km away at 5 p.m. Stay at Mercure. After a few calls headed for a village 20 km away to meet, Kulwinder Kaur and Jaspal Singh Mangat, originally a circus employee. Italians in the apartment complex were having friends and family meals in the open being nice summer evening. Did not appear very friendly. Later Umrao Singh joined who is an old immigrant who stumbled on to working for circus in Belgrade as agent had dumped six of them and they had no money left. Thus began a long career of looking after horses and lions and finally working in the ring also. Helped get 600 or so Punjabis to get jobs in circus—totally as a help with no money charged. Came back late and went for a short walk to main square, beautifully lighted, with fountains. Hotel was next to a nice large park. 7 June: After breakfast, headed for Reggio Emilia gurdwara. A large one—was told the oldest with large ‘sangat’ similar to Flero Brescia gurdwara. On to another gurdwara at Montova. Was passing through the town when we saw in the park near the main square a few Punjabis sitting. Went on to meet them—an interesting sight. In broader Bergamo–Brescia–Reggio Emilia areas, one can see Sikhs on roads walking, cycling, and standing. One does not feel being away from Punjab. Visited Montova Gurdwara where met two immigrants who had come from Paris to check on their immigration status. Every so often Government opens immigration window. These two guys’ travails to reach Paris were a tale of woes and horrors. Kulwinder took 1 year to make it to the West via Moscow, Kiev, and Prague with several

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arrests en-route. Jaswant took less time of 4/5 months via Addis Ababa, Mali, Algiers, Morocco, Spanish Island, Barcelona and finally Paris. Met a farmer who has taken a small field of 3 acres for cultivating vegetables. Being near the gurdwara, he hopes for Punjabi clientale. Drove to next gurdwara at Reggio Emillia in Vincenza. A large gurdwara commissioned in 2004 in a beautiful location. Met Harwinder who is trying to form a Society of all gurdwaras in Italy. Seems there are a lot of layoffs due recent financial crisis. Arvinder left for UK and I continue on my tourist trip to Italy.

CHAPTER 10

NETHERLANDS

INTRODUCTION

Sikhs form a significant portion of Indian immigrant population (excluding PIOs who came from Surinam) and are spread all over the country, where they are successfully settled in various professions. There were odd Sikh immigrants beginning 1950s and 1960s but majority Sikhs came from 1970s and 1980s onwards. There are eight gurdwaras. The Sikh connection with Surinamese Hindustanis is an interesting subject of study. An episode relating to Sikhs in Netherlands was the voyage in 1987 of a small freighter from Rotterdam to Halifax in Canada carrying 173 passengers. This was a repeat of sorts of the famous failed voyage of Komagata Maru carrying Sikhs from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1914. In 1973, 3HO Sikhs (Followers of Yogi Bhajan) established the Guru Ramdas Ashram in Amsterdam. THE COUNTRY

A remarkable country which is a largely man-made affair, around half of which lies at or below sea level. It has Europe’s highest population density. Famed for its liberal social policies, maritime trading traditions, battles to hold back the sea, robust multiculturalism and leading technological communications, the Netherlands is a mosaic of cultural intrigue. The Netherlands consistently ranks among the top places in the world to live and work in. Culture and quality living combined make the Netherlands an attractive place for expats, who are an

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intrinsic part of the country’s knowledge-based economy. English is widely spoken. With many international companies headquartered in the Netherlands, there are plenty of employment opportunities. Out of a population of almost 16.8 million people, more than 3.5 million have a foreign background. This multi-ethnic characteristic of the country’s population has historic roots stretching back several hundred years, though most rapid changes in population demographics have come about in the last 40 years.The country has some unique features in agriculture. The Dutch cow is a revered milk machine, producing 35 litres a day. Tiny Netherlands is one of world’s top three largest agricultural producers, and responsible for just over 20 per cent of the world’s potato exports. The Netherlands has produced many of the world’s most famous artists from Rembrandt and Vermeer in the seventeenth century to Van Gogh in the nineteenth and Mondrian in the twentith century. It attracts visitors from across the globe. HLC REPORT 2001

There are two distinct groups among the Indian community in the Netherlands—people of Indian origin who originally migrated from India to Suriname as indentured labour, and later migrated to the Netherlands, and a more recent wave of Indian professionals from India. The Indian community is estimated at 215,000 or 1.35 per cent out of a total population of 15.9 million. There are also approximately 2,000 illegal Indians, mostly Sikhs, in the Netherlands. With Surinam’s independence, more than 1/3rd of the PIO population availed of a provision in the Independence Act permitting Surinamese to migrate to the Netherlands before the transfer of power in 1975. Today, the Surinamese Indian community in the Netherlands, which calls itself the Surinamese Hindustanis, numbers approximately 200,000, while the more recent arrivals from India number around 15,000. The number of Indian families increased from 10 in 1960

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to 250 by the end of 1970. The NRI community in the Netherlands mostly consists of highly qualified engineers, doctors, scientist, businessmen and other professionals. Most of them occupy senior positions in their organizations. The Surinamese Indians are proud of their cultural heritage. Even though they left Suriname over 25 years ago, they still speak Surnami Hindi, a mixture of Bhojpuri, and Awadhi, with a smattering of Dutch and English. The Surinamese Indian community has established a large number of temples in various parts of the country. There are a number of Sikh gurdwaras. SIKH MIGRATION

There are three interesting facets of Sikh migration to Netherlands, viz. (1) Sikhs marrying the Suriname Indians settled in Netherlands (2) a Kamagata Maru like attempt to charter a ship sailing from Rotterdam to reach the Canadian shores, and (3) a group of young Sikh professionals who are running an organization and website www.SIKHS.NL, which is doing a commendable job of creating awareness about Sikhs amongst Dutch people and helping the community work together on various issues and challenges facing Sikhs. Sikhs started to migrate to the Netherlands in 1970s although there were odd Sikh immigrants from 1950s onwards. Beant Singh was the first Sikh to come here from Teheran in 1953. Ahluwalia came here in 1950s as an employee of Phillips Company. Dr. Darshan Singh came to work in a hospital in 1960s and had married a foreigner. The migration picked up somewhat in 1970s and took a quantum jump in 1980s and 1990s. The followers of Yogi Bhajan’ were the first to bring the SGGS to Amsterdam and start a gurdwara as part of Guru Ramdas Ashram. They had also set up an Indian restaurant called the Golden Temple. The appointment of the former Maharaja Yadvindra Singh of Patiala as the Indian Ambassador (1971-4) helped provide Sikhs’ exposure to the Dutch Government and people.

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According to Ellen Bal (Carim Case Study: Carim-India RR2012/7), The migrants from Punjab form the largest group amongst the Indian immigrants. Sikhs are mainly located in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, and a fair number of Sikhs are living in Eindhoven and Amstelveen. A substantial number of Sikhs from Afghanistan have also chosen to come to the Netherlands. The Sikh Society Netherlands claims that at present some 12,000 to 15,000 Sikhs are living in the country.

They are successfully settled in various professions in the Netherlands. There are six Gurdwaras, two each in Amsterdam and The Hague, one in Rotterdam and another in Almere. The first regular gurdwaras both in Amsterdam and Rotterdam were set up in 1981. Because of the International Court of Justice being in The Hague, there had been several political demonstrations by the Sikhs not only from Netherlands but from entire Europe protesting against various injustices meted out to them in India at the hands of the Government. Netherlands is one of the few countries in Europe where no academic work seems to have been done on Sikh studies so far. This needs to be pursued by scholars. The Sikh connection with Surinamese Hindustanis is an interesting affair. With the independence of Surinam in 1975, many ‘Hindustanis’, whose ancestors had migrated there as indentured labour (beginning late nineteenth century) opted to settle in Netherlands. When Punjabis especially the illegals began migrating, they started marrying the Surinamese girls which enabled them to get ‘Residence’ status. Some of the marriages were genuine. Surinamese girls were keen to reestablish their long lost Indian connection—what better option than marrying the authentic Indians, the Sikhs! Many marriages, however, were merely of convenience as far as the Punjabis were concerned. Once an immigrant got the residency status, he filed for divorce and thereafter went back to Punjab to get a bride. It resulted in some disenchantment amongst the Surinamese community. There were, however, some successful

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marriages. Some children belonging to the second generation from both successful and not-so-successful marriages are following ‘Sikhi’. An interesting case study was that of a turbaned Sikh, Jitinder Singh in The Hague who married a Surinamese but later divorced her after having a daughter. Thereafter he remarried in Punjab and has since children from the second wife. He has, however, kept harmonious relations with divorced Surinamese wife and even arranged the marriage of the daughter from earlier marriage in Punjab village to a Sikh taking care of all the expenses and formalities. The author met the divorced Surinamese wife who had interestingly come to take her stepson with a ‘joora’ for a day’s outing. Another episode relating to Sikhs in Netherlands was the voyage in 1987 of a small freighter, the Amelle from Rotterdam to Halifax in Canada carrying 173 passengers including one woman. This was a repeat of sorts of the famous failed voyage of Komagata Maru carrying Sikhs from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada in 1914. Despite the initial problems faced by these immigrants on arrival in a small fishing village of north-east Canada, the venture can be considered a success as all the passengers were ultimately granted immigration status. www.sikhs.nl, run by relatively young Sikhs is doing a great job to look after the Sikh affairs and to promote Sikhism in Netherlands. Please see Some Interesting Events/Organisations for more details. Bhupinder Singh Holland has done useful work on promoting Sikh causes and written books about Sikhs. His two main books are: How Europe is Indebted to Sikhs (about Sikh soldiers in WW I) and The Dutch Sikhs: A Brief History. He mentions an interesting interlude between Sikh soldiers and the Dutch settlers in Indonesia in WW II. The British had sent Sikh and Gorkha soldiers to Indonesia to fight against Japan. While they defended Indonesia, they also displayed exemplary bravery to enable the Dutch to exit Indonesia safely immediately after the war. Sokarno had declared independence from the Dutch on 17 August 1945 (official recognition by the Dutch came only in 2005). The local populace wanted to avenge atrocities committed on them which endangered safety

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of the Dutch living in Indonesia and that’s where the role of Indian Sikh soldiers was appreciated by the Dutch. GURDWARAS www.sikhs.nl AMSTERDAM: 1. Shri Guru Nanak Gurdwara Sahib 2. Gurdwara Maan Sarovar Sahib (also Guru Ram Das Ashram of 3HO) ALMERE: 3. Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib DEN HAAG (THE HAGUE): 4. Gurdwara Vereninging 5. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara (Also Shri Guru Ravidas Temple) ROTTERDAM: 6. Gurdwara Shri Nanak Dev SOME INTERESTING EVENTS/ ORGANISATIONS SHIP EPISODE An episode relating to Sikhs in Netherlands was the voyage in 1987 of a small freighter, The Amelle from Rotterdam to Halifax in Canada carrying 173 passengers including one woman. Following news items are of some interest. CANADIAN COAST GUARD BRINGS FREIGHTER Origin of refugees still unknown News item: ‘Reformatorish Dagblad’, 14 July 1987 Red Cow Moran—the Canadian authorities have detained yesterday a cargo ship on the coast of Nova Scotia: 173 people were deposed who said they had come by boat from India. The Amelle, a small ship of

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497 GRT and 59 meters long, was met by a Canadian Coast Guard ship. The Amelle flying Costa Rican flag is registered in Chile. Rob Hazen, agent of a Rotterdam shipping company, explained that the Amelle sailed on 23 June without cargo from the port of Rotterdam after small repairs to the ship. Messages in the Dutch press indicate that the people on board would have applied for political asylum in the Netherlands, but they feared expulsion to India and hence fled in panic. The Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reported yesterday that the refugees, who were identified as Sikhs, had come more than a year ago to Netherland via East Berlin and West Germany. Meanwhile, the Canadian Immigration Service started with questioning of the 173 men and a woman, who came ashore Sunday morning in the fishing village of Red Cow Moran: the astonished inhabitants told that they came from India. The refugees, many of whom wore a beard and turban, were laymen Sikhs. The refugees were transferred to the military base Stadacona in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, for medical examination, fingerprints, etc. WWW .SIKHS .NL

Interview with Vikram Pal Singh and Charanpal Singh of ‘Sikhs.nl’

A Sikh organization ‘Sikhs in Netherland’ run by young professionals is playing a useful role in propagating ‘Sikkhi’ and helping the Sikh immigrants needing help. It works together with Dutch Government, Indian Diaspora, Human Development organizations, and multicultural organizations to create awareness by means of educational programmes, website, presentations, etc., about Sikhs. Sikhs in Netherlands website www.sikhs.nl is an independent internetbased resource which provides extensive information about Sikhism and the Sikhs in Dutch, Spanish, French and other European languages. They have successfully lobbied at various levels of Government and Law Courts for retaining of the 5 Ks by the Sikhs. Another example of the work being done by them is with regard to Sikh prisoners. Due to their efforts, the Sikh prisoners now have access to regular visits of ‘Granthi’,

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who acts as a Counsellor (earlier only a Pandit was being deputed by the Government), thereby providing emotional support to them besides providing useful income to the Granthi. www.Sikhs.nl is encouraging and supporting ‘dharamparchar’ and Punjabi language teaching in gurdwaras. In a new development they are negotiating the possible setting up of a Sikh Chair at Leiden University. CASE STUDIES

SUCHA SINGH: A 1974 IMMIGRANT, DEN HAGUE Interviewed on 7 July 2013 I am from near Nawan Shahr (born in 1949) where I studied up to Higher Secondary and thereafter did a short technical course. I got married at a very young age in 1966 as my mother had died and we needed a woman to help the family. People were talking about migrating to UK which sounded attractive to me as I had no job. I came to Greece through an Agent in 1974—flying from Delhi to Damascus and onwards to Athens by road and train. We were a group of 25-30 persons who were asked to remove turbans before flying out from Delhi. We had visa for Greece. There were quite a few Sikhs in Greece many of whom were working in brick kilns and in agriculture. Many Sikhs came to Greece as crew members of Shipping Lines and then jumped the ship on arrival. We stayed in Greece for about three months but could not get suitable job. Four of us were able to get Benelux visa. We proceeded to Brussels by train where we stayed for 2-3 weeks trying to see if we could get residence status. Having failed to do so, we decided to move to Amsterdam by train. Initially we stayed in the Youth Hostel. I could get a job with a Surinamese shop owner. A law was passed in 1975 regularizing the residence status of persons who had arrived in the country prior to August 1974. Because of this law, I could get Residence Status. I informed some of my friends in Belgium who also came over to get their papers regularized. I got my Dutch passport in 1987. My family including two teen-aged sons joined me in 1985. My brother came in 1977. I had started to keep turban soon after getting residence status. Being an ‘amritdhari’ Sikh, I was not granted visa to visit India despite several efforts—I could get a visa only in 1997. Presently, my one son

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is a tram driver (40 yrs old) but does not wear a turban. The other son (37 yrs old) tried his hand at business but is now working for his uncle in textile trade. Both have local passports. In Netherlands on reaching 50 years age, one can retire getting full benefits and hence I am living fairly comfortably. Sikh Scene: Describing the immigrant scene on his arrival, Sucha said that there were only a few Sikhs in 1970s, but the numbers increased dramatically in 1980s. The status of immigrants could be regularized either by seeking asylum or by getting married to Surinamese girls. On religious aspects, Sucha Singh said that the visit of Giani Rajinder Singh from UK in 1978 to organize ‘kirtan’ and carry out ‘amrit parchar’ helped strengthen the Sikh following in Netherlands. The process has since been carried forward. From 1990 immigration was mainly of expat staff and Afghanis (1500-2000 nos). Presently there are about 25,000 Indian immigrants. Sikh immigrant numbers: More than half of Indian immigrants, a total of 10,00012,000 (Rotterdam 2,000-2500; Den Haag 2,000-2,500; Amsterdam 3,000-3,500; Illegals 1,000-2,000. Turban wearing Sikhs 2,000. Punjabis 14,000).

HARJIT SINGH: A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE

TO

NETHERLANDS

Interviewed, Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Den Hague on 7 July 2013 I am from Hoshiarpur District and first went to New Zealand in 1989 at age 22 years as tourist as visa was available. I went there against a short-term visa but returned after 20 months stay as I preferred to settle in USA. The plan was to go to Belize with the help of Niranjan Singh Gill (see Kahlon, Sikhs in Latin America) which borders Mexico and from there cross over to USA. However, I could not reach Belize as the immigration authorities in Singapore sent me back to India. On return to Punjab, my family and I were facing Police wrath and aggression due to alleged connection with Khalistan movement. As per a new plan, I flew in 1991 to Brazil-Rio de Janeiro where three other Sikhs (non-turbaned) met me. We four decided to travel North in the direction of USA by bus across the vast South American continent. From Rio, we went to Sao Paulo and onwards to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia (we had multi-entry visa for Colombia), and Panama from where we were turned back to Colombia as we were denied entry in Panama. We then tried to go to Guatemala which

Figure 1: Italy: A scene in a ‘Mall’ where one sees Sikh youngsters moving around confidently as if it was Punjab

Figure 2: A young child doing ‘langar sewa’ Essen Gurdwara, Germany

Figure 3: Sikh children enthusiastically attending Sunday Gurdwara function, Greece

Figure 4: Sikh children learning to do sewa, Barcelona Gurdwara Gurdarshan Sahib

Figure 5: Sikh women are very active participants in Gurdwara attendance and ‘sewa’. Austria Vienna Gurdwara

Figure 6: A group of Sikh women with Livleen in a Finland Gurdwara

Figure 7: WW I—A French lady presenting flower to a Sikh Soldier taking part in a parade on Champs Elysees, Paris.

Figure 8: Anita Lerche, a Danish citizen who is an exponent of Punjabi music and has several concerts to her credit in Punjab and overseas. Denmark June 2010

Figure 9: Brussels Gurdwara honouring the two research scholars Sara Cosemans and Quincy Cloet who chaperoned me during my visit, Belgium

Figure 10: Nachtwinkel shop run by a Sikh. Belgium

Figure 11: Rashpal Singh Kalsi, a Diplomat with the Foreign Ministry, Government of Denmark

Figure 12: Dr. Billa Seth and wife Sylvia. He has been in Austria since 1955. Settled in Forchtenstein, where he has been honoured with a Golden Ring by the city Mayor for his services to the city

Figure 13: Lund Conferences provided an excellent forum for scholars to get-together in formal and informal settings, 2010

Figure 14: Lund Conferences provided an excellent forum for scholars to get-together in formal and informal settings Lund Conference, 2013

Figure 15: Lund University, Sweden ran a programme on ‘Sikhs in Europe’ including three conferences where scholars from all over participated. Krystina Myrvold, Lund University was a key organiser of this programme

Figure 16: Lund University, Sweden ran a programme ‘Sikhs in Europe’ including three conferences where scholars from all over participated. Knut A. Jacobsen, Norway was a key promoter of this initiative

Figure 17: An earlier struggling immigrant but now prosperous younger generation, Austria

Figure 18: A Bar (Ravintola) Owner Kuldeep Singh in his establishment, Finland

Figure 19: Gurdwara in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris, France

Figure 20: Sikh Researcher Christine Moliner in conversation with Ranjit Singh—Director Public Affairs, Representive Council of Sikhs in France

Figure 21: Greece Crete Sikh Family who are so well liked by their landlord that they feel free to leave their baby with them when away from home

Figure 22: Joginder Singh, an 1960 immigrant in Frankfurt, Germany—his wife Doris and Sikh Researcher Ajit Singh Sikand

Figure 23: Livleen with a Sikh immigrant and his son, Germany Cologne

Figure 24: Manjit Singh who had to change his first name to Ari Singh as a precondition for becoming Iceland citizen. Ari with his son Kristian Johann Singh Arison

Figure 25: Sethis (Rajinder & Neena) with Russian Sikh Scholar Prof. Anna Bochkovskaya at Sethi's residence, Moscow, Russia

Figure 26: Norway Rajwant Parpatias with Norwegian Sikh Scholar Lill Vramo sitting on the floor, Oslo Gurdwara

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borders Belize where again we were denied entry and sent back to Colombia. The Colombian authorities were not very welcoming this time and wanted to deport us to India. We persuaded the authorities to let us go to Ecuador where no visa was needed. Our request was accepted but with the condition that the bus driver would be given our passports to be handed over to us at the border crossing only. On entering Ecuador, I decided to buy a new ticket to Delhi via Amsterdam. I was able to obtain a transit visa for Benelux for 3 days. Other three decided to go back to Rio from where they already had a return ticket to India. On arrival in Amsterdam, I decided not to go to India but instead stayed with my brother-in-law who had been living there for the past four years. In due course, I applied for asylum which was rejected. I filed several appeals (India is not the only place where justice is complex) which enabled me stay in the country for three years. At that time anyone who had lived in the country for three years could get residence status as a part of an amnesty scheme. While my appeals were under process, my stay was considered legal and I was entitled to housing and maintenance allowance from the Government. I obtained the Netherlands passport in 1997. I am now well settled in The Hague area with my family’. Author’s Note: Although Sikhs’ entry into Ecuador is restricted due to Khalistan connection; Harjit and party had no problem getting entry at the land border. For author’s visa to Ecuador in India, local Police verification was mandatory for Sikhs! Although originally carrying only $500, he was able to get a couple of thousand dollars from his relatives settled in North America (author’s comment: Had heard similar stories from several interviewees showing how relatives and friends help out). Innovativeness and perseverance are the bare minimum qualification for such migrants. According to Harjit, if a person leaves a country voluntarily after over-stay of visa period, the passport is not stamped adversely. But if the Immigration authorities deport a person, a remark to that effect is made in the passport.

CHAIN SINGH Interviewed on 7 July 2013, Den Hague They are eight brothers and sisters. The first to move out was Bhajan Singh who came through an agent first to Greece and then Holland in 1973. The objective was to go to the UK. Some of the persons travelling

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in his group who tried to go to UK were caught and deported to India. He, therefore, decided not to try to go to UK and instead settle in Netherlands only. Then younger brother of Chain Singh came here on tourist visa in end 1983 at age 18 yrs after completing matric. Still later, another brother came as a ship crew from Bombay and settled in Netherlands after jumping the ship. For a number of years, Chain Singh did not do any work and instead depended on social security support. In 1998 he married Loveleen Kaur (in New Delhi), a girl who was from Netherlands, whose parents had migrated to Netherlands in 1974. Post his marriage he worked in a school as a caretaker and thereafter in a poultry farm. Beant Singh was the first Sikh to come here. He came from Teheran in 1953. Another Sikh family the Ahluwalias came later in 1950s, as an employee of the Philips company. Dr. Darshan Singh came to work in a hospital in 1960s and had married a foreigner.

JITINDER SINGH Interviewed on 7 July 2012, Den Hague He came to Europe in 1981 at age 26 years with tourist visa for Holland, France and Portugal. His sister was living in UK. Since he was not very successful in getting a good job in India post his graduation, he decided to go abroad. In Amsterdam, he had difficulty in getting employment. He contacted his maternal uncle (mama) who was working with Philips Electronics with whom he stayed for a month. He married a Surinamese lady with whom he had a daughter. After some years they mutually agreed to separate. He remarried a lady from Punjab but remained in touch with her ex-wife and daughter. In fact he arranged this girl’s marriage to a Punjabi from India and paid for all the expenses. He has two children with Rita, the Punjabi wife. When we visited them, his ex-wife had come to take their son with a ‘jura’ for a walk—indicating harmonious relationship.

CHAPTER 11

NORWAY

INTRODUCTION

Among immigrant community from India, Sikhs form the largest group especially until the end of the twentieth century. Incidentally Pakistani immigrants far outnumber the Indians. Sikhs started immigrating in 1970s. Originally they worked in agriculture but now they have diversified into other fields. The second generation are well educated and have entered various professions. They have also organized themselves under the Unge Sikher (Young Sikhs) who besides other activities, organize Turban Day and participate in the ‘Nagar Kirtan’ on Baisakhi. Harinder Singh Khalsa, first secretary in the Indian embassy in Oslo had resigned post Blue Star Operation and sought asylum in the country. Lill Vramo, a Sikh scholar escorted us during our visit to Norway and additionally offered us home stay with her. THE COUNTRY

Europe’s northernmost country, the kingdom of Norway is famed for its mountains and spectacular fjord coastline, as well as its history as a seafaring power. It also enjoys one of the world’s highest standards of living, in large part due to the discovery in the late 1960s of offshore oil and gas. It is the world’s number seven oil exporter and has resisted the temptation to splurge its windfall, choosing instead to deposit the surplus wealth into its oil fund—now the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. Quiet for a thousand years since

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the marauding days of the Vikings, Norway often seems remote to outsiders, even mysterious. Perhaps inevitably, the fjords are the apple of the tourist industry’s eye—with the infrastructure to prove it. From a severely impoverished past and an astoundingly wealthy present, Norway has managed to assemble one of the most civilized, educated and tolerant societies in the world. Wherever they might have migrated to, every Norwegian you will meet, will at some point make their way back to this remarkable country, put on a pair of old hiking shoes and head off on foot for yonder mountain, reminding themselves how lucky they are to have one of the world’s most ravishing landscapes right at their back door. HLC REPORT 2001

The approximate number of the Indian Community is 5,600 out of a population of 4.5 million and comprises 0.12 per cent of the population. Immigration from Punjab began in the early 1970s. The Indian community is culturally active and endeavours to preserve its traditions and ethos. The Board of the Indo-Norwegian Society has equal representation of Indian and Norwegians and plays an important part in promoting harmonious cultural relations. There are two gurdwaras located at Oslo and Lier and a Hindu temple near Oslo. SIKH IMMIGRATION

Prof. Knut A. Jacobsen has done pioneering work on Sikhs in Norway and Europe and has authored books on the subject along with Prof. Kristina Myrvold of Sweden. They are also the moving spirit along with Prof. Gurinder Singh Mann and Prof. Eleanor Nesbitt for publishing the Brill’s Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. I have drawn extensively from Jacobsen’s two books, viz., Sikhismen: Historie Tradisjon og Kultur (Sikhism: History, Tradition and Culture), 2007; and Sikhs in Europe, 2011. Around 10 per cent of Norway’s population comprises immigrants. With discovery of oil in late 1960s, Norway became

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prosperous and needed manpower. The first Sikhs arrived in 1969 with some more coming in 1971-3. No visa was needed in Europe. Sikhs are concentrated in Drammen about 40 km from Oslo. Initially Sikhs started to work in farms especially in plant nurseries. Immigration was tightened from the mid 1970s. One estimate suggests that Sikh immigrants could have been around 500 in numbers, mostly without families in the 1970s. Like in other countries of Europe, Sikhs immigrated in larger numbers from mid 1980s seeking political/religious asylum. There are two gurdwaras in Oslo (Alnabru—Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji opened in 1983), and a larger one in Lier (opened in 2010) near Drammen. There is also a small gurdwara in Bergen. Additionally, there is a small presence of Sikhs in Trondheim. Sikhs were the largest community amongst the Indians till the end of last century and probably might be so even now. In 2015, the number of Sikhs in Norway was thought to be around 5,000 (Pakistani Muslims could be several times that number). The Norwegian state supports religions financially based on numbers of registered followers. In 2014, Sikh gurdwaras had 3,363 members (Oslo–2,167; Lier–1,022; Bergen–174). According to Jacobsen, the first two Sikhs to come to Norway were Amarjit Singh Kamboz, and Darshan Singh, who came in late 1969. They were on their way to UK but instead landed up here. Two adventure travellers, Tarlochan Singh Badyal and T. Rampori, arrived together in 1973 as a part of a 5-year, around-the-world bicycle trip. They cycled from Punjab to Europe and planned to continue to England, and from there to America. After two years of visiting many European countries along the way, they arrived in Norway in the fall of 1973, where they hoped to travel by ship to England. However, they missed the last ship of the sailing season. In due course of time they decided to settle in Norway. Tarlochan Singh became a successful businessman: first with a travel agency, then with a centre for Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine. The first Guru Granth Sahib was brought in 1978 by Gur-

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bachan Kaur Patpatia. In 1980, another copy was brought by Darshan Singh Grewal. The earlier gatherings were in homes. In 1983, the first gurdwara was opened with its own building. Annual ‘Nagar Kirtans’ (but without SGGS), Turban Day celebrations, Sikh youth camps, and sports days have now become regular features of community life. One of the more successful organizations,of great importance for the second generation,is the Unge Sikher (Young Sikhs), founded in 2005. GURDWARAS

1. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Alnabru Veien 3, 0668 Oslo–6, Norway Tel: 47 22645272 2. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Niwas, Nostevelen TF, 3400 Lier, Norway 3400 Tel: 4732852000 3. Bergen Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Nodre Bauras 36, 5131 Nyborg, Bergen, Norway, Tel: 47447747 SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

HARINDER SINGH KHALSA He was the first Secretary in the Indian Embassy in Oslo who resigned on 11 June 1984 post Operation Blue Star of Government of India on Golden Temple, Amritsar. Harinder Singh Khalsa born in Ludhiana in 1947 where he did his MA and subsequently joined the Punjab Civil Service. In July 1974, he joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and worked as a Second Secretary in Jakarta. Later, he served as a First Secretary in Bangkok and Norway. Post Operation Blue Star resignation, the Congress government filed some cases against him, decided to stay in Norway, running a small eating joint and working as a postman. He returned to India in 1990, after being assured that the cases against him would be dropped. During 1990-1, he served as the Chairman of Punjab Human Rights Organization, an NGO that highlighted the excesses committed by the state government during the

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anti-insurgency operations. During 1991-2003, he served as a Secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bathinda during 1996-8 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal. In 2014, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party and was elected as an MP from Fatehgarh Sahib. N.B. It is interesting to note that his father Gopal Singh Khalsa was an Akali Dal politician, who served as the Chief Parliament Secretary of Punjab Assembly in 1937, and was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1952, serving as the leader of opposition. PRABLEEN KAUR

Shooting in Summer Camp ‘Close to Her Roots: The Sikh Aiming for Storting (Parliament)’, Times of India, 1 June 2013, by Saumya Pant Two years after a gunman opened fire at their summer camp (22 July 2011), the survivors are moving on. First-generation Norwegian-Indian Prableen Kaur, who was one of them, is all set to run for Parliament. One of the survivors, Prableen Kaur, is a first-generation Norwegian of Indian descent. Prableen hid by a pump house, while Breivik, dressed as a policeman opened fire on unarmed teenagers on Utoya Island, killing 77 people. Prableen survived by lying completely still and pretending to be dead, as the horror unfolded before her. She later swam away and was rescued by a boat. All of 20, Prableen Kaur is busy preparing for the Norwegian Parliamentary elections slated to be held on 9 September this year. Simultaneously, she is also pursuing a Master’s degree in law from the University of Oslo. She is formerly a deputy in the AUF in Oslo (short for Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking, or Labour Youth) and created a record in 2011 when she became the youngest person to be elected a Council member in Oslo. She was among those with the highest number of personal votes that year. This was the same year the massacre took place at an AUF retreat on Utoya. Prableen’s pride in her cultural roots stands out in her conversations. After all, it is not every day that you imagine a turbaned Sikh girl running for the Parliament of a Scandinavian country. Prableen remembers being bullied as a kid because she looked ‘different’, saying, ‘I have always

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dared to be in the minority.’ She had always wanted to adopt the turban and gave in to her urge while visiting India in 2002. Sikh women can wear a turban, much like the male members, after a special religious initiation. After she went back to Oslo, she continued wearing the turban. This led to an increase in heckles and jibes’. I had chosen to look different, and I did it deliberately because I do not want other people to define how I feel or how I should look and what should I do,’ she says. She is instrumental in organizing ‘Turban Day’ in Norway, which is held on the Saturday before Baisakhi.

TURBAN DAY ‘Building Bridges in Norway on Vaisakhi Day’ by Nikita Puri, sikhchic.com, 14 April 2012 As celebrations redolent of ‘makki di roti’ and ‘sarson da saag’announce the arrival of Baisakhi on the main streets of Oslo, Norway, hundreds of Norwegians will celebrate the occasion in cream, saffron, blue and red turbans. With blessings from the Norwegian Government, the annual Turban Day celebrated on 14 April is turning three this year. Born and raised in Oslo, 28-year-old Sumeet Singh Patpatia (see under Case Studies), a finance professional who is one of the organizers of the event, explains how the idea took root. ‘The aim of the Norwegian Turban Day is to re-launch the turban as a symbol of solidarity, equality and religious freedom, and we wanted to give Norwegians a chance to understand our community better.’ Apart from encouraging the local community to clear the doubts that they may have about the Sikh-Norwegian community, measures such as these, Sumeet added, also help in ‘making it easier for a bearded young Sikh to be accepted in a different society with his turban’. An initiative of Oslo’s Sikh-Norwegian community, the event is spearheaded by the ‘Unge Sikher’ (Sikh Youth). In the aftermath of India’s anti-Sikh pogroms in 1984, many of them sought and got political asylum in Norway—the most notable case being that of the serving Indian diplomat, Harinder Singh. Elaborating on the Norwegian Turban Day schedule, Sumeet Singh said: ‘after the “nagar kirtan” (neighbourhood procession), which ends at University Square, we have the gatka (martial arts demonstration) and then the “langar” ’. ‘Norwegians find the idea of a “langar” particularly fascinating because it is open to everyone and all are treated with warmth.’ The day-long event, which begins at 12 noon and continues till

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6 p.m., has visitors to Oslo asking the organizers to arrange similar shows in their cities too.’ Last year, by four in the evening, we had tied about 600 turbans and with two hours more to go, we fell short of turbans,’ Sumeet said. This year, he’s better prepared—‘we have about a thousand turbans ready’, he said, adding that he expected a substantial increase in the number of people participating in the event. [Courtesy: The Daily Mail. Edited for sikhchic.com, 14 April 2012].

PUNJABIS FORAY

INTO

NORWAY MCS

Tribune News, Oslo, 20 April 2008 She covers her head with a ‘dupatta’ and uses several Punjabi phrases despite leaving Jalandhar for Europe 32 years back. For 53-year old Balwinder Kaur, an ethnic Indian Member of the Oslo Commune (Municipality), the work has just begun and there is a lot to do for ‘my community and Norway’, as she puts it. ‘I came here with my family in 1980 after spending five years in UK since I left Jalandhar. Over the years, I saw more and more Indians coming here. Many of them faced various problems. So, I decided to stand up for them,’ Kaur, a school teacher by profession, told PTI. Elected in October last year, Kaur belongs to Socialist Left or ‘SV’ party. For the 3,000-odd ethnic Indians in the capital and over 6,000 across this country, most of whom immigrated in the last decade or so, the representation levels in local bodies have also gone up during the same period. Now there are eight Indian-origin people in the local bodies in Norway’s different counties, and of them seven are Punjabis. In fact, the ‘Indian Welfare Society of Norway’ is led by a Sikh, Surjit Singh. However, there is no MP of Indian origin.

BOOKS AUTHORED

BY

YOUNG SIKHS

Two Norwegian Sikhs of the second generation have published autobiographies and one an autobiographical novel about growing up as a Sikh in Norway. The books are written in Norwegian and published in 2011 and 2012. The three books are Romeo Gill’s autobiographical fiction Ungmann i nytt land (Young Man in New Country), published in 2011, Prableen Kaur’s autobiographical narrative Jeg er Prableen (I am Prableen), published in 2011, and Loveleen Rihel Brenna’s

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autobiographical narrative Min annerledeshet, min styrke (My Difference, My Strength), published in 2012. The autobiographies are valuable sources for understanding Sikhs in Norway, especially the life histories and experiences of the second generation. GURPREET SINGH SANDHU: FIRST INDIAN LEAD CLUB TEAM IN EUROPE

TO

‘24-year-old Goalkeeper from Chandigarh Captains the Reserves Team of Norway’s Stabaek FC’, Tribune, 27 April 2016 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the 24-year-old goalkeeper from Chandigarh, was given the honour of captaining the reserves team of Norway’s Stabaek FC in a match of Norway’s Second Division League on Sunday. This was the first time an Indian footballer wore the captain’s armband for a foreign club at any level of professional football. Sandhu had already made history by becoming the first-ever Indian to play in the top division of a European league when he played for Stabaek FC last year. On Sunday, with Sandhu as captain, the reserves team of Stabaek FC beat FC Senja 2-0 in Oslo. The towering goalkeeper, 6 feet 4 inches tall, remembers his early days spent at St. Stephen’s Football Academy in Chandigarh. He was made the goalkeeper of the inter-school team due to his height and big built. ‘At that time, I had no idea about my future. Like every other kid, I started playing just for the sake of enjoying. It was only in the interschool tournaments that I found goalkeeping interesting. Thereafter, I went on to represent local clubs and the key moment of my life came when I joined East Bengal,’ said Sandhu. Asked about rejecting the offer of playing in the Indian Super League and I-League in India after joining his club in Norway, Sandhu replied: ‘I don’t see any chance or reason of coming back to India permanently. Europe is one of the best places to play football in and I am lucky to have my own identity. Leagues here are no doubt better than the level of Indian leagues.’ Sandhu signed for Stabaek FC in 2014 and made his debut last year in a friendly match against Follo Club. In the same year, he played against Runar Club in the Norwegian Cup where he kept the goal impressively. ‘I am happy to be trusted by the club management. I will

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try to give my best and lead my team in the right direction with positive intent,’ said Sandhu. CASE STUDIES

An-Unbelievable Story: Bollywood Style, Lucky Singh and Linn (nee Skulberg), Bergen (Courtesy: Livleen Kahlon) We were visiting the city of Bergen in Norway in 2007 and I wanted to visit the Fish Market but Swarn cannot stand the smell of fish. So he saw the Norway Tourist Office and decided to go there instead. Inside the Information Office, Swarn was looking for tourism related options in the sea port of Bergen, when a lovely Norwegian girl with long blond hair walked up and asked if she could help. Swarn started explaining and she joined in saying ‘achha’, which alerted Swarn who promptly asked her ‘Did you say achha’? When she responded positively, Swarn asked her how come? And then came a big surprise. She said she was married to a Sikh! That did it. Swarn decided at that moment that there would be no more tourism—just meet the two of them and spend the evening together. The Norwegian girl employee asked for some time to hand over her duties in the Tourist Office. Swarn suggested that they meet in a Café just across and she agreed to contact her husband also to join. I came a little later to find that Swarn was sitting in the Café with a beautiful girl. My first thoughts were: ‘Oh, Swarn is upto his mischief again’. But as I walked up, the girl said ‘Sat Sri Akal’. So I thought she was letting me know she knew a bit about Sikhs. Swarn then explained the background. As the conversation went on, I expressed my surprise and disbelief at some of the things she was telling us about. She promptly said: ‘Saun Guru di’. And the Penny dropped: she knew a lot more Punjabi. We spent the afternoon and evening together (we invited them to join us for dinner) when the entire story unfolded. In the meantime Lucky Singh had joined us. Linn told us the background to her marrying Lucky Singh,

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a Sikh from Jaipur. It was her mother who made it happen. Her mother had spent time in Kobe, Japan as a little girl when she had come across some Sikh girls in her school. Her mother’s father was in Japan as a missionary. Later, back in Norway her mother got married and had a daughter, Linn. Later, mother got divorced and turned to making jewellery as a business enterprise. She travelled to India to learn about Indian jewellery designs and came to Jaipur. The shop with which she was associated had a young Sikh sales person. Over period, she got to know this Sikh named Lucky Singh and found him very likeable. This liking developed into fascination and she decided to connect her daughter Linn, now a young girl studying for a degree in Norway, with this young Sikh. She even suggested Lucky as a possible marriage partner to Linn. Her daughter was somewhat aghast and thought her mother was getting a little carried away. But, her mother persisted, sending even a photograph of this young Sikh, asking Linn, at least to write to this man. Reluctantly, she obliged her mother as it was something not very familiar to a young Norwegian. And then began a friendship. They wrote and became friends and became closer. In due course at her mother’s prompting, marriage option was brought up. Sometimes soon thereafter, Linn came to India prepared in earnest to move forward with Lucky. Prior to visiting India, she had met with some Pakistani Punjabis in Norway in order to learn more about Punjab and its customs, etc. She arrived in New Delhi where she was received by Lucky’s uncle’s family. And she was dressed to the hilt: in Punjabi ‘salwar-kameez’ and hair plated in a ‘parandi’: all courtesy her Pakistani Punjabi friends in Norway. Soon after arrival, they agreed to get engaged followed by their wedding in a gurdwara. Lucky returned with her to Norway on tourist visa. On return to Norway, Linn applied for regularizing Lucky’s immigration. The Immigration Department won’t believe their story and they had to go through a few intensive questioning (including some really personal and private details) both individually and jointly. Finally, the Immigration Department

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got convinced about the genuineness of their marriage and Lucky was granted immigration status. Lucky—what an appropriate name for the story. When we met them both were studying in a university. She was additionally working to make some money. Her big concern at the time was the ‘responsibilities’ of her husband’s sisters who had to be married off! We were touched by her sincerity and commitment. DEVINDER SINGH AND KULWANT KAUR Interviewed on 21 June 2013, Drammen (as Narrated by his Wife Kulwant Kaur) Davinder Singh (70 years) migrated to Norway through his marriage to Kulwant Kaur who is from village Chabbewal, near Hoshiarpur. Village Chabbewal has provided several migrants to Norway. Their’s is an interesting case of chain migration. The first person to migrate was Gurmail Singh followed by Mohan Singh (Mohan had first gone to Germany but faced problems in getting work visa, but was successful in migrating to Norway). Mohan helped Gurdev Singh to migrate to Norway in 1973. Since Gurdev’s sister, Kulwant Kaur was married to Devinder Singh, he arranged his immigration by arranging a work permit for working on an agriculture farm. Gurdev came alone to Norway on 26 May 1974 and Kulwant Kaur stayed back along with their three children at her parental home in Chabbewal. Working at a farm was a new experience for Devinder as he had never worked as a farmer having mostly lived in cities. After matriculation from Ropar, he went to Delhi to learn car mechanics and subsequently set up his own workshop. The job in Norway was in a glass house where he worked for 3-4 months. He was having difficulty in adjusting to working under these hard conditions of farm life. Being away from family, added to his discomfort. He wanted to return to India. But return was difficult as he had sold his business before migrating. He finally managed to get a job as a mechanic because of his experience in India. He continued in this job till he was entitled to an early retirement. He was able to get disability benefits (at present he is being treated). His wife and children joined him in 1976 in Drammen. He had taken off his turban soon after arrival in Norway.

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Kulwant Kaur’s story in Norway is equally interesting. She had to face many difficulties as she knew neither English nor Norwegian. While shopping for groceries was not much of a problem as one picked up the items and just paid but when she needed any special product or help, communication was a problem. As an example, she cited the difficulty she faced to buy a simple item like a ‘match box’. It sounds funny now but at that time it was very frustrating. When she arrived, her children were young 7, 6 and 2 years old. She wanted to take up a job, but her brother would not allow her to do so. She could work only from 1977 when her mother came over. Her job involved packing ice cream cones. A group of 3-4 women joined together to look after the children. Her mother died in 2002. Kulwant Kaur has a house in Mohali near the Cricket Stadium. She stays there when visiting India.The house is normally closed and is looked after by the neighbour. Son: Davinder’s son Manjit was born in 1968. After high school, he joined military which provided him with the opportunity to study mechanical engineering in Drammen. He moved away from the family home and started living independently with a girl whom he married after six years. The family attended the wedding which was in a church. His wife worked as a sales girl. Since they could not have a child of their own, they adopted a girl child. Subsequently, they got divorced when the child was only three years old who is now in Manjit’s custody. Manjit re-married and has a baby boy. They meet each other occasionally. Daughter: She had an arranged marriage in 1991 with a boy from Punjab. Daughter’s husband is without turban. Daughter has three children: daughter 18 years, son 15 years and youngest daughter 11 years. She lives 5 km away from Drammen. Sikh Scene: According to them, Sikhs started to migrate to Norway in early 1970s. Pioneer immigrants such as Pritam Singh, possibly the first person who came here, had very difficult time. He had to sleep in the open near the bushes and had to survive by just eating curd and bread. In the beginning 8-10 families were living in one compound. She described the dilemma of a newly arrived Sikh bride, who belonged to a large family of seven sisters and one brother. This lady used to constantly cry, missing her family specially her brother. They ultimately migrated to Canada. Most of the Sikhs came through work permits which were mainly for agriculture. Their own two nephews came through work permit.

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BOBBY (KAMALJEET) SINGH Interviewed on 21 June 2013, Drammen, Norway Kamaljit, born 1973, changed his name to Bobby. He is a foreman in a transport company. For supplementary income, he sells cars. He is married and has two children. His wife works in a crèche. They maintain contact with Punjab through visits but of late they visit only Delhi. Neither they nor their children really miss India but they go there as a vacation destination—mostly in winter. Describing life in Norway, he said: ‘Living here in Drammen is safe, and food is of better quality. Children’s health is significantly better—they do not fall sick so frequently. Air is purer here. Moneywise, we are comfortable. The big negative has been that we have lost our children. Some of them have married locals (whites)’. Describing his own wife-husband relationship, he said ‘it has not changed from what it would have been if he had stayed back in India—one factor was that we migrated at a mature age of 30. Our style of living continues to be the same as if we were living in Punjab. We socialise with our own folks and have minimal contact with white Norwegians. Our own family here is very extensive. Our children do mix and play with whites and speak Norwegian. Being racially different is not much of an issue with the children. The locals treat us better than how we treat migrant labour in Punjab coming from other states. Sometimes people do ask us as to when we are planning to go back. When we explain, they realise that we are here to stay permanently. About 10 per cent of Sikhs would be keeping turban. It has no negative connotation—it was just an excuse to take off the turban. People now know about us as Sikhs. There was no difficulty in setting up the gurdwara.

GURMAIL SINGH Interviewed on 21 June 2013, Drammen, Norway I am 71 years old. After my higher secondary, I joined the famous Sports College in Jalandhar. Post my graduation, I got a job because of my proficiency in football, first with Punjab Police and then with BSF for three years (1969-71) as a sub-inspector. I was a compatriot of Inder Singh. We played together for Punjab schools team. In 1970s a lot of politics had seeped into sports. Punjab Association split into two camps. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. Next year’s All India Champion-

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ship was held in Madras where two teams from Punjab went but only one team could participate. That year a Sikh came from Canada inviting us to play for their Khalsa Club in a tournament. I used to play as a stopper. I had played for Mohun Bagan. Two of us went to Vancouver. They asked us to stay back for two weeks more. I had a relative in Denmark who invited me to come there before returning to India. He advised me that if I can manage an invitation, I could get a visa to visit Norway. After three-day stay in Copenhagen, I took a ship to Norway. After staying in the gurdwara for a couple of days, I moved to a ‘pension’ and started looking for jobs. At that time, there were about 40 Indians (mostly Punjabis, only 2-3 with turbans) and 350 Pakistanis. I developed friendship with some of them. All were looking for jobs. When people saw my credentials as a football player, they suggested I should explore possibilities in that area. A Norwegian agreed to help. He promptly telephone Lier Football Club manager advising him about me. The manager agreed to meet with me at the stadium. He took my trial for three days and recommended me to his sister club in Drammen (Kjolsh) who were looking for players. They gave me accommodation, food, etc., and took extensive trials. Thereafter they got me a job with Star Paper Mills. I had to go to Germany as the rules required that visa had to be applied from outside the country. Within a week, I got a visa to work in Norway. Not having worked in India, I found the job difficult. I played for the paper mill. While I came here with turban but within 15 days, I cut my hair. I had got married while I was in the college and have three children. My family (children) moved here in 1976. I divorced my wife when I was in Norway. I quit the job in 1980 and started my own business of running a general store which I did for five years. In 1991, I took retirement entitling me to medical pension. I remarried in 1978 to a lady from Ludhiana. There are about 80 people of our own from Chhabbewal in and round Drammen: a total of 200 persons are in Norway from my village of Chhabbewal. After mid-1970s, visa became mandatory to enter Norway. Earlier single men came but from mid 1970s, families started coming in. Some of the problems faced especially earlier on, when there were no families, were lack of friends and social interaction combined with lack of knowledge of language. Presently there would be about 8,000 Indians, out of which Punjabis would be about 5,000. There are only a few illegals. From 1973 onwards, life became more comfortable as more relatives came in. I have been responsible for bringing about 50

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people directly or indirectly. We set up a welfare society to help new immigrants. In 1974 there was a fight amongst two groups of the society and I had to go to jail for 4 months. My three children were born in India. They were studying in India and later on joined school here in Norway. Eldest is daughter, Anuvirinder Gill who is married to a Norwegian and has no children. She works in a Swimming Institute. Second son has business representing Indian Breweries, selling Indian beer. His wife is an engineer. Our youngest child—Romeo Singh Gill (see Case Study later), is an author and has written books about his life in a Punjab village and in Norway

DR. TARANJEET SINGH A Sampooran Sikh on 22 June 2013, Lill’s House, Norway Dr. Taranjeet Singh (48 years old, turbaned Sikh) is a dentist in Oslo. His son and daughter are Gursikhs. His wife’s name is Rupinder Kaur. He came in 1988 on student visa in the city of Mo-i-Rana, located just south of the Arctic Circle. He studied there for two years and then came to Oslo where he worked for 2½ years. He is presently doing private medical practice, which is not completely private. Health care is Government sponsored and they decide how much a doctor can charge the patient. Below the age of 16 years, he or she does not have to pay as the doctors get paid by Government on submitting the bills to them. For others, there is a minimum yearly amount that a patient must pay (currently 2,100 Kroners) beyond which the Government takes over the reimbursement to the doctors. Once a patient asked him ‘why he tied a turban?’ He replied that ‘I am honest to myself and if I were not to be so, how can I be honest to a patient’. The patient felt very reassured. Sikh presence in the country is rather small. There is a voluntary Punjabi school in Oslo which teaches Punjabi for two hours on Fridays. Their daughter Harveen, 21 years old, is an active voluntary teacher. She is a psychologist. His wife Rupinder started teaching Punjabi and ‘nitnem’ during the summer vacation. Around 300 children come to learn Punjabi. Unfortunately, students forget the language after a few days because of lack of practice. Their son’s name is Amaan Singh (15 years). Taranjeet’s brother lives in Amritsar looking after his late father’s timber business. He has a sister who lives in Denmark.

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Sikh Scene: There are several Sikh doctors and health care specialists, many of them turbaned, in Oslo/Drammen area. Additionally, there are many turbaned Sikhs in IT industry and banks; others are engineers and lawyers. The turbaned Sikhs would be about 20 per cent (200-300 Sikhs are Amritdhari). Talking of interesting incidents as a turbaned Sikh in Norway twenty year back, he recounted that on the second day of his arrival, he went to the post office to draw some money. He told his account number and offered to show his ID card to the girl at the counter. She told him that ‘there was no need of ID as all of us know about you.’ Their children have faced no problems because of hair and turban. Taranjeet’s family was interviewed by a local TV station who were making a serial on minority religions in Norway. The secretary of Oslo Gurdwara is a lady, Amandeep Kaur.

SWARAN SINGH Interviewed on 22 June 2013, Oslo Gurdwara Swaran Singh (70 yrs) came to Norway in 1971 when he was 29 years old. He is presently living in Asker, 20 kms from Oslo. He hails from Phagwara from where he did his matriculation. He was trained as an electrician and moved to Ludhiana. He got married in 1962 and had children before migrating. His brother came to Denmark in 1970 who encouraged him to migrate to Norway where jobs were available as labour. He was able to get citizenship in 1976 when his family joined him in Norway. One of his sisters is in Norway and another in Malaysia while the third, Harbhajan Kaur is in Ludhiana. One brother is in Norway. Describing his arrival in Europe, he said that they were a group of eight people who came to Iraq by sea and then travelled overland to Denmark. He had obtained all the visas before departure in Delhi. On arriving in Iraq, some of them went to Gulf countries and others to Europe. He came to Denmark where he stayed with his brother for a couple of days. He then went to Norway where he was successful in getting a letter of appointment from an aluminium foil factory. He was helped by a Norwegian girl, a Radhaswami convert in getting the job. He had met her on the ferry from Denmark to Norway. She not only helped him get the job but also offered him to stay with her for two to three days. He had to go to Germany to get his work visa at the Norwegian embassy. He has five children, four girls and a boy. Daughter Jatinder, is a

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nurse in Drammen who married a Sikh from Kapurthala. Daughter, Gurbax is a doctor and is married to a Norwegian doctor. The marriage ceremony was through ‘Anand Kaaraj’, and they have given their children Indian names. The third daughter is married locally to a Punjabi with whom they have minimal contact. The fourth daughter died due to depression. Youngest child, Jagdeep Singh is a car mechanic married to a girl from Ludhiana. Swaran Singh has remained in touch with Punjab through visits (earlier annually) but children do not accompany him every time. Majority of the immigrants have come as relatives, students and political asylum seekers. Mr. Sahni brought SGGS in 1972 when a rented room acted as a gurdwara. A new gurdwara was built in Oslo in 1982. ‘Raagis’ were invited on a three-month visa basis from India.

MR. X SINGH Interviewed on 22 June 2013, Oslo Gurdwara X Singh (born 1956) works for the State Education Loan Fund which is a Government organization. He came to Norway in 1982 from Moga, where he was working as a Statistical Assistant, Planning, Punjab Government. He came to Norway as his wife was an immigrant in Norway. His wife’s father came here in 1974. His wife came a year later after completing her matriculation in Punjab. She pursued her studies here to become a qualified nurse. He has two children both born in Norway: Manjinder Singh, age 28 years and Arshminder Kaur, age 25 years. The son is working with the Government in Pension Department and the daughter is a nurse. His children speak Punjabi fluently and they regularly visit Punjab.

RAJWANT SINGH PARPATIA Interviewed on 22 June 2013, Oslo Gurdwara Born 1947, he came to Norway in 1970 via Germany where he stayed for three months. He is originally from Gujranwala but post 1947, the family moved to Ferozepur and subsequently to Delhi. He went first to Teheran from where he travelled by bus to various cities and countries starting with Ankara, Zagreb, Belgrade, Milan, Zurich before finally arriving in Dusseldorf, Germany. In India, Rajwant’s family were trading in motor spare parts whereby they had some business con-

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nections in Denmark and Sweden. His brother had already migrated to England in 1965, and he was to visit him. The plan was for his brother to come to Dusseldorf, Germany to escort him from there. However, he met with an accident. Their common friend invited him to stay with him. He advised him that situation in UK was not very conducive for immigrants. (Talking of foreign exchange, he told that Government allowed only $7 but if one had a return ticket to India one was entitled to get $100. He had, however, made arrangements to get funds from some contacts in Teheran.) Rajwant decided to go to Norway with two others as tourists. The friend in Dusseldorf had warned him that Norway was an expensive place. After a week’s stay in Norway without getting a job, the three of them came back to Copenhagen to return to India. Before leaving India for Germany, he had gone to the local gurdwara in Delhi with his mother. Post ‘ardas’, an old lady came up to him. This lady’s son had gone to Denmark, but she had not heard from him despite writing several letters. She gave him a letter to be given to him, which Rajwant was carrying with him. Rajwant wanted to deliver the old lady’s letter to his son Moni. This was a suburban address involving expensive and time-consuming commute. His companions refused to accompany him and instead went back to Germany. He decided to deliver the letter come what may. On arriving at Moni’s place, he rang the doorbell, but no one opened the door. The neighbours advised him that he might be working the shift and that he should come later in the evening. He decided to sit and wait. In the evening the guy came out of the house with a local girl. He had been sleeping after having worked in the night shift. When he gave Moni the letter from his mother, he was touched and showed his gratitude. Moni advised him to go back to Norway as the King of Norway had just announced amnesty for all refugees and that they should be provided jobs and shelter. Moni insisted that Rajwant should go back to Norway. On return to Oslo, he went to the Police Station and submitted the required documents which enabled him to get a job. A true story symbolizing ‘One good turn deserves another’. He was fortunate that he had done a few courses like Business Management and Computers in India which helped him to get a job. After settling down, he went back to India to meet his family (generally visits India in winters because of the extreme cold weather here). He was not married then. On arrival at Delhi airport his family and his (future?) in-law’s family had come to receive him. Continuing his story, Rajwant said: ‘My parents told me that they have found a match for me

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for marriage. I told them I came here only for a few days, so marriage was not possible’. However, he did get married with his wife arriving in Oslo two weeks later. His wife had a Master’s degree and she could start working soon after arrival. Their first child, Sarbpreet Kaur lives in Oslo. She has a degree in medicine and is married to a boy from Delhi. Their son (born in 1984), Sumit Singh Parpatia, has qualified as an MBA. Rajwant partook of ‘Amrit’16 years ago and so did his wife. Sumit wanted to take ‘Amrit’ but parents tried to dissuade him pointing out that it was not easy to meet the strict demands, but he went ahead anyway. His grandmother was a witness to her family following true ‘Sikhi’ and died at the age of 105 years.

SUMIT PARPATIA Interviewed on 23 June 2013, Oslo Gurdwara Sumit Singh Parpatia (born in 1984), has qualified as an MBA and is an Economics Controller with a Telephone Company. He wears turban and is very religious. He has made a movie called Love Sikh. ‘I was in the Army for one-year compulsory service but if one wants to opt out, it is easily possible. But I wanted to do the military service! There are Sikhs in Police and Army, but they do not wear turban. I wanted to go to north but instead I was posted with National Security Base just north of Oslo. I started as a security guard but was soon made the leader. I was wearing ‘patka’. My senior called me to say why I was wearing a bandage. When explained he asked me ‘Aren’t you a Sikh? You are supposed to wear a turban.’ He asked me to wear turban as he had met Sikhs in the World War. So, I started wearing turban with the uniform from then onwards’. Immigration and Sikh Scene: ‘There would be about 5,000 Sikhs amongst a total of 8,000-9,000 Indians as against 40,000 Pakistanis. Other significant immigrants are Vietnamese, Somalis and East Europeans. Indians are well integrated with locals. First generation Sikhs mainly worked as hard labour in factories or farms. Later, some of them started their own small businesses and some became taxi and bus drivers. The second generation is well educated as some qualifying with higher degrees and are well integrated. There is some Sikh presence in corporate world also. Inter racial marriages are increasing. The very first inter racial marriage became somewhat controversial

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but this is no more the case. Indian girls marrying Norwegians is quite common now. There is more of integration rather than assimilation in Norway. Talking of turban, he said that initially many of the immigrants cut their hair but as they get confidence and were joined by families, they revert to keeping turban. So, number of turbans are not declining but increasing somewhat. Young boys at age 14-16 years tend to cut their hair to conform to majority but hopefully they will revert to ‘Sikhi’ when they are 40-50 years of age’. According to him generally wherever the community has a large number of Sikhs, it encourages the keeping of turban. According to Sumit this aspect might not be so important in Norway as he felt Sikhs here are more interested in discovering the core of the religion and even more so than in India where they have become more ritualistic.

ROMEO SINGH GILL An appropriate name Courtesy: Livleen Kahlon: Interviewed 22 June 2013 in his apartment, Oslo Born in India (30 August 1970), he moved to Norway at age 4 (mother was in India, father in Norway). He went back to village in Hoshiarpur with his father after 4 years and studied in village school for 8 months while his father’s divorce case was going on. When he came back to Norway from India, his father was remarried. He rejoined the school in Oslo to continue his further studies. He has very good memories of his stay in India: he enjoyed living in India and especially his Indian friends. On coming back to Norway, his teacher asked him to share with his class his experiences of India which he found difficult to do—he had totally forgotten Norwegian language. After finishing school, he did his ‘gymnasium’ for 3 years where he met a girl with whom he started to live at the age of 16 years, leaving his home. In Norway 16 years is considered sexual age but for voting the age remains at 18 years. Both worked part time to earn some money. Education up to class ten is compulsory. Post his ‘gymnasium’ he worked for a year as an insurance salesman. He then studied journalism for one year. In the mean time they bought their own apartment. He then went to Oslo University for a year to study social anthropology while his girlfriend joined the Arts Academy. During this period, he went to Ghana with 8 other students for 8 weeks. He

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separated from his girlfriend in 1994 after seven years of living together—they had no children. They sold the apartment at a loss. In 1997 he married a Turkish Kurd (Zoarashtrian by religion) who lived next door. They had a daughter whom they named India Victoria Ster Gill: she is now 16 years old. His elder brother had been dealing in import trade. One midnight in 1995, he telephoned Romeo to discuss importing Indian beer. They became distributors of Kingfisher beer from May the same year. They started promoting the beer through South Asian restaurants—about 40 then and now about 60 (not necessarily owned by Indians but by Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, and Afghans, etc.). He exited this business in 1997 for a better paying alternative as he had a family to look after. He took up a job with a Norwegian Bank in the Wealth Management for International Investments. He did this job for 2½ years. During this period, he broke up with his wife. He travelled in USA for some time. Earlier on also he was fond of travelling and had travelled with his first girlfriend to Europe and even India. He has led quite a chequered life, having several careers and live-in partners. He started by living with a girl when in ‘gymnasium’ who was a fellow student, for seven years, followed with a Turkish Kurd with whom he had a daughter. He then had a Russian girlfriend whom he took to India with his daughter when she was 10 years old. This and a few more relationships lasted only 2-3 years each. He has fond memories of revisiting his village Chabbewal in Hoshianpur District and was especially moved by his daughter playing with village children as he himself used to do. He is fascinated with Punjab village life which is what he writes about in his first book. He has tried his hand at various businesses such as distributing Indian beer—Kingfisher, running a football pub, trading in paper products and playing football for clubs professionally. He has written two books (in Norwegian), first one Harjeet is about a Sikh boy before he migrates to Norway mainly focusing on village life in Punjab. He met a famous Norwegian author who helped edit and promote his first book (published 2008). The book was widely reviewed on national TV selling about 3,400 copies (price 359 Kroners). The book was winner of the Drammen Library Brake Prize 2009. His second book is Ung mann i nytt land., viz ‘Young Man in a New Land’ was published in 2010. He is in touch with some directors in Bollywood to make a film based on his books. He plays golf and his second book ends with the Delhi Golf Club.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe BY

ROMEO SINGH GILL

1. Harjeet published by Forlaget, October 2008 Winner of the Drammen Library Brake Prize 2009

India, 1973. Akash and Suraj are two brothers seven and nine years old, living in a small village in Punjab near the Pakistan border. Their father, Harjeet Singh, has enlisted in the army, to add to his meagre farm income. One day he receives an offer to go to Norway, a country nobody in the family has ever heard of before. In Norway he will get the opportunity to work in a factory and make as much money in a month as he does during an entire year in the army. The deal is that Harjeet will stay abroad for two years and return. The brothers stay in the village with their mother, longing for the day when their father will return. But for Harjeet the stay in Norway ends up in situations no one could have predicted. 2. Young Man in a New Land: Ung mann i nytt land published by Forlaget, October 2010 In the mid 1970s, the brothers Akash and Suraj and their mother arrive in Norway, where their father Harjeet had been living for a few years. They move into their father’s onebedroom apartment in Drammen. The novel does not only describe Norway as seen through the eyes of a young immigrant in the 1970s, but it also describes the growth of the Indian immigrant community and of Akash’s development from his arrival in Norway at the age of 11 until he becomes the first Indian in his family to move away from home at 17 to continue his education. ‘Young Man in a New Land’ is a gripping story of breaking away and belonging. The book is a sequel to Romeo Gill’s first novel, Harjeet (2008). BALJIT SINGH KANG (A returnee from Norway) Telephone interview in Chandigarh on 31 May 2013 After his post-graduation in Mathematics, he went to Kenya in 1977 at the age of 24 years. He then got admission in 1979 in Norway to

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study computers. He could get some loans and stipend which were supplemented by part time work. Computer related books were in English but medium of instruction was mixed Norwegian and English. From 1983 onwards, he worked as Systems Consultant. He returned permanently to India in 2004-5 for the education of their children who started schooling in Chandigarh since mid-1990s. They live in Panchkula and visit Norway every second or third year. Their children now live in Norway but keep visiting India. Eldest child Amrita was born in India but later got Norwegian citizenship as father had Norwegian passport. She is doing her Masters in Dentistry. Harman Paul, son, was born in Norway and is studying Business Administration.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe CHAPTER 12

POLAND

INTRODUCTION

Amongst the East European countries, Poland is the only country where there is some significant Sikh presence and a gurdwara. We availed the warm hospitality of Prof. Anna Sieklukia with whom we stayed for three nights. Sikhs started coming in 1990s but the majority of them have come in the present century. Earlier immigrants were using Poland as a transit point for going further West but now some are immigrating to set up businesses. The numbers are small. THE COUNTRY

A nation with a proud cultural heritage, Poland can trace its roots back over 1,000 years. Positioned at the centre of Europe, it has known turbulent and violent times. There have been periods of independence as well as periods of domination by other countries. Several million people, half of them Jews, died in World War II. In 1989, the Trade Union Solidarity won an overwhelming victory in a partially free election leading to the fall of communism. A new era began when Poland became an EU member in May 2004, five years after joining NATO and 15 years after the end of communist rule. It was the birthplace of the former Soviet bloc’s first officially recognized independent mass political movement when strikes at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980 led to agreement with the authorities on the establishment of the Solidarity trade union. Poland has long been a nation steeped in tradition and history, although the past twenty years have witnessed such

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dizzying economic development that the country is starting to feel more and more like the West. Still, beneath the gleaming surface lies a culture firmly rooted in Eastern hospitality and community values, and fascinating reminders of the turbulent past are everywhere. Poland is also a land of considerable natural beauty, whose idyllic lakes, beaches and mountains provide a nice contrast to the cultural rigours of the cities. SIKH MIGRATION

Zbigniew Igielski has done considerable work on Sikhs in Poland and I will be quoting extensively from his research on ‘Sikh Migration to Poland’, at the Warsaw University. Sikh migration to Poland is a recent phenomenon. Under the communist regime till 1989, immigration was strictly controlled. However, since Poland and India had good political relations, there was exchange of experts and some Sikhs (about 30 or so) came to Poland under these programmes. Those who chose to stay back in Poland opened their businesses, mainly textiles and footwear in the Warsaw area. After the collapse of the communist regime and the improvement of the economy, Poland became attractive to immigrants. To begin with, the country became a transit halt for immigrants heading for Western Europe. The first Sikh refugees were registered in Poland in 1994. The number was small, around 300 by 2000. Sikh immigration increased substantially beginning this century but mainly as a transit country on the trafficking route from India via Russia, Ukraine and Belarus to the Western European countries. More than 40 per cent of the smuggled Sikh immigrants applied for refugee status using the procedure to obtain free accommodation and shelter until their further route got arranged. Many of them, managed to legalize their long-term stay based on marriage or employment. Despite the fact, that most of the Sikh immigrants came to Poland in this period illegally, there is also a considerable number of legal immigrants who arrived to settle in Poland based on work permits or setting up businesses. The numbers are small but growing.

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Almost half of them arrived on long term student visas which allowed them to apply for Residence Card in due course of time. After Poland’s accession to the EU (May 2004) and to the Schengen Zone (2007) the number of immigrants once again increased. While the illegal immigration decreased substantially, the legal Sikh immigrants doubled in number. The new immigrants are mostly from middle-class or wellto-do families educated and business oriented. The setting up of a gurdwara is an added attraction for Sikhs to settle in Poland. Main Sikh settlements are in Warsaw, Lódz, Poznañ, Biaystok, Rzeszów, and Szczecin. The majority of Sikh immigrants (70 per cent) live in the Greater Warsaw area. Interestingly, Warsaw has more than 1,000 people of Sikh origin, many of whom came from Dubai for textile and electronic businesses. In Warsaw, besides the business immigrants, there are many students as the city is an academic centre. The second area of Sikh settlement is Lódz and neighbouring towns (Pabianice, Zgierz) located just 120 km from Warsaw. Many of the immigrants live in two places and travel between Lódz and Warsaw as they usually have their offices in both places. Besides business, Sikh immigrants looking for jobs in Poland end up working for Indian companies who are selling imported materials from India and Dubai. Other avenues for work are in pubs and restaurants. Less than 10 per cent of Sikhs wear turban and many are locally married. Joint family system akin to the Indian set up is still quite prevalent in Poland. GURDWARA SINGH SABHA

There is only one gurdwara in Poland located in a suburb of Warsaw. The first effort to set up a gurdwara was made in 2004 when an application was made to the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration for registration of The Religious Association of Sikhs. Besides other documents needed, registration is possible only if there are at least one hundred followers. It took two years to fulfil all the require-

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ments and on 20 December 2007 the community was registered as ‘The Religious Association of Sikhs in Poland (RASP)’. The RASP has a managing body consisting of three members represented by Jawahar Jyoti Singh who is also the President of The Indian Association.The Sikh community decided to rent a house to make it a gurdwara and two ‘Granthis’ were imported from India. The gurdwara is in the southern outskirts of Warsaw in a small town of Raszyn. The area is inhabited by a number of Indians mostly Punjabis and Sindhis. The Sindhi community’s financial contribution for setting up the gurdwara was very significant. On Sundays there is a large gathering not only from Warsaw but even from remote areas throughout the country. ‘Langar’ is enthusiastically served and is eagerly looked forward to by all. So far three Polish-Sikh marriages have been conducted. However, the marriage ceremony has only a religious importance as it has no legal sanction. The gurdwara is not only a place of worship but it has become a place for meeting by all Indian communities regardless of their religion. It is also visited by Poles, either as spouses or friends of Sikhs. It is the first gurdwara in Eastern Europe. There are plans to acquire a building to be able to construct the gurdwara according to the traditional style. There are also plans to build another gurdwara about 120 km from Warsaw in the city of Lódz where a new community of Sikhs and Sindhis is emerging. Respecting the religious identity of the Sikhs, the authorities have allowed Sikhs to wear turbans and keep a kirpan. Gurdwara Singh Sabha Ul Na Skraju 56, Raszyn, Warsaw, Tel: (+48) 22 868 4541. CASE STUDIES

YADWINDER SINGH Interviewed on 15 July 2012, Poland Gurdwara Yadwinder Singh is from Satkoha, Punjab. He has never been stopped for checking by police or any other Government authorities because

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he wears a turban. He was requested to act in one advertisement with a French girl presumably because of his turban. This was shown widely in Poland and hence it was good publicity for the Sikhs. He also acted in a documentary made by a Polish TV channel about various religions represented in Poland. There are around 200 Punjabis (including some Afghani Sikhs) and 500 Sindhis in Poland. The largest number is of students—about 100, who mainly come for postgraduate courses. Some of them get married locally and settle down here to begin with. Most others either move on to other countries or return to India. There are only 5-6 businessmen. There would be about 50 families many of them locally married. Turbaned Sikhs would be 8-10 only. About 100 people attend gurdwara on Sundays but ‘langar’ is prepared for about 150. Gurdwara (rented) is 12 km from the city centre. His family have visited India many times. His brother is living with him. Mother expired in 1999.

SURJIT SINGH Interviewed on 15 July 2012, Poland Gurdwara He is 42 years old and is from Kapurthala. He came in 1992 to Germany (via donkey route) where he stayed for 2 years working in a restaurant. He moved to Poland in 1994 to get residency at the invitation of some Pakistani friends. He came by car to the border and there were arrangements for him to cross over a small canal by walking and re-joining the car in Poland. He was then without a turban. He had saved 3-4000 DM which came in handy in settling down. After surveying the local market, he started his own trading business along with some Pakistanis who were already in this business. The main problem was the language. He married a local divorcee in 1996 and has two daughters (21 yrs. married and 16 yrs.) and one son (8 yrs.). Marriage ceremony was a civil affair and not in a church. Initially he was involved in electronics business and then switched over to furniture marketing including imports from India. He started keeping turban in 2003. According to him there were only 2-3 Sikhs in mid1990s. Most of the Sikhs came from 2000 onwards. Main business is small scale retailing. Immigration window opened in 2010 for those who had come to Poland before 2007. Polish people are friendly and helpful both socially and in business. He has faced no difficulty or

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hostility. His brother came in 1996 who is running a shop. He is a divorcee with two sons who joined him four years ago. He is remarried locally and has a daughter from his wife’s earlier marriage. The daughter is now married. One son is helping in the shop while the other son has gone to USA. They live with Surjit’s family. Commenting on Gurdwara, he mentioned that the Committee members work in complete unison.

BEANT SINGH Interviewed on 15 July 2012, Poland Gurdwara Beant Singh (born 1949) is from near Moga, Punjab. He came to Poland in 1991. His younger brother Gurmeet Singh had come in 1990. Beant’s father lived in Hong Kong. He has four brothers and one sister. He first went to Hong Kong. Two brothers were living in Hong Kong with father and other two were in Punjab with their mother. He was born in Shanghai and moved to village with his mother when he was 2 months old. His grandfather (Nanaji) was from Shanghai who had worked with INA and died in 1992 at the age of 85 years. Beant studied in Punjab and went to Hong Kong after matric. His father’s friend who was living in Philippines, sponsored him for Manila where he studied mechanical engineering for five years. While studying he was also working part time. He could not get a job there and came back to India in 1975 and got married to Rashpal in 1979. He had difficulty in getting a suitable job in India because his degree was not recognized and finally taught in a village higher secondary school for four years. Being disillusioned in India, he decided to migrate. His brother was doing textile trading from Hong Kong to Poland and on his recommendation, he came to Poland on business visa. Soon thereafter he started his own business. He had to face many problems like language, vegetarian food (being Amritdhari). He could get his family to join him only in 2001. He has three children, all born in Punjab. Daughter, born 1979 has since migrated to Canada. Khushwinder Singh (born 1980) is helping in business in Poland. He has two more sons born 1982 and 1986. Sons wear turban. One of his cousins came with him and is now settled in another town here. According to him most immigrants were using Poland as a transit point, their real destination being Germany.

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J.J. SINGH Interviewed on 16 July 2012, Warsaw, Poland J.J. Singh means Jawahar Jyoti Singh (father wanted to give the name D.D. Singh, i.e. Dharti Dhakail Singh) was born in 1967. His elder brother is also J.J. Singh which stands for Jeevan Jyoti Singh. Early schooling was in Delhi, Bal Bharati, and St. Columbus. He graduated through correspondence course from University of Delhi. He did his MBA in Warsaw. His father was from Quetta and mother from Panipat. Parents passed away in 2002-3. Post-independence, they came to Amritsar where they stayed for a year and then moved to Delhi where his father had to start denovo. His father worked in Travel Agency, Travel India Euro, New Delhi, as General Manager. His father’s first job was with Cox & Kings. J.J. started career as a waiter with ITC’s Maurya Sheraton Hotel, New Delhi but could not cope with the timings of the job. He started working with a travel company in 1985 in Delhi who were the GSA for Polish Airlines, LOT. He met a lady who was working with LOT on transfer from Poland. They got to know each other and decided to get married. The marriage ceremony took place in Arya Samaj Mandir. He wanted to have a Sikh wedding in a gurdwara but it was not possible to do so. He was the only member of the family who did not wear turban. He did not think then that he would emigrate as he was hoping that they would settle down in India where he had a decent job. His wife, however, could not adjust to living in India and persuaded him to migrate in 1989. He had to start looking for jobs which was not easy. In the meantime, the GSA he was working for decided to set up a Travel Agency in Poland who offered him a job. After three years, viz., 1992, he started his own Travel Agency in partnership with a Danish Investment Company. This was an opportune time to set up business as the country’s economy was opening up as a result of Perestroika in Russia. His first visit to Poland was in 1986 and when he migrated in 1989, the country was still under Communist regime. Initial investment by four partners was $80,000. He could not contribute his share of $20,000 and agreed to pay on monthly basis (half of his salary for 2 years). They have 88 employees and have many branches in Poland. The Danish Company has offices in some other countries (Hungary, Bosnia and Czech Republic), where he is not a Director but is responsible for overall sales. The main promoter is a Private Limited Company owned by a Dane, whose main focus is Travel Agency business.

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His wife is still working with LOT in Warsaw. They have two daughters (Anita & Caroline) both born here in 1989 and 1990. The elder daughter is doing travel and administrative law and second is pursuing medicine. He went to India with his family after a gap of more than four years. His parents are now well settled in Delhi as are his two brothers (one died) and a sister. J.J. Singh is the President of Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce, and President, Association of AIATA Travel Agents of Poland. Sikh Scene: When he came in 1989 there were no Sikhs only four Punjabis including him. Sikhs started migrating from 1990-1. The gurdwara was started in 2004. Most Punjabis treat Poland as a transit point, ultimate destination being North America especially Canada. Just now he has a case of a young Sikh who has obtained Polish citizenship through marriage but is now trying to migrate to Canada. There are many students from India and especially Punjab. Their aim is to somehow or the other to migrate to Western Europe or North America. Medical education is the most popular not only among the Indians but even students from several other countries, the cost of education being very reasonable and the Polish qualifications are recognized by Canada and USA. Punjabis are working with construction companies and in retail trading such as electronics. One A.K. Singh, married locally, is running a hotel. The Indian population in Poland is almost 4,000 in number, a large majority being Sindhis. Almost half of them are settled in the Warsaw area. ‘Raagi Jatha’ can get visa easily but ‘sangat’ is not keen to have them. Turban attracts special security check at airports. Last year there was a case which got highly publicised. UK Sikhs intervened and helped out to encourage Polish Government to set up appropriate safeguards. Another immigrant, Amarjit Singh is dealing in manpower movement.

AMARJIT SINGH Interviewed on 16 July 2012, Poland Gurdwara He first went to Lebanon in 1982 where he worked as a labourer, from where he went to Greece in 1986. He worked on an agricultural farm.

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He went to New York from Greece on a Mexican passport (Till then he was wearing a turban). He was caught in New York and deported to Greece where he spent 2 month in jail. He was subsequently sent back to India. In 1987, he went to Bulgaria, Sofia where he stayed for one year by frequently extending his visa. From Sofia, he came to Poland in 1989 with one week tourist visa. The objective was to go to Greece but he could not get the necessary visa. Hence he stayed back in Poland by extending the visa for 3-months at a time by showing that he was spending money in the country. He got married in 1991—his wife was working. He did not do any regular work. The only work he could do was to help Punjabis/Indians to travel up to border by train— acting as a guide to help them cross the border. Around 250 persons used to go and the process was dangerous. He was soliciting business standing in the city centre where he could be spotted by prospective clients. Post the birth of a daughter, he took up a regular job of retailing. His wife did clothes stitching. He has a daughter around 20 years born in 1992, another daughter born in 1993 and son born in 1998 aged 14 years. Children are studying. He visited home for first time in 1990. His family visits Punjab, Amritsar, Rayia regularly. Initially he used to wear turban but took it off when he went to New York.

CHAPTER 13

PORTUGAL

INTRODUCTION

We were particularly keen to visit Portugal even though it is a bit out on a limb of the Europe train/road circuit. Portuguese had a connection in India through Goa and other territories. When surfing literature on European Sikh studies, we noticed that Portugal had been neglected so far. Hence, our interest to visit Portugal took on more importance. Portugal did not accept the liberation of Goa till 1975, when it re-established its diplomatic relations with India and back dated the recognition of Indian sovereignty over Goa to 1961. Interestingly, the Portuguese Government decreed that Goans could retain Portuguese nationality if they had been born before 19 December 1961, a right extended to two generations of their descendants! Sikhs started migrating in 1990s. It is an interesting country for Sikhs to migrate as the country is quite liberal in granting PR status. Wages are low which is a disadvantage. THE COUNTRY

It is a relatively small country with population of 11 million and per capita income of $22,500. The country has a rich history of seafaring and discovery, strategically located out from the Iberian Peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean. When it handed over its last overseas territory, Macau, to Chinese administration in 1999, it ended a long and sometimes turbulent era as a colonial power. The roots of that era stretch back to the fifteenth century when Portuguese explorers such as Vasco

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da Gama put to sea in search of a passage to India. By the sixteenth century these sailors had helped build a huge empire embracing Brazil as well as swathes of Africa and Asia. There are still some 200 million Portuguese speakers around the world today. For almost half of the twentieth century, Portugal was a dictatorship in which for decades Salazar was the key figure. This period ended in 1974 in a bloodless coup, known as the ‘Revolution of the Carnations’, which ushered in a new democracy. Portugal today is a friendly, low-key country with a laidback vibe and a fantastic coastline, much of it fringed by golden sands and endless dunes and rolling interior. Mountains make up the bulk of the frontier with Spain. Portugal has struggled badly in the recent years of economic crisis and remains one of the EU’s weakest economies. Portugal is generally a very tolerant nation, and has integrated a substantial population from its former colonies in Africa, Asia and Brazil with relative ease. It is a Catholic country with ancient churches in every community. HLC REPORT 2001

Out of a population of 10 million, the Indian community is estimated at around 70,000 including 5,000 Indian citizens or 0.7 per cent of the population. Indian community in Portugal is one of the important nonEnglish speaking components of the Indian diaspora in Europe. It enjoys a special position because of long colonial relationship with India. Migration of the community to Portugal has taken place in two streams; firstly, that of direct movement from India—in smaller numbers from Goa, Daman, and Diu before the liberation of Goa and thereafter in a pronounced flow after its liberation in 1961. The second stream consists of arrival in Portugal of Indians, mostly Gujaratis from Portugal’s African colonies, particularly, Mozambique and Angola at the start of the decolonization there in 1975. The Indian community in Portugal has distinguished itself

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as a well-to-do community. Most Indians are either in retail or wholesale business. Some serve as skilled or unskilled workers. There are several Indians in medical and legal profession, in banks and in managerial and secretarial jobs. The affluent members wield considerable economic power. Commercial organizations, numbering about twenty, run by Indians include Indian restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, etc. Like the British and the French, the Portuguese had also found the Indians useful in running colonial administration. For that reason, the Portuguese Government took large number of Indians for professions like teaching, medical, etc. The Goans in Portugal—around 15,000 have thus been active in government and public services. Some of them have attained high positions in public services and universities. Of late, there have been increasing cases of illegal immigration from India mostly arriving through other European destinations. These immigrants work as un-skilled and semi-skilled labour. Indians are concentrated in Lisbon and its suburbs and in Porto in the North. Emigrants from Gujarat and Maharashtra, who have gone from Mozambique, etc., include among them Hindus (about 33,000), Muslim (Sunnis) (about 12,000) and Ismailis (about 5,000). These groups while adopting Portuguese language and nationality have maintained their distinct socio-religious identities. Members of these groups are generally active in business, trade, construction, tourism and services. Besides the Gujaratis and Maharashtrians, there are a few thousands from Punjab who entered Portugal in the recent years, taking advantage of Portugal’s liberal law enabling such migrant workers to get temporary (one year) residence and work permits. There are over 20 Indian associations, which have been formed either on regional or communal lines. The Gujarati Hindus are a prosperous business community, active in trade and business, wholesale as well as retail. The Ismaili group is the most well-knit and affluent. Its members run several hotels and other businesses in tourism industry. Goans are predominantly Catholics and are socio-culturally well assimi-

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lated in the national mainstream. The Indian community maintains its distinct socio-cultural identity. Many of its members have family ties with India. There is a large temple-cum-community centre built in 1998 by Gujarati Hindus. It is one of the largest in Europe. The Ismaili group has an impressive Jamat Khana-cum-Community Centre built in the same year. Both those structures were inaugurated by the President of Portugal. The Islamic community also has an impressive mosque and related facilities. The Goan component of the Indian community enjoys a special relationship with the Portuguese authorities because of the Portuguese colonial connection with Goa. It is setting up a large premise of its own called Casa de Goa (Goa House) and for which it has received substantial assistance from the Government of Portugal. There are also some gurdwaras as well as an ISKCON temple. Gulbenkian Foundation and Orient Foundation actively organize cultural activities. INDIAN IMMIGRATION

The Indian Embassy website (www.eoilisbon.gov.in) provides useful information. ‘Indians in Portugal, including recent immigrants and people who trace their ancestry back to India, number around 70,000. They are concentrated in Lisbon and Porto. They are also found in the Algarve, Coimbra, Guarda and Leiria. They consist of Gujaratis, Goans, people from Daman & Diu, and most recently Punjabis. Punjabis is a recent phenomenon. The most recent inflow of Indians in Portugal is that of youths from Punjab especially beginning 1996 when the EU funds started flowing in leading to spurt in construction industry, which provided job opportunities. Some others have opened restaurants and work in stores and agricultural farms. Some have even become small entrepreneurs as sub-contractors providing plumbing, electrical services, painting, repairs, etc. Most immigrants hold Indian passports. They are mostly concentrated in Lisbon and the suburbs.

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A small Sikh community has come up in Guarda, in northcentral Portugal. The immigrants have acquired functional knowledge of local language and are well integrated in the local society. SIKH MIGRATION

The following is based on information provided by Prof. Kristina Myrvold, Lund University based on her visit to the country and our own visit. After Portugal’s entry into the European Union in 1986 and the Schengen area in 1995, many migrants came either direct from India or other European countries. However, the Sikh migration began in the early 1990s when Portugal went through a construction boom to improve the infrastructure and there was a great demand for unskilled labour. To start with most of them were able to get jobs on construction sites. In due course of time they moved to other jobs and even opened their own businesses and restaurants. Kristina Myrvold puts the Sikh immigration numbers between 3,000 and 7,000, while the gurdwara ‘granthi’estimates the migrant population at 8,000. Majority of them (around 5,000) live in Lisbon and its suburbs, while an increasing number have settled in Porto on the west coast and in Guarda in central Portugal and quite a few are temporary workers travelling around the country. Portugal has witnessed an increase of irregular migrants over the past decades. Since the beginning of the 1990s there have been six regularization processes in the country (1992-3, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2007), which has attracted migrants in search of legalizing their residence status. Portuguese authorities consider immigration a necessity because of limited natural population growth and because immigrants offer a flexible and inexpensive work force. In view of these considerations, Portugal implemented a new immigration law in 2007 which made it considerably easier to legally enter the country for dependent employment, self-employment, entre-

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preneurship, research and highly skilled activities. This new immigration policy has even been termed a ‘soft regularization’ since it allows irregular migrants to legalize their status if they have employment contracts, etc. The new immigration law has indeed made it much easier for the Sikhs to obtain work and residence permits. The main challenge now for the immigrants is to find decent and well-paid jobs. Immigrants often face difficult labour conditions and are paid much less than native Portuguese workers. If immigrant’s residence application is accepted, he is granted a temporary residence permit valid for one year, which can be renewed for periods of two years. Permanent residency is given after five years of residence, if the applicant has basic knowledge of Portuguese language, has evidence of accommodation and a means of subsistence. Because of the low wages, living conditions for immigrants can be basic. Some migrants choose to acquire legal papers and pay tax in Portugal while they move within the Schengen zone in search of higher paid jobs. As someone aptly described, ‘wages are low in Portugal, but passport is easy; in Germany and other Northern countries wages are higher but passport is difficult’. Even now immigration is possible if one has Schengen visa issued by any country. So, after arriving as tourists in Europe, the youth head towards Portugal to get work papers. Wages are low, 5001,000 per month. Besides the construction industry, other popular work avenue is jobs in restaurants and eateries as waiters, cooks and helpers. From health regulations persons with beards must adequately cover these. More common areas of employment are—retailing mobiles and accessories, restaurant, mini Mercado, agriculture. There are hardly any cases of marriage with locals for love but there are several instances of convenient marriages (could be 50-100 nos.). Turban wearing is not a major problem and about 10 per cent or so of the Sikh immigrants are keeping turbans.

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GURDWARAS

There is only one gurdwara in Portugal, gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib, Lisbon. The gurdwara was established in 1998 when the Sikhs rented a place in the residential area of Pontinha. In 2010, the ‘sangat’ purchased an industrial building in the nearby Odivelas close to a metro station for 750,000 Euros. The gurdwara is a two-storey building with car parking space so that neighbours and other people would not be inconvenienced. The establishment of the Lisbon gurdwara has helped the Sikhs in institutionalizing their religion and for claiming recognition in the Portuguese society. The gurdwara issues certificates for Sikh families whose children want to have special food requirements at school. More importantly the gurdwara certifies an immigrant’s identity as a Sikh when the applicant wishes to wear a turban for the passport photo. Several weddings have been solemnized in the gurdwara and marriage certificates issued. Sikhs in Algarve area, a tourist beach attraction with many Sikh owned restaurants are contemplating having one. There is a semi-functional gurdwara in Porto in the north where there are some Sikhs. Contact information of the gurdwara in Lisbon: Comunidade Sikh de Portugal Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib (Portugal). Address: Rua José Duarte Lexim, Lote 6, 2675-393 Odivelas, Portugal Email: [email protected] Website: http://lisboa gurdwara.yolasite.com, Tel: +35 252 618 286. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

SIKH ‘KIRPAN’ EPISODE A Sikh had gone to the British Embassy for visa with a ‘kirpan’ when he was summoned to a police station to face a charge of

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carrying a weapon. The interviewing officer decided not to charge Gurmail Singh, an Indian national with a Portuguese Residency card, saying that he knew that Sikhs were peaceloving and hardworking people and accepted the religious significance of the ‘kirpan’. The police officer informed Gurmail Singh that he may wear a ‘kirpan’ provided its blade is under 10 cm long. CASE STUDIES

X SINGH Interviewed on 29 June 2012, Lisbon Moving from country to country and India X Singh came first to Germany in 1998 on tourist visa and then moved to Italy via Austria in 2002 in a taxi (two of them). His uncle was already there who helped him get work on an agriculture farm. It was a very difficult job with long and inconvenient hours but well-paying with free accommodation. He returned to India in 2009 where he stayed for 6-7 months and again came back to Italy in 2010 as his employer in Italy could manage to get him Immigration papers. On arrival his employer informed him that he had no more any vacancy and advised him to look for job elsewhere as he had Residence Permit. He could not find a suitable job because of poor economic situation prevailing in the country. Once again he came back to India. The urge to go back to Europe was overwhelming and hence he returned to Italy but again could not find a suitable job. He then decided to move to another country and went to Kiel in Germany where he worked for 9 months in a restaurant owned by a Pakistani. He then moved to Copenhagen for 18 months. He finally moved to Portugal without knowing anyone in the country but had heard that there was a gurdwara in Lisbon. His cousin in Germany arranged for him to be met at the bus stand by his contact on arrival in Lisbon—he had no other information or telephone contact (imagine the risk these guys are taking). His face looked Indian and that was the only recognition for him to be met by a total stranger. He stayed in the gurdwara. In the beginning, the gurdwara was in a rented premises, but after 2010 moved to its own building. He is now happily settled here.

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RANJIT SINGH Interviewed on 29 June 2012, Lisbon He went to Frankfurt as a Granthi where gurdwara helped him get residency status. There are about 8-9,000 Punjabis in Portugal: Lisbon area 4-5,000. Porto has a gurdwara in a rented house—about 100 Sikhs in the area. Laggar has 7-800 Sikhs: there are many restaurants in the area. Land for making Gurdwara was bought for 7.5 lakh Euros and gurdwara started functioning from 26 October 2010. Before that it was 4 km away in area called Sera-de-Loos. Main businesses of our folks is running small shops of mobile phones, restaurants, mini Mercado (Department Store), and labour jobs in construction industry and agriculture. Immigration started in 2001. An immigrant can get Residence Permit if taxes have been paid for 6 months and family can join for whatever period the job holder has the Work Permit. Further, he can apply for passport after five years of residency (process takes about 12-18 months). After getting local passports, they move onto other countries where wages are higher. According to him, it is comparatively easy to get immigration in Portugal. One Palvinder Singh owns Gandhi Restaurant. Another old immigrant is Jasvir Singh.

PALVINDER SINGH Interviewed on 29 June 2012, Lisbon He came to Nuremberg, Germany in 1993 for three years (at age 24). His uncle who had migrated to Germany in around 1978, had sponsored his tourist visit which provided him entry into Europe. He soon moved to Portugal as prospects for immigration were better. He returned to India for the first time after 12 years. In fact, he told that many Sikh immigrants came at young age of 20 years who could go back to Punjab only after 20 years or more: that is the time they needed to get their residence status regularized. A tough call, indeed! According to him Punjabis started coming to Portugal in 1991, first 35-40 persons. The numbers started increasing from 1996 when immigration opened. These were Sikh males mostly without family around, 250-300 numbers. Many more Sikh immigrants (1,500-2,000) came from other European countries where they were facing difficulties in getting their residence status regularized. All that was needed

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was proof of six months residence. In his case, a British settled Gujarati whose wife was Portuguese helped him get the needed documents. He feels Portuguese are more accepting of immigrants as compared with Germans who are stricter. There were hardly any work opportunities in the beginning, but jobs opened in 1998 at the time of Expo. Portugal joined EU in 2000 and further job opportunities came up especially in construction industry. Immigration windows opened in 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007. Sikh population was the highest in 2003-8 (7-8,000). About 1,000-1,500 people have left after obtaining nationality. Now many more immigrants have families (250-300). Local marriages to Portuguese are almost non-existent. But for documenting purposes, there have been around 50-100 marriages with locals. Minimum wage is 485 Euro per month; but most of them can make Euro 500-1,000. He said: ‘In Portugal, wages are low, but they give papers; in other countries wages are high but they give no papers’. Mostly people came here for permanent visa and then go back to other countries. He started an Indian restaurant. Portuguese people like to eat Indian food. For constructing the gurdwara, 250 lakh Euros were collected, and additional 450 lakh Euros were financed from bank. Gurdwara is registered. Only 10-15 per cent of Sikhs wear turban in Portugal.

JASVIR SINGH Interviewed on 29 June 2012, Lisbon Jasvir Singh came to Germany in 1994. He went to Portugal in 1996 to file his papers as he had heard in the news that immigration had opened there. He migrated to Portugal in 1999 when his papers were accepted. With the Residence status having been established, he went back to India for the first time in 1999 and met some possible alliances for marriage. A year later he went to get married. Gurdwara was taken on rent in 1999: ‘sangat’ size at that time was around 100 people and there were no families except one of Paramjit Singh. He had migrated from Paris and had some business quite a distance away from Lisbon. He would, however, join in the gurdwara functions on special occasions with his family (two sons and a daughter). He was the president of the gurdwara from inception till 2005. Another older immigrant was Balwinder Singh from Amritsar: both

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came in 1993. Balwinder has since migrated to UK because children up to age 21 are allowed in with parents but in Portugal only children up to 18 years are allowed. Balwant had a 19 years old daughter. At that time the total number of Sikh immigrants would be around 40 numbers. In 1996 numbers increased to 2,000-2,500. Families started coming from early 2000s. Immigration opened again from 2001 to 2003. From 2007, any one with Schengen visa can apply for residence and this facility is continuing till date. Portugal is facing economic crisis for last three years and those who could, moved to other countries. People who had businesses here have stayed back. Income tax is high at 34 per cent but education is free up to high school. Medical is also free. There is a tax of 25 per cent on sales of all the goods. While he himself is Portuguese citizen, his wife is waiting for her citizenship approval which takes some time but children’s citizenship is granted faster within four months or so.

CHAPTER 14

RUSSIA

INTRODUCTION

There is a small Sikh community of possibly 300 to 1,000 Sikhs in the country. Refugees from Afghanistan form a substantial part of the Sikh diaspora. There is a gurdwara in Moscow. Prof. Anna Bochkovskaya, Lomonosov Moscow State University escorted us throughout our visit which was a great help. THE COUNTRY

Russia—the largest country on earth in terms of surface area— emerged from a decade of post-Soviet economic and political turmoil to seek to reassert itself as a world power. Income from vast natural resources, above all oil and gas, helped Russia overcome the economic collapse of 1998, but the oil price slump of 2014 had put a break on the long run of prosperity. The state-run gas monopoly Gazprom still supplies a large share of Europe’s needs. Vladimir Putin—Russia’s dominant political figure since 2000—has enhanced his control over state institutions and the media—a process supplemented more recently by an emphasis on fierce nationalism and hostility to the West. Formerly a powerful tsarist empire and a Communist superpower, Russia continues to be a source of fascination for travellers. While access is still made relatively difficult by lingering Soviet-style bureaucracy—visas are obligatory and accommodation usually has to be booked in advance—independent travel is increasing every year, and visitors are doubly rewarded by

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the cultural riches of the country and the warmth of the Russian people. HLC REPORT 2001

Out of a population of 145.6 million, the Indian community numbers 16,000 and as a percentage of the population is 0.01 per cent. It includes students, businessmen and others. In addition there are about 1,000-1,500 Afghan nationals of Indian origin staying in Russia. The estimated strength of the student community is approximately 7,000. Those working in Indian business establishments comprise the second largest section of the community. About 100 companies and 15 IndoRussian joint ventures are functioning in Russia. The Indian Association (erstwhile Hindustani Samaj) during the 42 years of its existence has been in the forefront of the community’s social and cultural life in Moscow. Other cultural organizations include the Bharatiya Sanskritik Samaj and the Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. There is also a Ramakrishna Society— Vedanta Centre at Moscow with another branch at St. Petersberg. The Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre, The Embassy of India Club and the Indian Women’s Association encourage participation of the Indian community in national, social and cultural events. The Russia Journal is a prominent English weekly publication brought out by Mr. Ajay Goyal, an Indian citizen. ‘Voice of Russia’ has some Indians who broadcast Asian programmes. There are 13 Indian journalists based in Moscow representing various prominent newspapers, news agencies from India. SIKH MIGRATION

I have heavily drawn from Prof. Anna Bochkovskaya’s paper titled ‘Transformation of Sikh Community in Post Soviet Russia’, presented at Lund Conference. From the 1950s to the late 1980s, there were some Sikh students studying in Moscow, Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and other cities and towns under inter-governmental cultural exchange programmes. They en-

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joyed temporary resident status. The regular term of stay in the Soviet Union was six or seven years, which included oneyear preparatory language course followed by five or six years of regular studies. Another part of the Sikh/Punjabi community at that time included the so-called political immigrants— communists or those who shared communist-related ideas who could stay in the Soviet Union for ideological reasons. Most of them worked in Moscow with the Soviet Radio broadcasting and/or with three large publishing houses that produced literature in Indian languages including Punjabi and Hindi. (During my earlier business visit in 1970s, I had noticed that some Indian looking villagers including Sikhs had prime seats in a Bolshoi Theatre performance—evidently they were visiting CPI members.) The situation changed with the disintegration of USSR in 1991. Cultural exchange programmes were suspended or terminated, which resulted in the dramatic reduction of the number of Indian students coming to study in Russia in the first half of the 1990s. However, in late 1990s, Indian students in Russia started to grow and the past decade has shown a sharp increase in the number of those willing to study in Russia on commercial basis. Over 90 per cent of the Indian students are involved in medical studies in some 20 academies across Russia. The Tver-based Medical Academy currently has some 800 students from India. Sikh students constitute less than 2 per cent of Indian students. Other Sikhs residing in Russia (mainly in Moscow) are petty traders selling textiles, garments, semi-precious beads, etc., imported or smuggled from India. Most of the younger Sikhs consider Russia as a transit point on their way to the West. In the last decade of twentieth century, there was an inflow of Sikhs from Afghanistan resulting from the disturbed conditions in the country. Immigration laws then were quite accommodating. Many of the Afghans came to Russia via Tajikistan and bordering states, claiming refugee status—only about 40 per cent of the applicants succeeded. Many Afghani Sikhs are staying in Russia illegally with expired visas and/or fake documents.

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GURDWARA: SIKH CULTURAL CENTRE

Before the 1990s, followers of various religions did not have places of worship. Post Perestroika, Sikhs rented a canteen hall in the southern part of Moscow close to the Tyoply Stan metro station, which became their weekly meeting place. The Moscow Gurdwara Committee was officially registered in 1996 at the home address of its Chairman, Gurdeep Singh Jolly. He did quite a lot to get permission from the authorities to run the weekly programme for Sikhs, and tried to obtain a plot of land for constructing a gurdwara, but the latter never worked out. In the early 2000s, the meeting place shifted to its present address (34 Varshavskoye Shosse, near the Nagatinskaya metro station, also in South Moscow). It is often referred to as Gurdwara Nanak Darbar; currently, it is the only defacto gurdwara in Russia though officially it is listed in Russia’s Unified State Register of Legal Entities as the Regional Public Organization ‘Sikh Cultural Center’. This might be interpreted as just a partial recognition of the Sikhs as a religious community in Russia as they have not yet obtained a legal permission from the authorities to establish a gurdwara. The gurdwara premises are in a rented hall on the second floor of an old redbrick building which has a separate entrance. There is no outside indication of either the Sikh Center or gurdwara. Prayers take place on Sundays at noon and on Saturday evenings. A specific feature of the gurdwara is the strong presence of the Afghani Sikhs, which started to increase since the early 2000s. About 100 Sikhs usually come for the prayers on Sundays while during ‘Gurpurab’ celebrations the number increases to 200-50. Only about a quarter of Sikhs attending the gurdwara wear turbans. Sikh Cultural Centre (Gurdwara) 34 Bldg. 1, Varshavskoye Shosse, Moscow 117105. Metro Nagatinskaya Phones: +7499 6115067, 9797834(M), +7926 3279403(M). Fax: +7495 3186677/ +7495 3195837 E-mail: [email protected]

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A RUSSIAN SIKH CONVERT The Story of Sukhmani Kaur by Tuvryan Kaur http://www.sikhwomen.com/Sexuality/ BeautifulWomen/sukh manikaur.htm I was born in Moscow in quite normal Russian family, with mother and father and few relatives. The whole thing started for me at the autumn of 1996, I was 16 at that time and just started my University. One day I was in the bus on my way to university and I saw someone in the window. That was a tall guy, bearded and turbaned! And that was first time in my life I ever saw a Singh. And I just started to think that it would be fun to talk to that guy and ask him about his turban, etc. In the meantime the bus moved and Singh passed out of my sight. Few weeks passed and on advice of my friends, I went to one group where they were practicing shamanic path. And will you believe what happened there? This Singh whom I saw at the street few weeks ago— he was there! He just walked in and I recognized him—and that was the very beginning. In Moscow since 1990 there were people practicing Kundalini Yoga and following teachings of Yogi Bhajan Ji. And some of those Yoga students becoming Singhs. So in Moscow in 1996 there were two Russian guys who were Singhs: Manjit Singh & Guru Das Singh. And what should be my luck and good fortune if in 14-million Moscow I met one of them—Manjit Singh. I started to practice Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Few hours daily attending public classes. At Moscow KY classes there were from 70 to 100 people each week. And this is incredible feeling when all those people starting to chant: ‘Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru’. After some time, I heard about Gurdwara. So somehow, I decided to go and see what’s going on in there. The very first time I went to attend gurdwara programme, I felt strange and just did not go in. Later on, in August 1998, I went with group of Moscow Yoga students at European Yoga festival in France, Loches. At this festival there were about 800 people from all over Europe and other countries. Maybe there were just 10 per cent of Sikhs at that camp, but the very look of those ‘Singhs’ and ‘Singhnis’was just so much inspiring! At Yoga Festival I heard Jap Ji Sahib for the first time. Early morning hours at 3.30-4.00 a.m., the whole Sangat is gathering at the big field for ‘Sadhana’. And it’s such an experience when you are sitting surrounded by high trees and stars are shining in the dark skies. And beautiful voices reciting hymns of Guru Ji sweet-sounding. That was

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unforgettable and even if I didn’t know anything about Jap Ji Sahib, I just couldn’t miss it, was waking every morning at ‘amritvela’ to hear it. After Jap Ji Sahib there were Yoga exercises followed by chanting including ‘Mool Mantra’ for one hour or more. And the whole entire being of mine recognizing the Power of the ‘Naam’. After such an experience I just couldn’t stay the same, the whole life of mine got turned towards ‘Sikhi’. In September 1999, I got really blessed by close acquaintance with Hari Kaur Khalsa from USA, who had been following Sikhi for more than 30 years. She tied ‘Dastaar’on me for the first time. And even my parents who have no understanding of Sikhi appreciated my turban. In Moscow none had ever seen a ‘Singhni’, and people were just so amazed by my look, I heard them speaking: ‘Look, like a princess going there’. And I feel Dastaar being really a crown, crown of dignity and honour. Since I imbibed ‘Sikhi’ I was dreaming to go to India and get ‘darshan’ of all the gurdwaras and Guru’s land—Punjab. Finally, I got the opportunity. At the ‘Prakarma’ of Darbar Sahib, I was so spaced out when my forehead touched cold marbles of the gurdwara. I was crying—couldn’t stand its heavenly beauty and glorious space. I was staying at Darbar Sahib and sleeping right there at the ‘Prakarma’ right by the holy waters of ‘Amrit Sarovar’. I was just bursting from elation—all the bearded and turbaned Singhs all around. I had never felt anything similar to what I experienced watching Anandpur Sahib from the hill as I got there for the first time. There were only a few days left from my almost five month’s trip in India. And it happened to me—after I bowed to Guru Granth Sahib, I burst out into such a mighty ‘Fateh’. Yes! I was ‘Khalsa’ from then on. I came back home at Moscow feeling that the Guru was always with me. And that I am a Lion, a Princess, beloved of the Guru Ji and all His invaluable treasures are there for me. Waheguru Ji ki Fateh! Manjit Kaur Khalsa aka Sukhmani Kaur. CASE STUDIES

RAJINDER SINGH SETHI Interviewed in Moscow and Sainik Farms, New Delhi An interesting person who has been involved in international travel and business most of his adult life. When he was 5 years old, he had visited

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Thailand—so the travel bug was sown. We had known him during our Calcutta stay from 1968-87. Born in Gujranwala, now in Pakistan, his father moved to Delhi and then Calcutta post traumatic year of 1947 partition of British India. He was just a ‘babe in arms’ at that time, being born in 1946. His maternal uncle was living in Thailand where he had moved from Burma and had ‘Namdhari’ connection. Rajinder grew up in Calcutta where he studied in St. Xaviers School and College. He has three younger brothers. His father was running a Travel agency, ‘Speedways’ in Calcutta. When he died at a rather young age, Rajinder took over the business which enabled him travel globally. He had many customers from the ‘marwari’ community of Calcutta. These developments were to come in handy for his future ventures. He was a prominent office bearer of the Travel Association of India and started a branch of Skol Club in Calcutta. Arising from his contacts with ‘marwaris’ as his clients, where he was well liked and trusted, he came in contact with two of them who were Singapore based and were trading with Soviet Union. They were looking for someone to spearhead their operations in Russia and hence approached him. He agreed to be located in Moscow seeking partnership in the venture which was accepted. He moved to Moscow in 1989 for a year, staying in hotels and looking after both imports and exports of the company. After a year, his wife, Neena and family joined him in January 1990. Son and daughter were studying in a boarding school in Dehradun but youngest daughter moved with them. She studied in Moscow, initially at the Indian School and thereafter the British School. The elder two children are married but the youngest is still to settle down. Rajinder married Neena in 1972—she was from Kanpur. Rajinder expanded the travel business substantially especially by setting up branches in Bhutan and Bhubaneswar, where the Soviets were setting up some manufacture. He thus got initial exposure to the Russians. With his subsequent move to Moscow, the travel business in India was taken over by his younger brothers. Three of them (2 Marwaris and Rajinder) set up a company in Singapore for the Russian business. They could anticipate major changes in Russia as they saw some green shoots appearing on the horizon. They were prepared to partake of these developments and their timing was just right. From 1990-5, their business expanded exponentially. Beginning with just himself and a secretary in a small office, they had set up 22 branches all over Russia dealing with 13 business verticals, employing 2,000 people. That was some growth! Troubles began in

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1997 with the Russian financial crisis. Rouble was devalued substantially and these developments hit them hard. A white knight appeared which aggravated the situation. By the year 2000 winding down operations were actively being pursued and partnership got dissolved. Sethi continued to pursue business from Moscow for some more years but finally decided to move back to New Delhi in 2005. He continues to visit Moscow for 2-3 months in a year. He has now moved to Bangkok as a semi retiree. He has diversified into ‘Consulting’ for Companies wanting to do business in Russia, seeking minority partnership. On the home front, the earlier years were a bit tough especially in regard to getting suitable accommodation, etc., but very soon they were to enjoy good times in Russia. Accomplishments: For more than a decade, he was ‘Honorary Business Advisor’ to Government of Singapore for business in Russia, which entitled him to quasi diplomatic status. Whenever making business calls, he will have two flags on the table, Russia and Singapore. He was a speaker at various forums in Singapore on business potential and processes in Russia. At an APEC meeting, chaired by editor of Time magazine and attended by over 200 delegates comprising of various multinationals, when he asked a question, he was identified as an important advisor by none other than Lee Kuan Yu. Rajinder had high contacts in Russia and in the days of their business, he had security escorts when he travelled. He was chairman of Moscow Country Club, a prestigious appointment. Talking of turban and Sikhs, he felt ‘it is a distinct advantage as one stands out and people do not easily forget you’. Of course, one is under constant scrutiny, both good and bad actions stand out. Talking about the Sikh scene in 1990s, he said there were hardly any except for some students, Moscow Radio announcers, diplomats and visiting defence officials. There was no hostility and in fact there was more welcoming attitude especially as Indo-Russian relationship was on a high note.

JASWANT SINGH MATHARU Interviewed on 6 August 2013, Moscow Age 81 years old. He was born in Kharagpur in West Bengal where his father was a foreman at the large railway workshop. Back in Punjab, his father built his own house in Jalandhar when Jaswant was only 10 years old. He graduated from Doaba College, Jalandhar where he

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was a ‘champion’ football player. His first job was with the All India Radio for ten years, first in Delhi and then in Jalandhar. Radio Moscow invited him as a commentator and he came from India to Moscow in 1973 on one-year contract. He resigned from All India Radio and joined Radio Moscow as an Urdu commentator and worked with them for 35 years retiring in 2008. He has now been living in Moscow for 44 years. He was announcer in Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi but was considered a specialist in Urdu. During his tenure with Radio Moscow, he was allowed home leave to India every two years on Government expense including for children up to 18 years age. This facility continued for a few years post his retirement. Now they visit India on their own expense. Jaswant was the only child and his mother agreed reluctantly for him to move to Moscow. When he came to Moscow for work his children were age of 6 months, 5, and 8 years. Jaswant has five children. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Paramjeet Singh lives in London. Davinder in Mumbai. Manjit Kaur in Delhi. Late Harvinder Singh (expired last year age of 44 years), wife Tania living in Moscow. They have one son, Irwin who works with his uncle and visits them when free, usally fortnightly. Their daughter Ramina stays with her grandparents. 5. Tejinder Kaur in Moscow, married locally to a Russian. 6. Harjinder Singh (Moscow born), works in Moscow and has Russian wife. They have two daughters. Jaswant’s family have Indian passport except Harjinder Singh who has Russian passport. Their children and grandchildren keep visiting India. Sikh Scene: Describing the Sikh scene in Moscow, Mr. Matharu said: There was no gurdwara in early days. These days about 250 people would come to gurdwara on Sundays and more on special days such as ‘Gurpurbs’. Gurdwara brings ‘raagis’ every three months. In olden days ‘Gurpurbs’ were celebrated at the Indian Embassy but since about 20 years, Embassy has stopped this practice. Present gurdwara was set up 6-7 years ago. Sikhs were well respected, but situation changed somewhat post ‘Perestroika’. There are a lot of Afghani Sikhs here, who are very devout Sikhs.

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GURMEET SINGH Interviewed on 6 September 2013, Moscow Sikh Cultural Society Indians and Sikhs started coming in 1992. Every Sunday ‘Sukhmani Sahib Path’ was held in different homes. A gurdwara was setup in a rented premise (1996-2003 approx). The local Government did not allow setting up of gurdwara on a permanent basis. A gurdwara in a rented hall was inaugurated on 2 September 2005. At that time the ‘sangat’ was much larger at about 500-1,000. The first initiative to set up a gurdwara was by a Mr. Walia, who has since migrated to Canada. Unfortunately, he could not succeed but the efforts by the community continued. There are many Sikhs from Afghanistan. They first went to India in 1991 from where some of them came to Russia during 1992-3. Most of the Sikhs are doing business mainly imports from China and India. Most still have Afghanistan passports. There would be about 100 Afghani Sikh families. They are quite happy including their children living in Russia and face no problems. Immigration is still continuing, but many new immigrants come with the objective of moving on to the Western countries. They speak Punjabi at home and children are also quite familiar with Punjabi.

JAGGI LAMBA Interviewed on 6 September 2013, Moscow Jaggi had studied in Shri Ram College, Delhi and started export business (initially garment business) after completing his studies. He had visited several countries and learnt that Russia was the happening place in early 1990s. He came here in 1991 and started lady’s garments business including imports from UK. Jaggi has been working as a wealth management consultant for six years. He works with Bank of California, Citibank and HSBC Bank. Since he was an account holder with these banks, they encouraged him to help them out by working for them. Equity investment is quite popular with Russians. He helps his clients get credit from the banks. He also ran the ONGC office in Russia for five years. Jaggi (55 years old) got married, an arranged affair in 1983 (age 25)

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and was divorced in 1987. His wife Puneet Kaur, was from Girdih, Bihar. She could not adjust in his family. Earlier on another tragedy had struck when he lost everything in the 1984 riots in Delhi. His daughter, Ivneet Kaur has been living with him since she was three years old. Daughter has since got married and settled in USA. He is still looking for a lady from a Sikh family to get re-married.

CHAPTER 15

SPAIN

INTRODUCTION

Present Sikh immigrants could number 20,000. The main population concentration is in Catalonia Province which includes Barcelona and suburbs and Gerona especially Olot. Spain opened immigration several times beginning 1991 and again in 2000 and 2005. The older immigrants are from 1980s and newer ones are only a few years old. Many of them have moved from other West European countries because of ease of getting Residence status. Three-year residence can entitle immigrants to get work permit. However, wages are lower in Spain than Central and Northern Europe and many want to move north after getting Residence status. Presently a large number of the immigrants are out of job because of economic meltdown since last 3-4 years. Some immigrants are returning to Punjab. THE COUNTRY

Located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain’s history and culture are made up of a rich mix of diverse elements. Spain with a population of 46.7 million, consists of most of the Iberian Peninsula, plus the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and two North African exclaves. Through exploration and conquest, Spain became a world power in the sixteenth century, and it maintained a vast overseas empire until the early nineteenth century. Spain’s modern history is marked by the bitterly fought Spanish Civil War of 1936-9, and the ensuing 36-year dictatorship

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of General Francisco Franco. After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain made the transition to a democratic state and built a successful economy, with King Juan Carlos as head of the state. The constitution of 1978 enshrines respect for linguistic and cultural diversity within a united Spain. The country is divided into 17 regions which all have their own directly elected authorities. Flamenco music and dance are widely admired around the world while Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote is one of the most popular ever written. HLC SINGHVI REPORT 2001

The Indian community as a percentage of total population of 40 million people is only 0.04 per cent at perhaps 30,000. Most Indians originally travelled to Spain from Africa while others came from India and even Japan and South-East Asia. Sindhi traders and shopkeepers thrived in the free ports of Spanish Canary Islands of Las Palmas and Tenerife following the imposition of import and foreign exchange restrictions in Spain post World War II. They conducted a brisk trade with North Africa from Las Palmas. When Ceuta and Melilla, parts of Spanish Morocco, were also declared to be free ports, Indian businessmen set up trading houses and retail shops catering to the tourist trade. By mid-1970s there were 200 trading houses in Ceuta and Melilla. With the liberalization of trade policies introduced in 1980s business activities shifted to port cities of Malaga and Barcelona. Madrid also attracted many Indian businessmen. The Indian community in Spain enjoys a good reputation. Indians are considered hardworking, nonpolitical and peaceful. The Indian community has integrated well with Spanish society. Sindhis and Sikhs form the majority of the Indian community. The community celebrates various Indian festivals. Rath yatras are also taken out by members of Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement with the enthusiastic support of the Indian community.

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SIKH IMMIGRATION

According to Kathryn Lum, Spain has been a source of emigration, rather than an immigration destination. Immigration in large numbers started to take off during the 1990s. About 12 per cent of Spain’s population is now foreign born. Sindhis were the first to migrate in the 1960s to Canary Islands and Tenerife to cater to tourists. The Sindhi community in Spain is one of the largest outside India. Punjabi migration to Spain is more recent, starting in the mid-1980s. Spain was not a priority country for migration by Sikhs. However, because of tightening of immigration policies by North and Central European countries, Punjabis have increasingly been settling in Spain. Although Spain’s immigration policy has now become more restrictive but earlier amnesties attracted the potential immigrants to seek residency status here. Many Punjabis have moved from other West European countries because of ease of getting Residence status. For immigrants in Spain, three-year residence can entitle them to get work permit. The requirements can be easily met, viz., proof of residence, school certificate for language proficiency, bank account, metro card, library card, residence proof, telephone, etc. The Residence Permit allows for the family to be brought in provided immigrant can show proof of financial comfort. Since wages are lower in Spain than Central and Northern Europe, many want to move north after getting Residence status. Additionally, illegal migration is still taking place. Older immigrants with proper work visas have been able to get their families to join them. Their children are studying in local schools and some in colleges and universities. The second generation will come into play in another decade or so. The Punjabi community in Spain is still largely first-generation and male-dominated although a second generation is emerging through family reunification and marriage.

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Popular professions are in the construction and catering industries. Increasing number of Punjabis have now established small businesses. Many immigrants are now also working in factories as manual labour. Presently a large number of the immigrants are out of job because of economic meltdown since last 3-4 years. They are apprehensive of their future and those who can, are migrating preferably to Canada where immigration is still possible. Some immigrants are returning to Punjab. Overall experience, as it exists today, is not very encouraging. There are no rags to riches stories in Spain. Majority of the immigrants are lower middle-class workers. Punjabis have increasingly been settling in smaller cities and towns throughout Catalonia; in some towns their presence is so significant as to make them the largest immigrant group. Towns such as Vic, Girona and Olot have large Punjabi immigrants. Punjabi migration in Catalonia is spread both in urban and rural areas. Outside of Catalonia, Punjabis are found in significant numbers only in the region of Valencia. There is a presence of Sikhs working in agriculture in the north at Tori Pacheko. Present Sikh immigrants could number 10-15,000 or even 20,000—no authentic figures are available. It is estimated that 10,000 Sikhs are settled in Catalonia which has now eight gurdwaras—five in the Barcelona metropolitan area, and three located in small cities in the north of Catalonia (Vic, Girona and Olot respectively). Another estimate puts the Punjabi population profile as: Barcelona 4,000-5,000, Valencia 2,000-2,500, Alicante 200, Tore Pacheco 700-800, Madrid 1,000, Denia 50 (on way to Alicante), Olot 1,000-1,500, and Girona 700. Generally speaking the Punjabi immigrants have not fully acquired Spanish language and much less Catalan, the official regional language. However, Punjabis enjoy what the Spanish term a good ‘convivencia’ (harmonious relationships) with their neighbours, particularly their Spanish neighbours.

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Based on her conversations with ladies in the gurdwaras, my wife Livleen observes: Most of the ladies are not taking up jobs and are content with managing the families. They do not socialize much with locals. Most of them have learnt the language just to get by. However, some ambitious women, like Surjit Kaur of Noorpur want to improve their children’s future and are wanting to move north say to Sweden. Some families are sending their children to India for schooling as they feel education in Spain is expensive and not as good as in India. GURDWARAS

There are in all 15 gurdwaras. Most of the gurdwaras are in rented buildings and only the central gurdwara in Barcelona is owned—two floors in an apartment building. Gurdwaras are registered and have bank accounts. Granthis can get visa, at discretion of the Spanish Embassy, if Gurdwara Committee guarantees their return. There is no restriction on flying the ‘Nishan Sahib’. BARCELONA

1. 2. 3. 4.

Gurdwara Gurdwara Gurdwara Gurdwara

Gurdarshan Sahib, Central, Santa Lucia. Nanaksar, Collblanc. Gur Sangat, Badalona. Guru Ladho Re, Badalona.

OUTSIDE BARCELONA

5. Gurdwara Santa Coloma de Farmiss, Girona. 6. Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib, Girona. 7. Gurdwara Singh Sahib, Olot. MADRID

8. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Madrid Centro. 9. Gurdwara Nanaksar.

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MAJORCA

10. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Correr d’ Albacete, 15. 11. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sahib. TARAGONA

12. Gurdwara Uche dar Babe Nanak Da, Pau-gargallo 4, 43204, Reus, Taragona. VALENCIA AREA

13. Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, Valencia. 14. Tore Pacheco (2 gurdwaras): Gurdwara Dasmesh Dwar, Calle Inglatera 3 and Polygno Toree Pacheco. 15. Alicante, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Calle Miguel Angel 4, Allicante. MALLANGA

16. Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, Mallaga N.B. According to Nachatter Singh Garha of Andreu Domingo Centre dEstudis Demogràfics, UAB, Barcelona (refer his paper, ‘Sikh Diaspora to Spain seen through Generations: A Socio-demographic Perspective’), there are 22 gurdwaras in Spain, which are constructed in different municipalities during the last two decades. First gurdwara was established in the year 1998 at Barcelona, which was their first major concentration in Spain and recently the last gurdwara was established in the year 2015 at Los Alcazares, Murcia. The mere existence of a Gurdwara at a place shows the presence of 200 to 300 individuals in that particular municipality, which is a threshold of the population for maintaining a gurdwara in Spain. Almost half of the gurdwaras of Spain are situated in Catalonia alone. The Sikh diaspora in Spain consists of 20,791 individuals, registered in the municipal registers on 1 January 2014, which makes half of the entire Indian residents of Spain.

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Spain SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

SIKHS SERVE TRADITIONAL MEAL WORLD’S RELIGIONS (SPAIN)

AT

PARLIAMENT

OF

By Staff Writer, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2004

On 13 July 2004 the Chicago Tribune reported that 4,000 to 8,000 guests are served meals daily. The hosts are hundreds of Sikhs from India, Canada, the United States and Great Britain. The guests are participants at the parliament of the World’s Religions. An enormous white tent serves as the dining room—gurdwara—that the Sikhs set up along Barcelona’s seafront, close to where the parliament is holding a weeklong conference ending Tuesday. Because of the huge numbers involved, the length of the wait depends on how many guests can be persuade to sit back-to-back on the red carpet to make room for whoever might walk up the sandy path. No one is turned away, for this is the 500-year-old Sikh tradition called ‘langar’. The communal meals began with Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the fifteenth century. HOW SIKHS PERSUADED BADALONA CITY COUNCIL TO ALLOW A SIKH PROCESSION (AN EXAMPLE TO EMULATE) Badalona’s Sikh temple had been established for a decade, but its members and Sikh leaders remained outsiders to the local community. There was little interaction with the people who lived there. Indeed, the local Neighbourhood Association’s members, many elderly and originally from other areas of Spain, were suspicious of immigrants in general, let alone this ‘new’ religious minority. The city of Badalona sits on the outskirts of Barcelona with a population of 220,000. Most of the men in the Sikh community are construction workers locally and in Barcelona; in most families, the women stay at home. Both men and women speak the local languages of Catalan and Spanish poorly. The Sikh temple is at the heart of the newcomer community built with a capacity for 300 people. When the Sikhs asked for permission to hold a religious procession (Nagar Kirtan), the local city council denied them permission citing short notice.

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In late 2009, the Sikh community decided to try again. They approached the Badalona’s Department for Citizenship and ‘Living Together’ for permission to hold their religious procession. This time, the city council agreed, with one caveat—they had to work with the local Neighbourhood Association to ‘prepare the neighbours’. To overcome this lack of communication, the city decided to initiate a formal facilitation process to build bridges between the two communities. UNESCOCAT (the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia), a local agency devoted to promoting diversity, was asked to intervene since they had already established a relationship with the Sikh community as part of their work with inter-faith dialogue. Department of Citizenship and Living Together, sat down with Sikh leaders to hear about their religion and to learn why the street procession was culturally important. This led to a public meeting at the Neighbourhood Association where the Sikh leaders led a discussion about Sikhism and answered questions on a range of cultural issues. The event was a success and was even covered by a local television station. More importantly, the intervention resulted in a strategic decision. The Sikh community and the Neighbourhood Association submitted a joint application to Badalona city council for permission for the street procession. Further, the application was for a street procession rather than as a religious event in case the council had to defend it from any political or neighbourhood opposition. With this reassurance, the council approved the request. Moving forward, it was important to include local community in the organization of the parade itself. Neighbourhood Association leaders were invited to participate and were accompanied by a Sikh youth during the parade. Information leaflets were handed out to explain the celebration. The parade ended with formal thanks to the neighbourhood, as well as to mediators and politicians who were also asked to speak publicly. The parade was a great success, attracting Sikhs from around Catalonia. Approximately 1,000 members of the Sikh community joined the procession, many carrying ceremonial daggers of the faith. The large number did surprise many locals but they were quickly converted by the Sikh tradition of offering everyone food as a gesture of welcome. Many politicians and government officials were present—including a number who had been opposed to the parade. In 2011, the Sikh community of Badalona was once again joined by fellow residents for another celebratory parade through the neighbourhood.

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BALLE BALLE TO SPANISH TUNES Anju Agnihotri Chaba, Indian Express. Posted online: Sunday, 22 July 2007 ‘Spain, Italy and Portugal are where most Punjabi youth are heading these days.’ A CASE STUDY OF HARPREET SINGH These days, Harpreet Singh likes his butter chicken with a dash of salsa sauce. It’s a recipe he learnt from his friends in Madrid. Harpreet, on a brief visit to his home in Giljian village in Punjab’s Doaba region, will soon have to get back to the construction site he works at. Harpreet, who entered Spain as an illegal immigrant in 2004, has just got a permanent resident status and hopes to take his family back with him. ‘They will be comfortable—there are a lot of Punjabis there. Our population has gone up in the last couple of years.’ Nearly 100 men from Giljian village—over 80 per cent of the male population here lives abroad—have gone as illegal immigrants to either Italy or Spain. Almost all of them are unskilled and do menial jobs on farms, in factories and at construction sites. With the US, UK, Canada and Australia stepping up immigration checks, sneaking into these countries is almost impossible. But the hardy Punjabi won’t let that hamper his foreign dreams and now, is headed for Italy, Spain and Portugal. ‘The governments of these three countries are not too tough on illegal immigrants and they don’t ask them to leave their countries unless they get involved in illegal activities or create law and order problems. The immigration process comes up in Spain every six months and if you have a passport, getting a permanent resident status is easy,’ he said. Getting a permanent resident status can sometimes be tough as Sandeep Singh of Talwandi Sallan village found out. He had just reached Italy when he got to know that the Spanish government was starting its immigration process. He had to cross over to Spain—he was an illegal immigrant and that meant taking further risks. But a few months after he landed in Madrid, he got his permanent resident status. Sandeep was lucky—at least he reached Italy. Several others like him had paid travel agents to take them to Italy, Spain or Portugal but had been stranded midway in Algeria or Morocco.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe SPANISH GIRLS JOIN SIKH FOLD

Tribune News Service, Amritsar, 13 June 2005 After pronouncement of ‘hukmnama’ (order of the day) at the Golden Temple, two Spanish girls Mariya Mettler and Mariya Fernananda became Satbir Kaur and Satyog Kaur, respectively, here today. They had come all the way from Barcelona along with Antoniyo, who was re-christened as Satpal Singh after joining the Sikh fold about four years ago. Satpal Singh said though there were more than 5,000 Indian Sikhs in Spain but only10 Spanish people have converted to Sikhism so far. Though he became a Sikh under the influence of Harbhajan Singh Yogi and runs yoga schools in Spain, but he got baptised through a Birmingham Sikh ‘jatha’ a couple of years ago. When asked as to why he had joined Sikh fold, Satpal Singh said the beauty of the faith fascinated him. He feels that turban was like a robe of royalty that controls his energy. His day starts with recitation of Gurbani. ‘I read Gurbani in Roman script, but I will learn Gurmukhi script shortly,’ he said. CASE STUDIES

KULDEEP SINGH PADDA Interviewed at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Sahib, Barcelona, 24 June 2012 Originally from Noorpur, Kapurthala, he is a graduate (BA) and additionally had done his ‘Gyani’. He took up a job in Punjab but realized that he did not fit in. He decided to become a member of the Sikh Student Federation where he did ‘sangharsh’ (struggle) which involved bearing several difficulties. He decided to go abroad, and the first foray was to Thailand in February-March 1999 where he stayed for one month. There were twelve of them. He had cut his hair. He had US $3,000 with him. On return to Delhi, Mahajan, the agent asked them not to go back to Punjab but stay on in Delhi. The agent was able to get him Schengen visa issued by the Greece Embassy. They first landed in Hungary in June-July. There was no response from the agent. They took a train to Italy when they found out that their Schengen visa was fake. They reached the Austrian border where they learnt that only a day earlier about 24 boys had been caught and re-

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fused entry. So, they decided to return to Budapest. They were still unable to contact their agent. They were two of them. Manjit Singh found a local contact through his Ludhiana agent. With his help, they reached Slovakia. It was October now and winter had set in. They had to cross a frozen canal in plastic boats—ice was cracking. Kuldeep thought it to be too dangerous and refused this option. There were now several people including some Pakistanis. Three of them then ran across the rail bridge immediately after the train crossed. They had nothing on them except shirts and pants. From across the bridge, cars took them to Bratislava. Agents waited for money to reach them before extending further help. They stayed for a month in Bratislava, 45 of them in one room. People were dirty with lice, and they were provided with only bread to eat. They used turbans to escape without paying anything to the agent. They decided to go to Prague in a small truck but on reaching Czechoslovakia border, they were caught by the police. They were by now 80 of them. Kuldeep ran away: two of them gave US $1,200 as insisted to by the agent. They started walking with local guides, up and down the mountains, and rivers in very difficult terrain. About 80 km from Leipzig, at the German border, they were caught by the German police. They had neither passports nor any identity papers. They were advised to seek asylum. Kuldeep’s brother contacted him and took him to Frankfurt. Later, his Belgian cousin called him to Liege. He stayed in Belgium for seven years. He could get an Identity Card as he was employed for cutting trees and fruits. He applied for passport in the Indian Embassy and was badly treated— a Mr. Sharma was very unhelpful. In 2003, he could finally get a copy of his lost passport. In 2005 Kuldeep came to Spain where he could get residence papers which allowed him to work legally. This status allowed him to visit India and return to Spain. This fulfilled a most pressing need to visit India after a long absence and to take some money back to the Indian families.

BALDEV SINGH DHILLON Interviewed at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Sahib, Barcelona, 24 June 2012 Born in 1950, he arrived in Barcelona in 1981. He is from Jagatpur, near Chhabaal. He graduated from Baba Buddha College in 1975. He passed the written test for the job of a police officer (ASI) but did not

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get the job. He found out that those who got appointed were either had strong connections or who paid bribes. He was very disappointed. He wanted to start business for which funds to the extent of Rs. 35,000 were needed which was not easy. He decided to sell his portion of his father’s farm land, but his father’s elder brother put a spoke and sale could not fructify. In the meantime, the Naxal movement had picked up in Punjab. So, when his friend Darshan Singh, a writer arrived from Greece, he felt encouraged to leave India. He was fed up with the Indian scene. He left India in November 1980 via Nepal, Thailand, Iran and finally reached Spain. One of his friends was already in Spain. He arrived in Ghirona, near Osor village where he shared a room with Kulwant Singh. Tired, Baldev slept all day and drank beer and wine for the first time. The two of them got jobs to cut trees in the forest. After cutting the trees they had to drop these down to the road from the hill side for loading on to the trucks. The Dakar Car Rally passes through this region when many visitors come. There was a lot of snow almost a foot deep. The car rally had passed the night before and they all had been drinking beer and watching the cars go by. A Spanish man sitting next to them said ‘hello’ and inquired if they spoke English. Excited, they said ‘yes, yes’. Asked if they were looking for a job, they said ‘yes’. This man, a Captain, offered to hire Baldev on his ship. The job profile was explained to him and a deal was struck! The Captain also hired Kulwant to work for his son on another boat. Salary was fixed at US $300 per month, which was half of what they would normally pay to a German or British for similar job. There was to be a trial period of one month on either side. Leave was fixed at one month after one year and if they returned, the salary would be increased by US $100. They were to be given appointment letters which would facilitate their entry into Spain on return from home leave. After three years they got regular work visas and worked with them for six years. Kuldeep got married in Punjab in 1985. His wife was daughter of a Colonel in the Indian Army who refused to work as a domestic in Spanish homes. So, they decided to open a school in Baldona, near Barcelona, to teach English language. This was to be a joint venture with another person—Manmohan Singh from Chandigarh. The school venture was a financial success as they could recover their investment in six months. Soon there was to be a problem, as the partner wanted to split the business. Instead Baldev asked the partner to make a bid for the venture which he did at 1.5 million Pestos. Baldev bought him

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out at this price. Venture continued to be a success as he was able to make a million Pesto in one year. They could get 300 students and the admission fees amounted to a substantial sum. Kuldeep’s wife was an active participant. The locals preferred to learn American English, but his wife’s accent was different which they claimed was British. They made up a story that she was British. Her competence was soon acknowledged as the students wanted to join classes run by Sonia Madam. Post the 1992 economic crisis, arising from overrun of expenses on the Olympics, the school had to be closed in 1996. People were hard up for money and learning another language was considered an avoidable expense. Baldev has one son who has not been able to get a job for the last five years. His own savings got finished which forced him to look for a job for himself. He met up with another Captain whom he knew, who arranged for him to be appointed as a helper on a vessel. Wages on the ships were double that of what one could get on shore jobs. Baldev’s earnings enabled him to open an Internet Café in village Terrassa with a public phone booth. It was the first such STD service in that village. The village had many foreigners living there (including Ranjit Singh, Hockey Trainer of the Spanish team). Baldev Singh operated this facility till May 2012 when he decided to close it down.

HARJINDER SINGH Interviewed on 25 June 2012, Majorca, Spain Harjinder Singh who came from Patiala had a relative in Italy who helped him to come to that country in September 2010. He could not get a suitable job and hence became a ‘pathi’ in a gurdwara. Additionally, he started doing ‘kirtan’ (a group of three) in gurdwaras, which took him to Norway (7 months), Austria (Klagenfurt), and Germany (2 months). He has a work permit presumably from Italy valid for 2 years as a Granthi which entitled him to travel in Schengen countries. Majorca ‘sangat’ size is about 200 numbers, but total Sikh population is larger. Harpreet Singh is the local ‘granthi’. There are two Gurdwaras in Majorca. One of the oldest immigrants here is Balkar Singh, who is now quite old. Because of his moving around in Europe, he had some interesting information about Sikhs in Europe. According to him, the earlier immigrants’ struggles stories were very heart rendering. Of course, now

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most of them are well settled. He told about a Sikh, Paramjit Singh Gill, from Mannheim, Germany who went to India by car three times. In Norway one Mr. Padda is an old and well known Sikh immigrant.

RESHAM SINGH What a coincidence—He had seen me when I was visiting Korea: What a small world! Interviewed on 25 June 2012, Majorca, Spain Resham Singh hails from Ludhiana. In 1999, he went to Korea on business visa—his brother was already there working on a farm (Green House). He had done electrical engineering in India and thus could get a job in a factory where he worked for five years. He returned to India in 2004 for two months. Korean Government allowed the immigrants who had been there for more than two years to go back to their country and return after a brief stay. This exception was made in celebration of Korea’s success in World Cup Soccer (shows keenness of countries to have immigrants needing an excuse to regularize their illegal status). He worked again in Korea for a year returning finally to India in 2005. He went to Spain in 2006 with the help of his brotherin-law, who had earlier gone to Germany and thereafter shifted to Spain. He obtained for him a work permit for three months which in due course entitled him for a Residence Permit. He lived in Valencia for six years working in agriculture basically in cultivation of vegetables and grapes. There are many Sikhs in that area. On Sundays a full busload used to go to Valencia gurdwara. He is now in Majorca looking for a job.

JOGINDER SINGH Interviewed on 25 June 2012, Majorca, Spain He was born in 1960 in village Pehwa, Haryana and then moved to Hoshiarpur. His grandfather had large landholding of about 98 acres. Post his grandfather’s death, his sister was murdered by his father due some land dispute and was sent to jail. When his father came back from jail, they moved to Kaithal, Haryana, where he lived intermittently from 1973-96. He started working in an electrical shop with his uncle in Kapurthala and soon thereafter got married. He obtained a passport and with the help of an agent, he went to Singapore in March

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1983 but found it difficult to settle down. The agent tried to send him to Malaysia when he was caught by the police. He had to suffer with 22 more Punjabis: no place to live and no food for 72 hours. All the passports and other documents were kept with the agent. He had to go to jail for six months post which he came back to India in 1986. He worked on the farm for a few months but was desperate to go abroad again. He and two others could get visa for Thailand after paying Rs. 25,000 to an agent. They returned after 15 days as the agent told them to come back to Delhi as he was planning to send them to Europe direct from Delhi. On arriving in Delhi, they felt very harassed and took back their money from the agent. Once again, they tried a new agent who got for them visas for Moscow in 1993. After great difficulty, they reached Sofia in Bulgaria (44 people involving 10-12 agents). Since there was no possibility of going to a West European country, he had to come back to India after three months, the agent having sent him a ticket by post. On return to India, he obtained a new passport with Haryana address and a new date of birth. He was able to get a business visa for France where he stayed with his sister for 15 days. Thereafter he moved around in Europe, Cologne for two days, then Frankfurt where his uncle refused to have him stay with him. So, he stayed in gurdwara for 15 days. He finally got a job in a restaurant in Hamburg where he worked for three years. In 1998 he wanted to go to Italy but was arrested by the police on the border and deported to Germany. They were seven of them—all Punjabis. For three days they were in police custody. They were advised to seek asylum pending which the Government would provide them room and board. He, however, decided to go to Cologne and then Duisenberg where he worked on a farm for three years. He learnt that there was a possibility to get immigration in Portugal which did not fructify, and the agent disappeared with his money. Then he got to know about his uncle Baldev Singh who was living in Barcelona, who helped register his particulars at the local Immigration Office. After one year when immigration opened, he got a letter of acceptance while he was in Germany. This enabled him to go back to India for five months. On return to Spain, he started working in a farm near Valencia but could not cope with the hard work involved. In the meantime, his cousins had started working in an Indian restaurant in Majorca. They helped him get a job along with them. He worked there for over five years and thereafter went back to India in 2007. On return, he worked with local restaurants and also tried his hand at doing his own business by setting

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up two shops. He was not very successful in this venture and ultimately after five years, he had to sell at a loss post the economic depression in 2008. He is again itching to start afresh into new business enterprise. His family including children could finally join him in Spain. He has now well settled and has even grandchildren in Spain. There are total of around 800-1,000 Punjabis in Majorca including about 100 families. Mr. & Mrs. Mandip Singh, who were both ‘Amritdharis’ brought SGGS from USA which they kept it at their house for one year. Baisakhi was celebrated in his uncle’s restaurant. A gurdwara was set up in 2007. Later on, due to internal squabbling, another gurdwara was set up in 2010. He had taken off his turban first in Singapore where the agent insisted as he was endangering the other group members’ safety. He again started keeping his turban but had to remove the same on arrival in Germany.

JORAWAR SINGH Originally from Hoshiarpur Distt. He is the only child of his parents. After his class XII, he did a course with ITI and worked in Chandigarh doing computer work. He came to Cyprus on student visa—stayed there 3 years before moving to Spain three years ago (Schengen visa issued by Austria). He is presently staying at gurdwara where he does part time computer work. He is expecting to get a 3-year residence status, which will be issued first for one year, then for another two years and finally for five years. According to him the general level of wages has come down to almost one third of earlier wages.

CHAPTER 16

SWEDEN

INTRODUCTION

A small presence of Sikhs in the country. Sikhs first came to Sweden in early 1970s, many of them as refugees from Kenya, Uganda, and Afghanistan and later on from India. There are four gurdwaras in Sweden. J.S. Banga of the Indian Embassy had resigned and sought asylum post Operation Blue Star. Stockholm gurdwara in Tullenge is run very innovatively and worth emulating where Sikh numbers are small and spread out. Lund University under the guidance of Prof. Kristina Myrvold had been actively pursuing the Sikh diaspora studies in Europe. They were holding seminars every three years where scholars from various countries participated. It provided a great opportunity to network with others interested in Sikh studies. Unfortunately the programme has been discontinued due to lack of financial support. THE COUNTRY

Sweden’s position as one of the world’s most highly developed post-industrial societies looks fundamentally secure. Unemployment is low and the economy strong. Public-private partnership is at the core of ‘the Swedish model’, which was developed by the Social Democrats, who governed for most of the last 70 years until 2006. This mixed economy traditionally featured centralized wage negotiations and a heavily tax-subsidized social security network. The Swedes still enjoy an advanced welfare system, and their standard of living and life expectancy are almost second to none.

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Beyond the household names of ABBA, IKEA and Volvo, Sweden is relatively unknown. The largest of the Scandinavian countries has a population of 9 million. In general Sweden is a carefree place where life is relaxed. Indeed, the Swedes’ liberal and open attitude to virtually every aspect of life is certainly one of their most enviable qualities; people are generally left to do their own thing, providing it doesn’t impinge on the rights and freedoms of others. In Sweden, rights go hand in hand with duties. Foreigners have somehow confused the open Swedish attitude to society, including nudity and sexuality, with sex. It is a country founded on honesty and straight talking—two of Sweden’s most refreshing qualities. HLC REPORT 2001

Out of a population of 8.9 million, PIOs number 11,000 or 0.012 per cent. Most are Punjabis, Bengalis, Gujaratis and south Indians. Some Indian students who went to Sweden in the 1950s settled down there. Another stream of Indians came from Uganda in the 1970s. Some Indians sought and obtained political asylum after 1984. They are a law-abiding, respected community. The influx of IT experts has raised their prestige in Sweden. The Indian community is culturally very active. Different associations hold cultural functions and observe national days. INDIAN IMMIGRATION

The following write ups on Indian and Sikh immigration are excerpted from two papers by Kristina Myrvold and another by Karolina Lukasiewicz (see Bibliography). Historically speaking Sweden was characterized by strong outward migration up to the early 1930s when the net migration rate became positive and more people immigrated to the country than emigrated from it. Post the Second World War, like some other countries of Europe, Sweden was short of labour, needing immigrants. In the 1970s Sweden gradually

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abandoned this policy while refugee status and family reunification became the most recognized causes for immigration. More recently, in 2008, Sweden has again introduced an active policy in favour of labour immigration since the country was facing a new skilled labour gap in different sectors. As of 2010 approximately 19 per cent of the population in Sweden was foreign-born. From the 1950s a smaller number of skilled Indians from different regions of India arrived as engineers, doctors, university teachers and students and settled primarily in the larger cities and university towns. More tangible immigration began in the 1970s. The majority appears to have entered the country because of studies and marriage with Scandinavian spouses. In 1970s, Sweden received Indians as refugees and asylum seekers first from Uganda and in 1980s and 1990s Sikhs from India. From 1990s onwards, Sweden also received around 300 Indians from Afghanistan who had fled the country. The Indian population can be estimated at more than 25,000. Sweden abandoned its liberal labour immigration policy in the 1970s and it became almost impossible to immigrate for work,one strategy was to arrive on short-term visas and gain permanent residence by entering real or pro forma marriages or partnerships with Scandinavian spouses. After having secured a legal status in the country, some separated from their spouses and initiated a second migration phase by marrying Indian women. Illegal immigration among Indian nationals is virtually non-existent. N.B. One of the earliest accounts of a Punjabi visiting Sweden is given by Prakash Tandon (the first Indian Chairman of Hindustan Lever, the Unilever Indian subsidiary), who wrote a classic Punjabi Saga about his cultural encounter with Swedish people and traditions in the 1930s. SIKH IMMIGRATION

According to Karolina £ukasiewicz, the Sikh immigrants form a rather small number and are unknown to the majority of

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Swedes. Sikhs first came to Sweden in the early 1970s. Till late 1980s, there were about 600 Sikhs in the country. Some of them were given political asylum. After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, majority of Sikhs in Sweden were asylum seekers: most of them settled in Stockholm.Sikhs are now concentrated primarily in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö where they have established four gurdwaras. Estimate of Sikhs in Sweden vary widely: scholars put the numbers at 500-1,000 but some Sikhs estimate their numbers at 2,000. The latest estimates place the Sikh population as of now at 3,000-4,000. A small group of the Swedish Sikhs have also migrated from Uganda. Another group of migrants are the Afghan Sikhs. In 2010 at least 30 Afghan Sikh families were estimated to live in the Stockholm area. In the beginning, the early Sikh immigrants faced economic hardships (similar to other immigrants). The first generation Sikhs usually have their own small shops, while second generation Sikhs often study at universities. Sikhs have now successfully achieved economic integration. Sikhs have presence in low and high skilled jobs within trade, education, industry, transport, medicine and the public sector. Sikhs in Sweden have over the years begun to promote their culture. Although with time their contact with Punjab has somewhat weakened but contacts among Sikhs in the diaspora have increased mostly due to facilities offered by new technologies (e.g. internet). The young Sikhs from Sweden chat with their friends from England on the internet, and learn how British Sikhs organize their social lives (often obeying religious duties). Cheap communication, e.g. flights to London seems to be important as well. Some Sikhs from Stockholm attend summer camps for young Sikhs organized in England. Although nowadays in Stockholm, many boys have their hair cut, it may change. More intensive contacts with other Sikhs in diaspora would help them strengthen their Sikh identity. Initially the turban-wearing migrants often faced some difficulties but with the establishments of the ‘Office of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination (DO)’ in 1986 and

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the law against ethnic discrimination in working life of 1999, have created a legal framework to encourage in developing an increasingly multiethnic society. Over the years DO has quite successfully intervened in several disputes over the wearing of turban and ‘kirpan’ at schools and in the Swedish police and military. Partly as result of this the National Police Board formally decided in 2006 that Swedish policemen can wear turban if the size and colour is properly adjusted to the uniform. A well-known case in 1984 was that of the tram driver Inderjit Singh Parmar who could not wear turban because of the company’s regulations and was consequently dismissed. Although the case led to a personal tragedy for Parmar, it played a symbolic role in public discourses on discrimination and integration in Sweden. Twenty years later, in 2004, the tram company decided to include the turban in its uniform. GURDWARAS

There are four gurdwaras in Sweden. STOCKHOLM

1. Gurdwara Sangat Sahib: In an early phase, during the 1980s, Sikhs in Stockholm rented a weekend cottage or an apartment in the suburbs before purchasing a property with a small house in Tullinge, south of Stockholm. Because of space problems the congregation built a larger detached house, which became the first collective gurdwara in Sweden and was formally inaugurated in 1997. 2. Gurdwara Bibi Nanaki: To provide a place of worship for Sikhs residing in the northern part of Stockholm a second gurdwara—Gurdwara Bibi Nanaki Sahib was established in 2002 in a purchased and renovated summer cottage outside Upplands Väsby. GOTHENBERG 3. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha—inaugurated in 2002.

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MALMO 4. In 2006 Sikhs purchased a cellar apartment in a residential area of Malmö and renovated it into a gurdwara. SIKH YOUTH ORGANIZATION

‘Sikh.se’ is an organization run by the Sikh youth of Stockholm. The youth organization consists of Sikh students (mainly) settled in Stockholm, who regularly get together and spend time together with a variety of activities. Among other activities, ‘Sweden Sikhs’, have collected money in money-boxes on behalf of the Swedish Red Cross, in relation to the Tsunami victims, and the victims of Pakistan earthquake, and has engaged in other charity related activities. Other times there have been physical activities (sports, and other leisure activities), and discussions on the society. The organization was founded in December 2004, and is gradually growing. ‘Sweden Sikhs’ is a non-profit and politically neutral organization. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

A SIKH

IN THE

SWEDISH ARMY

Panthic Weekly News Bureau, 25 September 2005 Stockholm, Sweden (KP)—In April 2003, Swedish born Jaspal Singh applied to join the Swedish military defence service at the age of 19 years, after completing his education. He applied to join military service wearing his turban and with flowing beard. Jaspal Singh surprised the military officers when he turned up at the military defence service in Karlskrona with turban. The Swedish Army made a positive move by allowing and respecting the Sikh turban and distinct appearance. Jaspal Singh completed his 17 weeks basic military service training on 8 April 2005. Finishing the military basic training, Jaspal Singh chose to study Medicine. He is set to graduate and receive a diploma from the Army on 13 January 2006. Completing the full training and graduating from the Swedish Army will mean that Jaspal Singh will be on call to assist the Swedish Army when

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needed. In Sweden, the ‘Equality Law’ is complemented by three laws implemented in 1999, which protect from discrimination due to religion, ethnic origin, functional disability, or gender. CASE STUDIES

MATS JASSA SINGH A Swedish Sikh Convert Interviewed on 24 June 2013, Stockholm ‘I was born in 1959 in Stockholm and was given the name of Mats Erik Hogstrom. I had studied economics post high school for two years in what is called gymnasium in Sweden. As soon as I finished school in 1977 at age 18, I was ready to travel, and the first foray was to be to India.’ Details of his travels are given in Appendix. Prior to his visit to India, the only contact with the Sikhs had been minimal. According to him, ‘I had seen a Sikh boy, son of an Indian Embassy employee when I was six years old. A 1977 visit to Golden Temple also did not have any immediate impact on me vis-à-vis later developments as a Sikh. In my innocent understanding, I expected that everybody in India would be wearing a turban. The only other thing I knew about India was ‘Taj Mahal’. On return to Sweden, I decided to settle down in Stockholm and started working till 1984. I was a caretaker in a kindergarten looking after 1-12 year old boys. In 1984 I saw in the newspapers what was happening to Sikhs in India and read about ‘Operation Blue Star’ and killings post Indira Gandhi’s assassination. I did not like Indira Gandhi and the politics she stood for. I saw a picture of Bhindranwale who had stood up to her. I developed an interest in Sikhs without any previous thought process. Besides Amritsar, I had met and interacted with Sikhs who impressed me in Delhi, Darjeeling and Kashmir—that’s all. I went to India for three months with a girl from Sweden. She wanted to have a soft start to our Indian visit beginning with Goa. During 1984 Sikh riots, we were in Goa: I was impacted by what I read. We returned after a year when I got in touch with a Swedish newspaper to go to India to write about the aftermath of 1984 Sikh riots. This time when I came to India, I started to read about the Sikhs and developed an interest in them. I got hold of a translation of SGGS. In 1986, I met the ‘sangat’ in an exhibition in a museum in Stockholm. There were

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about 300-400 Sikhs. One Sikh from England talked about ‘Sikhi’ in English. Many Sikhs who had cut hair started to take ‘amrit’. In 1987, Bhai Rajinder Singh (organizer of the exhibition), a missionary from UK was going to Malaysia. I wanted to go with him but could not get leave from the job I was doing. However in 1989, I quit work and went to Malaysia with Bhai Rajinder’s brother to learn ‘kirtan’, learn a bit of Punjabi and may be marry a Sikh girl: I did not want to marry a Swedish girl. Bhai Sahib’s objective was to use me as a propaganda material claiming that how a Swedish looks at ‘Sikhi’. I was already wearing a turban’. When asked why he chose to go to Malaysia, he replied ‘because Sikhs there are more Westernized’. ‘We travelled around in Malaysia, Singapore and then went to Australia where I met Daya Singh’s Malaysian wife (DS was away). We also went to New Zealand, and Fiji visiting gurdwaras in each country. On return to Malaysia, I met Susheel Ji. On seeing her with ‘dastar’, my curiosity led me to inquire about her from the ‘sangat’. One of my Sikh friends knew her. Susheel travelled with us for a week visiting various gurdwaras in and around KL. I went to Malaysia again in 1990 when we also visited Thailand and Indonesia. During this trip I discussed with Bhai Rajinder Singh about our marriage. On return to Malaysia, we got married in 1990. On return to Sweden, my parents asked me as to when I was getting married. I told them that I was already married. Asked about his parent’s reaction to wearing a turban in 1986, he said ‘Parents told me to walk five metres ahead or behind them and not to walk along with them.’ However, after a year they were bragging about me being their son as a Sikh! I have two brothers. My parents knew a little about Sikhs that they are honest and hardworking people. As a Swedish Sikh it was more difficult to get a job. A Sikh could not drive a tram because of turban—it was a 1986 episode. Again in 1987 a turban wearing Sikh was not allowed to sell tickets on the metro. Both the cases were taken to courts where Sikhs won. Post our marriage, Susheel stayed with Kuldeep Singh, brother of Rajinder Singh, in Birmingham, UK. For getting a Permit to reside in Sweden, she had to be in a country other than Sweden. There was, however, no problem in getting the permit. In following years, we went on some trips to European countries with Bhai Rajinder Singh Ji. I worked for a couple of years at the kindergarten where kids loved me with my turban, a job I had to leave again as I went to India. We soon settled down in Sweden and I got a steady job working as a sweeper.

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Susheel is a receptionist. I soon started to study again. My parents were delighted to see that becoming a Sikh has given me some purpose in life other than travelling. I am now a qualified nurse working in a hospital. I am also the Secretary of the local gurdwara. We have two children; Manjodh Singh 16 years, and Harjeevan Kaur 9 years. Manjodh wears turban when he visits Malaysia but not in Sweden where he keeps a ‘gut’. Describing his conversion to Sikhism, he replied: ‘I wanted to take “amrit” in Europe but it was much politicised environ then in Europe’. I had written to ‘Akal Takht’ for ‘amrit’ but got no response. I then went to Pakistan, Nankana Sahib where Sikh families took great care of me. I had gone there during ‘Baisakhi’ when all the ‘sangat’ was in Punja Sahib. Finally, I was able to take ‘amrit’ in 1988 in Sisgunj Gurdwara, Delhi on my fourth visit to India. I had started tying a turban in 1986 (got a turban in Sweden from the Sangat). I can understand Punjabi and can even speak a little bit. Sikh Scene: I am sometimes called ‘Bin laden’ despite being Swedish —turban is good enough to be identified with Taliban. Most of the Sikhs are doing petty business; some are driving buses, taxis (now no restrictions because of turban). Passport has Jassa’s photo with turban. Sikhs started migrating to Sweden in 1970s. He had met a turbaned Sikh Gurkirpal Singh with a Swedish wife who was running a restaurant. Now there would be about 2,000 Sikhs in Sweden, 4-500 of them with turbans. More than half of the total Sikh population live in Stockholm area. In Norway there would be more than 5,000 Sikhs. The main inflows were in 1980s. Post-Taliban problems, the Afghani Sikhs came in—may be 200 of them. (Jasmeet Kaur helped set up the interview with Mats Jassa Singh and Susheel Kaur).

SUSHEEL KAUR Interviewed on 24 June 2013, Stockholm Susheel is 43 years old, and was born in Kuala Lumpur (1970) and belongs to an old Sikh immigrant family of Malaysia. Her father Jaswant Singh was son of an immigrant Sikh and was a lawyer/ solicitor. Her mother’s father Amar Singh was born in Malaysia. Mother runs a tailoring shop especially to make Punjabi dresses. Tailoring runs in the family as ‘Nanaji’ makes ‘kurta pajama, kachere’. Susheel has a brother and a sister but she is the oldest. Brother is a mechanic

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and sister is studying computer engineering. Her mum and dad separated when she was 16 years. Mother married a Finnish living in Malaysia. She has been re-married for ten years but did not want to give up her business. She has just arrived in Helsinki. Finnish guy speaks English which helps in communication. Dad was alcoholic and would beat her mother. He died ten years ago. ‘We used to travel to Malaysia earlier annually but now once in two years. I have a large family in Malaysia.’ She was twenty when she met Jassa. When they had decided to get married, her mother was comparatively open minded, but father was against it as he felt white guy would leave her sooner or later. But she had her faith. It also helped that Jassa had become a Sikh. Susheel moved to Sweden within a month of getting married. She had never been outside Malaysia and it hit her on arrival in Sweden. She was a bit depressed in the beginning. Jassa and his parents helped a lot for her to settle down. When she first returned to Malaysia, everyone was curious to know how she and Jassa were getting along. Susheel studied economics and arts in Malaysia and completed her studies in economics in Swedish and English. She has been working for the last six years as a receptionist/administrator in a semi-Government organization which runs language classes. Before that she was working as a librarian at the Cultural Centre. Describing the scene in Sweden, she said that there were just a few turbaned Sikhs when she first came here in 1990. Now there are about 50-60 turbaned Sikhs. On special occasions, there could be a ‘sangat’ of 150-200. Gurdwara holds Punjabi classes. Here in Sweden, it helped that Bhai Darshan Singh’s wife was a Finish convert and they helped her settle down here. Gurdwara ‘sangat’ was also a great help. Gurdwara functions used to be held in Darshan Singh’s house opposite the small gurdwara that is besides the main gurdwara. It was a wooden cottage,and functioned as the initial gurdwara for twenty years. Later, ‘sangat’ bought more land around this summer house for the new larger gurdwara. According to her, Punjabi spoken here is different from what is spoken in Malaysia.

DR. RAVJEET SINGH BANGA (Son of a Sikh Indian Foreign Service Asylum Seeker, post 1984) Interviewed on 25 June 2013, Stockholm My father, J.S. Banga was posted in Stockholm with the Indian Embassy in 1981. He was directed by the Government of India to explain and

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justify the Government policy vis-à-vis Operation Blue Star to the Sikhs. He went to the gurdwara to do so but he found it extremely onerous and could not do so. The ‘sangat’ encouraged him to resign and seek political asylum in Sweden. He resigned from Government of India at age 55 years as a protest. He confided in a few local people about his plans. Before going to Police Station to seek asylum at night time,he took his personal belongings to a friend’s house. The Swedish authorities recorded the family’s statements. My father also gave an interview at a friend’s house. The Swedish Government did not accept his request for asylum straight away and the communication was only throughthe Police. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, tried to lure my father with a posting in Washington, D.C. For quite some time, my father had to live undercover. Many people helped including Jasmeet’s parents. We stayed in Jasmeet’s father’s apartment. Ultimately, the Swedish Government gave him a one room apartment. On becoming Swedish national, my father ran a confectionary shop. He had 32 years of service with Indian Government and lost all his retiral benefits. He had constructed a house in Janakpuri in Delhi where he was planning to settle down post retirement. It had been given on rent and could not get it back till after 20 years with the help of good friends. He became very depressed and his health deteriorated and he finally died in 1999. My father could not go back to India till after eight years or so when Narsihma Rao regime gave a general amnesty to Sikhs. During the interim period, my ‘Naniji’ died but mother could not go to India. My mother (Satinder Kaur) learnt Swedish and became a qualified nurse. She is now a pensioner and lives near my house in her own small apartment. She was a great force in keeping the family together. She had organized groups for ‘path’ and ‘kirtan’ and even Punjabi nights for poetry reading and other cultural activities. She is a very spirited person. My sister is also in Sweden. She studied in American School, Stockholm because it taught in English medium. She subsequently went to University in Stockholm. She is working with Ericsson and is married to a Gujarati colleague, who is a British citizen. Theirs was the first Indian wedding in Sweden in 1993. She had a 4-year stint as an expat in India with Ericsson as the Head of Innovation Department. Ravjeet was born in Kathmandu where his father was posted then. Ravjeet studied in Chandigarh in a private school. He went to Sweden from Chandigarh where he had done pre-medical studies in Guru Gobind Singh College. He learnt Swedish language post which he

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was asked to do three more years to qualify for the courses he wanted to study in medicine. He asked to be tested based on which he qualified in four months for admission to degree course (1985). He completed MBBS specializing in surgery from north of Sweden, post which he had to do two years of internship. From 1994 to 1999, he specialized in Internal medicine and Nephrology. He got employed as a Specialist thereafter in northern Sweden. He came back to Stockholm in 2002. From 2004-6, he was studying ‘Preventive and Non-aging medicine’ in Belgium, which was a two year course and involved visiting several cities in Europe. From 2007-9, he was associated with ‘Lifestyle Clinic’ in Barcelona, Spain. This was a fairly big enterprise which had large premises and a staff of 15 people. Ravjeet has now started his own consultancy company which has long term contracts with hospitals. He met a girl from Barcelona while he was studying in Belgium and got married after courtship of six months. The marriage ceremony was held in Manorca (small island near Island of Majorca), on a hill in a small Catholic church on 30 June 2006. Interestingly he was able to convince the Bishop to allow him to marry with a turban. The priest very graciously even changed a few verses to make the statements somewhat neutral. On 16 July, they had ‘anand karaj’ in the Stockholm gurdwara. He has three daughters: Aisha, Noa, and Aina (triplets) 4 years old. Sikh Scene 1984 (19 years old)—Issues faced as a Sikh: In 1980s people would photograph me and then move away but generally there was a positive message. The negative attitude faced was post-1984 due to Government of India’s propaganda. In subsequent years people would confuse me with Bin Laden’s followers. Now I feel well integrated here. I speak to my children in Punjabi and my wife speaks Catalon to them. I take them to gurdwara near airport. P.S. Harry Banga, of Hong Kong and Dev S. Banga of Delhi are his ‘Chachas’. Harry’s Dadaji and Ravi’s Dadaji were brothers.

JASMEET KAUR Interviewed on 25 June 2013, Stockholm Jasmeet Kaur: Born December 1985 (her brother born September 1988). Jasmeet went to a Swedish kindergarten School. ‘Our father was keen for children to learn English and hence he got me admitted to the American School when I was four and a half years old. I was there for three years and thereafter transferred to a new English school,

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partly private and partly Government in 1993. My brother and I used to take a public bus to school. Our mother used to see us off at the bus stop. In 2004, I joined the university for a four-year course. We travelled a lot as dad liked travel. We went to Holland, Canada and USA in 1993 summer. Father ensured that we attended Sikh ‘Gurmat’ camps in UK regularly sometimes participated even twice a year. Since I was proficient in English, I wanted to study in UK. There came an option to study in the International Business School which was an English medium institution. Five candidates applied but I was the only one who got admission from where I graduated in 2008. Before graduation, I got a job with L’Oreal during summer in the accounts department. Later on they wanted to transfer me to LG which I refused as I wanted a more challenging job. I quit and came to India to spend three months in Jalandhar with ‘Naniji’ where I took the opportunity to attend ‘Gurmat Sangeet’ classes, and learned to stitch clothes and other chores. Earlier on, I went to Malaysia in December 2006 as we had heard about the ‘Gurmat’ Camps in Kaula Lumpur. I was very impressed with almost four hundred ‘sevadars’ in attendance. While I was in KL, I took up language classes and some other subjects including ‘kirtan’, returning in May 2007. Sikhs: Differences in Malaysia and Scandinavian countries. Her comments are very interesting. After being in Malaysia for 100 years the community is less Punjabi but more devout Sikh. They have developed taste for local cuisine. Their focus is less on ‘Punjabiat’ and more on Sikhi. Punjabiness has declined. They have, however, kept alive the Sikhi—‘gurmat’. She observed that Sikhs in Thailand (mainly Bangkok) are more united by having only one gurdwara. In Norway Sikh parents encourage their children to join Sikh camps and visit gurdwara. This is somewhat missing in Sweden. Denmark has a small Sikh presence and even the gurdwara has been closed (since opened). So this affects Sikhi. Gurdwara is the most important binding factor.

RAJINDER SINGH ( JASMEET’S FATHER) Interviewed on 25 June 2013, Stockholm He came to Finland in 1975 from India together with a friend. There were about 75 to 78 Sikhs in Finland then. His journey was mainly by surface transport with stoppages in Amritsar, Kabul, Ankara, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany, Poland and finally by boat to Finland.

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He knew a boy from Phagwara who was living in Helsinki. They stayed in a Youth Hostel. He helped them get jobs after a month. He started working as a dish washer and general cleaning, etc., in a restaurant. They were with turbans which they later took off. Immigration laws were a bit stiff in Finland (visa for three months only) but Sweden was more accommodating in granting visa for one year. Norway was also an option, but Sweden offered opportunity to work and stay. Sweden had already granted immigration to exiles from Uganda in 1971. He was 20 years old when he left India. He had gained some work experience in India, as turner, drill machine, and lathe machine operator. After learning local language, he could find a job as a mechanic where he worked for five years. He then decided to set up his own confectionery shop which he ran for 15 years till 2003. Thereafter he got a special license to drive vehicle for disadvantaged (handicapped people). He drives a bus for them. Once he felt settled, he re-started wearing turban from 1982. The same year gurdwara started being established. He went back to India for the first time in December 1980 and again in 1982 to get married. He brought his parents in 1998 on permanent basis. He has a sister in Sweden and a brother in India.

RESHAM SINGH (Several Deportations & Other Adventures) Interviewed on 25 June 2013, Stockholm (Best Western Bentley Hotel) Born 1946, he came to Sweden in 1976. ‘I joined Indian Navy in 1963 and subsequently was accused of having taken part in a mutiny (19678) on a Naval Ship in India. I was temporarily arrested and thereafter grounded under suspicion and posted with Madras Coastal Battery and thereafter INS Hooghly, both shore assignments. On completing ten years’ service, I became entitled to quit which I did in 1973. The same year, I obtained a passport and went to Canada from where I was deported to India as the Government inquiry on the mutiny was still going on. I managed to get a new passport and this time went to Holland on one-month visitor visa where I was to join a ship as a sailor. On a friend’s advice, I decided against it. Since I had overstayed beyond visa duration, I was once again deported to India. I got still another passport but this time with no turban in the photo. This time, I flew to Kabul with a friend and we made our way to

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Greece by surface transport in 1974. My companion wanted to go to America, but I decided to work for a year or so to earn money. I had very little money as deportations are expensive on purse. (I helped my companion get a job on a US-going ship where he worked for five years. He met an Indian girl from USA who was originally from Fiji. He brought her back to India and got married. He could therefore migrate to USA and is now well settled there with two children.) I joined a ship in Greece for about 15 months. There were another 14 Indians on the ship who were misappropriating company funds. They wanted to get me out of the way somehow or the other. When the ship was in an Iranian port, I told the local agent as to what was happening (the ship was doing Israel-Iran run). As a compromise, I was given a ticket for Kuwait from where I came to Nuremburg, Germany, where I applied for political asylum. I worked as a welder in a manufacturing unit for about 18 months. Because of some family problems, I had to return to India. My employers were keen for me to stay and promised to get me a work visa. In India, I learnt that it was possible to migrate to Sweden and hence I came here—I had with me $14,000. I had been told that the girls in Sweden were willing to help get immigration. I established contact with a girl who was majoring in Mathematics and was a member of the Communist party. I, however, made it clear to her that I did not want to get married: in any case the girl was highly qualified and hence we could not have lasted very long together. She still helped by reporting to the police that I was living with her. I was thus able to get Permanent Residence status in end1976. I got jobs easily, initially to make beds in trains. I worked till 1981, when I went back to India where I got married. My wife joined me after three months. She (Mohini Bains) started studying for a computer course. We had a son in 1983 (Ranjit). I became a Sikh again in 1984 by keeping turban. In 1987 we had a daughter (Gagandeep). In 1988, I started my own business of clothes retailing which I continued till 2007 when children insisted for me to take retirement and I was entitled for pension. My son, now 30 years old, is a civil engineer. He got married last year to a girl who was born in Canada but has a British passport and lives in Denmark with her family. They are living with me at present. My daughter is in final year of medical degree programme in Denmark. I go to Punjab twice a year. I had put in a lot of labour in constructing the gurdwara here. He described his and his family’s frustrating experiences in India at Bangla Sahib and Hazoor

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Sahib gurdwaras. In contrast, he was so impressed with gurdwaras and their managements in Malaysia. We are four brothers (one in Canada, two in India) and three sisters (one in USA and two in India). Most of their children are abroad. He described precarious condition of recent immigrants in Greece especially the girls. Even in Georgia immigration of Sikhs is facing opposition by local population.

CHAPTER 17

SWITZERLAND

INTRODUCTION

A small Sikh population most of whom came in the mid 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1990’s there were about 3-4,000 Sikhs seeking amnesty. Only 15 were granted asylum. Rest went to other countries. There are some Sikhs who are working in UN or other international organizations, and a few professionals who are well settled. Gurdwara in Lagenthal took a long time to be established but is very impressive in traditional architecture and with ‘Nishan Sahib’ prominently displayed. THE COUNTRY

A landlocked, mountainous country, Switzerland’s geographical position in central Europe and studied neutrality have given it the access and political stability to become one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Switzerland has for centuries been a neutral state, which means that it cannot take part in armed conflict unless it is attacked. Its forces can only be used for self-defence and internal security. It joined the United Nations only in 2002. Surrounded by the European Union, it has vacillated between seeking closer engagement with its powerful neighbours and other international organizations, and preferring a more isolationist course. The people are given a direct say in their own affairs under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, which has no parallel in any other country. They are invited to the polls several times a year to vote in national or regional referendums and people’s initiatives.

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According to Rough Guide all the quaint stereotypes are true—cheese, chocolate, clocks, obsessive punctuality—but there’s much more to Switzerland than this. The major cities are cosmopolitan and vibrant, transport links are excellent, and the scenery takes your breath away. Switzerland is diverse and multilingual—almost everyone speaks some English along with at least one of the four official languages. SIKH IMMIGRATION

The Indian community in Switzerland numbers approximately 25,000, most of whom are professionals. It is concentrated in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Baden, Bern and Lausanne. There are about 400-500 Sikhs including families. Most of them came in the mid-1980s or the 1990s. In early 1990s there were about 3,000-4,000 Sikhs seeking amnesty. Only 15 were granted asylum. Rest went to other countries. The general pattern of those who stayed back was that they came to Germany on tourist visa but were not very successful in getting jobs, etc. there, and moved to Switzerland and married locally. After a few years, they divorced local wife to get a wife from Punjab. Some of them thereafter felt confident enough to put on turban again. Most of them declared themselves on arrival as unmarried (even if married in India). One guy whom I met in Langenthal, had on entry declared himself as married with two children back in Punjab. He was brought to Switzerland by his wife’s brother. It was mutually agreed to seek a voluntary divorce so that he could get married locally. Children were subsequently brought and educated here. He will now possibly bring his earlier wife. Several Sikhs work in restaurants as assistants and cooks—some of them even graduating to running their own restaurants. Others upgraded themselves into IT field and set up their own businesses after gaining experience as employees. Some others had to find odd jobs but most of them had tough times initially. They visit Punjab frequently and are happy. One interesting factory worker wants to retire and settle back in Punjab with pension and provident

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fund (if a person decide to leave the country, he can get these benefits before age of 65). All these countries have great social security benefits, e.g. unemployment, health insurance, etc. GURDWARAS

There are three gurdwaras, the main one being at Langenthal. Langenthal Gurdwara: The main gurdwara is located in Langenthal (more or less equidistant from Bern, Basel and Zurich). It is an impressive building constructed in the traditional style with dome height of 15 metres, and with the ‘Nishan Sahib’ prominently flying. ‘Sangat’ size on Sundays is 40-70 numbers, the attendance being much higher on Gurpurbs and other special occasions. The gurdwara’s ground floor houses the kitchen and the dining room as well as rooms for guests. It might be interesting to give some details as to how the gurdwara came into operation through a long period of ‘permissions’, fund raising and actual construction and inauguration. The Gurdwara was not built in few weeks, months or years. It has taken a full decade to come into existence (1996-2006). The Sikhs of Switzerland started the project in 1996 when they applied for permission to start construction of the gurdwara. The process of seeking permission took nearly two years. The foundation stone of gurdwara was laid on 11 January 2001. The ceremony was headed by Panj Pyaras. The then mayor of Langenthal, Mr. Hans Jürg Käser was also present in that ceremony. The local media extensively covered this attractive ceremony. This coverage by media proved to be a milestone in getting the Sikhs recognized all over Switzerland. All sorts of obstacles like financial, legal, hate crimes and even some conspiracies had to be overcome. The actual construction work at the site could start only on 25 October 2002. Bhai Harjinder Singh Ji (Srinagar wale) especially flew into Switzerland to grace this occasion. The last and most crucial phase of this project was the construction of domes

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of Gurdwara Sahib. For this purpose also, permission from authorities was required, which were obtained without any major hiccups. While Sikhs of Switzerland were on the forefront to complete their mission, the valuable contributions of the Sikhs from all over Europe was also a significant factor as it would have been difficult to accomplish this mission without their contribution. GURDWARA SAHIB SWITZERLAND, DANIKEN Some of the Sikhs used to meet monthly in Trimbach (Canton of Solothurn) when they purchased a former car repair shop in Daniken in 2002 and converted the same into a gurdwara (registration on 16 October 2002). GURDWARA SAHIB SCHWEIZ, BASSERSDORF

Another gurdwara was set up in Bassersdorf near Zurich since 2015 through purchase of a former factory building (registered on 4 September 2015). GENEVA

In Romandy, efforts are being made to build a gurdwara. In the meantime ‘sangat’ meets monthly in a rented hall. World Sikh Organization of Switzerland, P.O. Box 53.3015, Bern, Switzerland. Tel: (037) 36 2510. SOME INTERESTING EVENTS The Man in the Orange Turban: Basel, Switzerland David: Sikhchic.com 29 November 2013 There is only one public employee in Basel, Switzerland, who wears a turban. As of now 59 years old Sikh, Dalip Singh Khalsa, from India, fled to Switzerland in 1995, after serving a prison sentence for hijacking an airliner in July 1984, when Sikhs demanded independence from India. Together with other students, they hijacked an Air India A300

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with 264 passengers and crew aboard to Lahore (Pakistan). Dalip Singh was sentenced to death.Several of his accomplices were executed, but after being pardoned by Pakistan’s Premier Benazir Bhutto, Dalip Singh migrated to Switzerland, fearing India’s broken ‘justice system’ if he returned home, even though it meant he would never see his family again. He lived and worked in Basel, cleaning roads, sidewalks and public places, until 2008, when the authorities revoked his permit, saying he didn’t deserve his temporary refugee status. Only then it was revealed that he had hijacked an aircraft 24 years ago. But by then, the man with the orange turban and his orange work clothes had turned into someone who would be missed by the population of Basel. A huge wave of support began, and nobody wanted to see the friendly man go back to India, and in 2010, the authorities granted him a permanent stay permit, and he continues to work for the city cleaning service. After 17 years of separation, his wife got a permit to visit him for three months. Technically, he and his wife are still married, but as the documents cannot be retrieved in India even in the best of times and circumstances, Dalip Singh can neither prove being married, or being not married, and so the courts try to find a solution for a marriage in Switzerland. [Courtesy: Airliners, 28 January 2013] SOME INTERESTING EVENTS

PROMATION OF SIKHI BY A SWISS NATIONAL A Swiss national named Christoph Peter Baumann helped the Sikhs by bringing a SGGS ‘saroop’ from UK (http://www. onlinereports.ch/ Gesellschaft.112+M540f4b7420e.0.html). As a sign of respect, Christoph even held SGGS on his head during the flight. ‘Parkash’ was done initially at a room provided by him. In 1986, the first Baisakhi was celebrated. ‘Sukhmani Sahib’ ‘path’ and ‘langar’ was organized at a hall in Basel. Christoph helped in arranging a hall for this purpose. ‘Paath’ was also being done on weekends at Christoph’s place. The ‘saroop’ was also transferred to the home of Gurcharan Singh Sohal. X Singh purchased a car which enabled him do ‘sewa’ of taking SGGS ‘saroop’ to homes of different people for ‘akhand paaths’. They started to plan to construct a gurdwara and started seeking contributions (doing ‘graayi’). He was also responsible for calling ‘Keertiniya Jathas’ from India for which halls were booked at weekends in Muri,

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Bern and later on when the Langenthal Gurdwara had been set up. As the ‘sangat’ increased, a gurdwara was developed at Daniken. The land was earlier a garage, and construction was made on this site by seeking contributions. It is now a two storey building large enough to accommodate about 500 people at any event. Switzerland has now 4 gurdwaras at Langenthal, Zurich, Danniken, and Geneva. CASE STUDIES

JOGISHWAR SINGH Having served as an Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in India before immigrating to Switzerland in 1984, Jogishwar is a Managing Director in the Edmond de Rothschild Group, Geneva. He was the District Magistrate in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, where he met his future wife while she was visiting India from Switzerland. It was a very short courtship before they decided to get married. He was in Delhi when the Sikh riots post Indira Gandhi assassination took place. He was so horrified that he decided to leave India for good. Having decided to make his life outside India, he settled down in Switzerland where he restarted from scratch and built a new professional career. He was one of the awardees of Sikh Awards 2016 by Sikhchic. Born at Khanna, Punjab in 1951, he did his MSc (Physics), MA (History) from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and DESS at Sorbonne, Paris, followed by a PhD from Ruprecht-Karla University in Heidelberg, Germany. Dr. Singh is fluent in eight languages and has basic knowledge of two others. He says, ‘I am unable to say whether my not being chosen for some of the professional positions during my earliest years in Switzerland was due to my visual identity as a Sikh or not, since my professional experience as an IPS or IAS officer in India corresponded to nothing comparable that a Swiss organization could identify with. But overall my turban has not been of any hindrance to my professional career. Indeed, it has been of positive advantage. As for example, I am the most visible participant at meetings which keep taking place within the Rothschild Group. Some years ago, Swiss television had made a telecast about my wife and me: of how we had met, what our story had been. The Swiss TV crew had come to our house and actually filmed me tying my turban. My wife and I had gone on a live Swiss telecast,

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wearing perfectly matching colours, she in a blue salwar-kameez and I with a matching turban. Audience reactions had been very positive. Many people had made observations about the harmony between the colours that my wife and I had been wearing. He is full of stories on his colour choice of his turbans and people’s reaction especially the ladies.’ He has authored two books: Banks, Gods and Government and Musings of a Swiss Sikh: Essays on Sikh History. I have known him for some years and the best way to describe him is: ‘He is quite a guy and a passionate Sikh!’

PRABHJOT SINGH KAUR I was born on 5 December 1991 in Basel, Switzerland. My father migrated from Dera Baba Nanak, Punjab to Switzerland in 1984. In December 2017, I completed my Masters of Law from the University of Basel. Presently I am a Legal Trainee at the Civil Court of Basel-Landschaft. I grew up as a Sikh in a country where the Sikh community is very small compared to other Western countries. This is the reason why most of the Swiss people don’t know much, if anything at all about Sikhism. Whenever I joined a new class or school I was asked to give a short presentation about my religion. My parents have always given importance to keep us—my two younger sisters and me—connected to our roots. They taught us to write and read Gurmukhi at home. From time to time we also attended Sikhi camps at the gurdwara and we used to visit our relatives in Punjab once every two years. Due to the small number of Sikhs in Switzerland most of my friends are of other religions. However I have never felt as an outsider and never experienced racism. I feel that our religion allows us to fully integrate in the Western community without losing our Sikh values. For me it was important to share the same culture and religion with my partner. I recently got married to a Chandigarh based Sikh. Author’s Comment: It is interesting to note that they met through Facebook. Her husband Manjot Singh Cheema is a Lecturer at the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and has Doctorate from IIT, Roorkee. Prabhjot was keen to marry a Gursikh and who could be better than Manjot with his flowing beard and high qualifications and other passions such as serious reading, long distance running and cycling. The only stumbling block was as to where they will settle

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post-marriage and it became a ‘touch-and-go’ romance through internet with breaks and restarts. All’s well that ends well and they tied the knot in March 2018. Manjot has option for immigration to Canada but they will first try out living in Switzerland. He has since migrated to Switzerland.

X SINGH Contributed by Dr. Manjot Singh Cheema Arrival year 1985. Initially he had planned to go to some other country like America or Germany, but had to settle in Switzerland. He just knew that Switzerland is a beautiful country. People at his native village in Punjab had heard of America and Germany only. He told his parents that he wanted to travel abroad due to the fantasy created by their relatives abroad. He started his journey from India by travelling to various countries, and eventually stopped in Switzerland which was not a popular destination amongst Punjabis. When he reached here, the government made him stay in a hostel and asked him to learn Deutsch language. He got his first job in McDonalds. On learning the language he graduated to better job opportunities. In the year 1995, he got married to an Indian girl. It took him 8-10 years to become Permanent Resident of Switzerland (before this, he was married to a Swiss citizen, and later divorced her). His Punjabi wife has also learnt Deutsch language and was able to get a respectable job in the same firm. When they had kids, his wife had to give up her job. He has three children and all are well rooted with Punjabi culture. His wife is actively involved in teaching Punjabi to young children and is also involved in organizing Sikhi camps. They also celebrate Punjabi festivals like ‘Teeyan’, Baisakhi. He visits his native village in India once or twice a year but has no plans to settle back in India. Post retirement, he is planning to spend at least 2-3 months in Punjab. He doesn’t have many friends in Punjab. He has a large house and has a respectable position in the Sikh community here. His children are being educated here. He has helped more that 20-5 Punjabis in getting jobs in Switzerland. He is actively involved in Gurdwara Committee. According to him, only male immigrants were here in the 1980s as family reunion was not possible. This became possible in 1990s when immigrants started to get married and bring their families over. Many

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Sikhs married Swiss nationals and got permanent residency and thereafter Swiss citizenship and passport. Language was the only barrier he faced which he overcame by learning the same. Now many people understand English, but ability to speak Deutsch is essential for better integration with the society. He had cut his hair but since two years, he has started tying a turban while going to work. His colleagues commented that he looks very smart, and ask as to why he didn’t adorn the turban earlier. He now feels that it is a strong symbol of his Sikh identity.

WHY DIDN’T HE WEAR A TURBAN BEFORE? No racism was ever felt by him but people do look at you when you wear a turban. He wasn’t comfortable as people knew less about Sikhs. Many Swiss people were aware of the political conditions in Punjab and they used to say that the Sikhs had killed Indira Gandhi. So he had to explain what Indira had done to Sikhs. He in return questioned them as to how they would react if the Vatican or another church was attacked?

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GURDWARAS

As mentioned in the Introduction, an outstanding feature of the Sikh communities in India or anywhere else in the world has been the setting up of gurdwaras as soon as their numbers become significant. Globally, Sikhs started migrating from the second half of the nineteenth century and the initial migration was sponsored by the British. The British supported and even encouraged the Sikhs (especially in army and police) in South-East Asia, East Asia and East Africa to set up gurdwaras. The earliest public gurdwara was set up in Burma, Rangoon for which the land was given by the Government and even the foundation stone was laid by a British official. Some earliest gurdwaras overseas were set up in Burma – 1897, Shanghai – 1890s, East Africa, Kenya – 1898, Malaysia – 1899, Hong Kong – 1901, Canada – 1907, UK – 1911, USA – 1912, Thailand – 1913. In most far away countries SGGS was brought initially by an individual (in some Latin American and Asian countries by Sindhis) and kept at home which became a gathering point for prayers on Sundays and other holidays. Starting from group worship in homes, the community soon rented a place either for weekends or on a more permanent basis where they could worship together. The next step was to own a premises even in an existing building or part of a building. To begin with the locations were in the industrial areas or suburbs both from view point of availability of space and economics. In due course of time Sikhs started constructing gurdwaras on premises owned by them and in most cases these were constructed in traditional style of architecture. However, the architecture

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of many gurdwaras is not distinctively Sikh: these are modified buildings that originally served another function. The only external indication that these buildings are gurdwaras are the signboard and yellow flags (‘Nishan Sahib’). In some countries there are restrictions on raising the ‘Nishan Sahib’ prominently. Additionally in countries, e.g. Russia and Greece, gurdwaras are registered as Associations and not as religious establishments. An essential feature in all gurdwaras is the place of worship, space for ‘langar’ and residence for ‘granthi’. The larger gurdwaras have space for a small office and hall or rooms for teaching ‘Gurmat’ and Punjabi language classes or to hold other functions. Some gurdwaras have accommodation for the stay of visitors. GURDWARAS OF EUROPE

According to Myrvold and Jacobsen, ‘the first gurdwara in Europe was founded in Putney (South London) in 1911. A century later, there are a close to a hundred collective Gurdwaras in continental Europe and presumably double that number in the United Kingdom’. According to me there would be about 130-40 gurdwaras in Continental Europe: some larger numbers are in, Germany – 40, Italy – 30, Spain – 15, and Greece – 10. In 1973, 3HO Sikhs (followers of Yogi Bhajan) established the Guru Ramdas Ashram Gurdwara in Amsterdam in 1973 followed by them in 1979 in Frankfurt, Germany. The first gurdwara in Continental Europe by the Sikh immigrants was set up in Denmark in 1980. Most gurdwaras, however, were set up from mid-1980s and the numbers increased substantially from 1990s onwards. GURDWARA ROLE

The gurdwara tradition would seem to be quite unique to the Sikhs. Gurdwaras come in handy for Sikh migrants for stay at intermediate stops (in earlier days even for stays in Calcutta,

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Country

Nos.

Year*

Germany Denmark Netherlands

39 2 6

Norway France Italy Belgium Greece Sweden Portugal Spain Russia Austria Finland Switzerland Poland

3 4 30 5 15 4 1 15 1 7 1 3 1

1979 1980 1981 1973 1983 1989 1991 1993 1993 1997 1998 1998 2000 2002 2005 2006 2007

Total

City Frankfurt Copenhagen Rotterdam & Amsterdam Ramdas Ashram, 3HO Oslo Paris – Bobigny Reggio Emilia Sint-Truiden Athens Stockholm Lisbon Barcelona (Possibly 22 gurdwaras) Moscow Vienna Helsinki Langenthal Warsaw

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Source: Prepared by the author. Note: *Year 1st Gurdwara was built.

Bombay and Singapore while waiting for ships to their chosen destinations). Newly arrived immigrants found gurdwaras to be the most important and useful first contact point before settling down. The gurdwaras are an important institution for the community. Aside from their religious function, these centres are also of great help in the process of integrating new comers and refugees. Gurdwara is also first contact point for a new arrival to get to know about other immigrants. It is a meeting point and provides opportunity for social networking and get-togethers and provides shelter to genuine visitors. There have been instances in recent years where the stay of illegals have caused problems for the gurdwaras which resulted in police raids. Most gurdwaras are now very particular in establishing bonafides for night stay. ‘Langar’, however, is avail-

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able on unrestricted basis and is also most welcome by the unemployed in times of distress. Some travel websites since long have encouraged visitors (non-Sikhs) to go to gurdwara for shelter when they run out of options. Similarly, I had read somewhere that when immigrants are stranded and they have no place to go to, Immigration Authorities advise them to go to the Sikh gurdwara as they would get shelter and food there. Overall the gurdwaras are doing a great job in bringing together the community and keeping linkage with Sikh religion and Punjabi culture. ‘Langars’ are a great event in all gurdwaras almost 24 × 7. Even a stray visit at any time of the day is greeted with ‘chai’ followed by a Punjabi meal: the granthis in gurdwaras are always keeping the pot boiling— food wise! No matter what the size of the community in a particular location, the gurdwara has played a vital role in the lives of the Sikhs. As an outreach to the locals, the management of the gurdwaras encourage and in fact invite children, students and visitors to learn about the Sikh religion, which is little known in most places. Many gurdwaras offer classes in ‘gurmat’ and Punjabi language and in some cases ‘gatka’— the Sikh martial arts. GURDWARA ISSUES

There are, in some instances, problems in setting up gurdwaras in some countries because permissions are needed, which at times are not easily granted. Raising of the ‘Nishan Sahib’ prominently in gurdwaras is not allowed or is restricted in some cases (in Helsinki Gurdwara, Nishan Sahib is displayed only inside in the main hall). It is sometimes a long wait for a gurdwara to be set up. As an example, Swiss Gurdwara Langenthal took 10 years to become operational. The gurdwara was not built in few weeks, months or years. It has taken a full decade to come into existence (1996-2006). The Sikhs of Switzerland started the project in 1996 when they applied for permission to start construction of the gurdwara. The process of seeking permission

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took nearly two years. The foundation stone of gurdwara was laid on 11 January 2001. All sorts of obstacles like financial, legal, hatred and some conspiracies had to be overcome. The actual construction work at the site could start only on 25 October 2002. The last and most crucial phase of this project was the construction of domes of Gurdwara Sahib. For this purpose also, permission from authorities was required, which were obtained without any major hiccups. Financial contribution by Sikhs from all over Europe was a significant factor. In some countries such as Poland, certain minimum community size (100 in case of Poland) are needed to get permission to set up a gurdwara. On the other hand in some countries of Scandinavia, the Government offers financial help for running of the gurdwaras. Getting good ‘granthis’ is an issue especially because the remuneration can be low. However in some cases an illegal immigrant can be helped with regularization of his stay. ‘Raagi Jathas’ brought in say by a gurdwara in Italy on Schengen visa can then tour other countries so that ‘sangats’ across the Continent can enjoy high calibre ‘kirtan’. In many places, ‘nagar kirtans’ are organized but generally without the SGGS. Gurpurbs and Baisakhi are enthusiastically celebrated. As is unfortunately the case in many countries, there are problems in management of gurdwaras resulting in some of these being locked out, say in Denmark, Italy, etc. A feature in many European gurdwaras is that the ‘langar halls’ are displaying the photos of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other ‘shahids’ of 1980s vintage. Many immigrants of that era came to Europe seeking asylum—such an emphasis is therefore understandable but whether such prominent projection is desirable is a matter of debate. Some sections of the ‘sangats’ in many places are politically active vis-à-vis the Sikh problems back home. As years have passed, the collective memory of the events of the 1980s and the early 1990s has waned. Political views such as Khalistan have become dividing issues in the community. The wave of immigration during the 1980s and

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the 1990s comprised of many Sikhs who were escaping harassment in their homeland, and were more orthodox in their faith. These led to further struggles in the gurdwaras and questions about the identity as a Sikh has come to dominate political discussion. Included in it is the role of Sehajdhari and the Amritdhari Sikhs in the management of gurdwaras. Controversies on who controls the resources, the perceived misuse and the fights for recognition of the legitimate leader have been a part of this institution and continue to be so today. EUROPE: GURDWARAS VISITED

Total number of gurdwaras visited in three years: 63. EUROPE, 2010 Denmark 1: (locked). Italy: (1) Falero; (2) Borgosan Giacm (langar closed); (3) Reggio Emmilia; (4) Mantova; (5) Novellero; (6) Castelgomberto; (7) Vincenza. Switzerland 1: Langenthal Total 9 gurdwaras EUROPE, 2012 1. Spain: (1) Badalona; (2) Nanaksar Gurdwara; (3) Gurdwara Gurdarshan; (4) Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Majorca; (5) Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Majorca; (6) Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, Valencia; (7) Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Madrid Centro; (8) Gurdwara Nanaksar. 2. Portugal: 1 gurdwara. 3. France: (1) Bobigny; (2) La Courneuve; (3) Bourget; (4) Bondy. 4. Belgium: (1) Gurdwara, Vilvoorde; (2) Gurdwara; (3) SintTruiden (4) Gurdwara, Liege. 5. Netherlands: (1) Gurdwara Rotterdam; (2) Gurdwara Amsterdam; (3) Gurdwara Den Haag. 6. Germany: (1) Gurdwara Essen (i); (2) Gurdwara Essen (ii) (3) Gurdwara Duisburg; (4) Gurdwara, Cologne (i);

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(5) Gurdwara, Cologne (ii); (6) Gurdwara, Cologne (iii); (7) Gurdwara, Cologne (iv) (8) Gurdwara, Stuttgart; (9) Gurdwara Frankfurt; (10) Leipzig; (11) Cheminitz; (12) Berlin; (13) Munich 7. Poland: (1) Gurdwara Warsaw. 8. Austria: (1) Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Vienna; (2) Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Vienna; (3) Gurdwara Vienna; (4) Gurdwara Klagenfurt; (5) Gurdwara Salzburg. Total 39 EUROPE, 2013 1. Russia: (1) Moscow. 2. Greece: (1) Athens; (2) Oinofyta; (3) Theva; (4) Krinidi; (5) Crete; (6) Korinthos; (7) Meghara. 3. Norway: (1) Grammen; (2) Oslo. 4. Sweden: (1) Stockholm. 5. Finland: (1) Helsinki. Total 12 ITALY, 2015 1. Sabaudia: Shri Guru Singh Sabha; (2) Rome Suburb, Gurdwara Nanak Darbar, (3) Rome Suburb Gurdwara Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib. Total 3 Total gurdwaras visited 63. In our 2012 travels to Europe, we paid obeisance at 39 gurdwaras in 8 countries, 24 cities in 34 days. That was some record! Our quick observations: Langar is available 24 × 7 which is popular. As soon as we entered a gurdwara, tea was offered by the ‘granthi’, post which he would advise us to ‘matha teko’. Thereafter simple ‘langar’ consisting of ‘roti’, ‘daal’ and ‘sabzi’ was provided. We were impressed with how professionally the men were cleaning floors, cleaning mirrors and utensils and similarly women cleaning shoe racks. We noticed the high

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level of discipline which is not seen in gurdwaras in India/ Punjab: the high order of cleanliness, tidiness, and overall efficiency. We were wondering if our folks have imbibed these traits working locally in restaurants, etc. GURDWARAS: GERMANY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Berlin. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sabha, Berlin. Gurdwara Sri Dashmesh Singh Sabha, Bremen. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Hamburg (i). Sri Guru Nanak Darbar, Hamburg. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Hamburg (ii). Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Hannover. Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Hannover. Gurdwara Gurmat Parchar, Leipzig Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Leipzig. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Chemnitz. Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Moers. Gurdwara Nanaksar, Essen (i). Gurdwara Nanaksar, Essen (ii). Gurdwara Dashmesh Singh Sabha, Duisburg. Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Singh Sabha, Köln. Gurdwara Teg Bahadur Sahib, Köln. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash, Köln. Gurdwara Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, Köln. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Soest. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Iserlohn. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Mannheim. Gurdwara Sikh Center, Frankfurt. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Niwas, Stuttgart. Gurdwara Sat Sang Darbar, Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Gurdwara Sahib, Tübingen. Gurdwara Nanaksar, München. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Augsburg. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Mission, Nürnberg. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Darbar, Neunkirchen

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31. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Darbare, Offebbach 32. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Paderborn 33. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Regensburg. 34. Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Darbar, Regensburg. 35. Gurduwara Sahib Tubingen. 36 Gurdwara Gobind Sagar, Würzburg. 37. Gurdwara Singh Sabha Ulm 38. Gurdwara Sikh Gemeinde, Lahr. 39. Gurdwara Sahib Moers Germany. GURDWARAS: ITALY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Gurdwara Dasmesh Darbar Sikh Temple, Bologna. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Flero, Brescia. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Novara. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Castelfranco Emilia Modena. Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Darbar, Rome. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Rome. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Novellara, Reggio Emilia. Gurdwara Shri Guru Kalgidhar Singh Sabha, Vescovato, Cremona. Gurdwara Shri Singh Sabha, Pasiano di Pordenone (Pordenone). Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Castelgomberto, Vicenza. Gurdwara Singh Saba, Sabaudia Latina. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Mission Sewa Society, San Bonifacio (Verona). Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur Ji, Nibbia, San Pietro Mosezzo, Novara. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Cortenuova Bergamo Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Niwas, Luzzana Bergamo. Gurdwara Singh Sabha Marene. Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur Ji, Trecate Novara. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Fabriano, Ancona. Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar.

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20. Gurdwara Sangat Sabha Penna, Fraz. Terranuova Bracciolini, Province of Arezzo. 21. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Terni. 22. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Parma. 23. Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Bari. 24. Gurdwara Singh Sabha,Via Luigi Galvani 18 Bolzano. 25 Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. (Reggio di Calabria). 26. Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lubana (borgo san giacomo; brescia). 27. Gurdwara Baba Lakhi Shah Vanjara (pontecurone; Alessandria) 28. Guru Nanak Mission Marche Gurdwara [portosan’ telepdio] marche. (2 names missing) Total gurdwaras 30. COLLATED

1. http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwaras_ in_Europe 2. http://www.gurdwara-germany.com/ 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gurdwaras_in_ Europe

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SIKHS IN WORLD WARS I AND II

The Forces of British India played a major role in both World Wars. In the First World War, the strength of the British Indian Army rose to 1 million and in the Second World War to 2.5 million. During these two wars 169,700 Indians died. Sikhs had a very significant presence in the British Indian Army and they played a leading role in both the World Wars in various fronts including Europe. The iconic photo of a French lady presenting a flower to a Sikh soldier while they were marching on Champs Elyse tells it all! Vicky Singh in an article published in Sikh Spectrum, Issue no. 7, December 2002, has outlined Sikh involvement in the two World Wars. WORLD WAR I Indian Army fought in China, France and Belgium—Flanders at Ypres twice from 22 October 1914 till 31 October 1914 and from 22 April 1915 till 1 May 1915, La Bassee, and Neuve Chapelle from 10 to 13 March 1915, Auber’s Ridge, Festubert, Loos 25 September 1915, Givenchy and Somme from July 1916 to November 1916 and in Mesopotamia against Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine in Gallipoli and in East Africa. The Royal Indian Marine also played a role in the war. Over 138,000 Sikh soldiers fought in Belgium and France during World War I. More than a quarter of these soldiers became casualties. When the First World War broke out in 1914, there were six battalions of the Sikh Regiment forming part of the British Army. They were named as 14th Ferozepur Sikhs, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 35th Sikhs,

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36th Sikhs, 45th Sikhs and 47th Sikhs. Since Sikh soldiers were known for their bravery, the British employed all their battalions, except the 35th Sikhs, for fighting at such far-away places like Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and France. In all the battles in which they fought, they had to suffer heavy causalities. In August 1914, as the German Army advanced through France and Belgium, more Allied troops were desperately needed for the Western Front. The Indian Army, 161,000 strong, seemed one obvious source of trained men. In October, shortly after they arrived, they were inducted into some of the fiercest fighting around Ypres, Belgium. The average Sikh battalion had 764 men when it landed; by early November Sikhs had only 385 men fit for duty. In the first battle of Ypres at Flanders in 1914 a platoon of Sikhs died fighting to the last man, who shot himself with his last cartridge rather than surrender. The Sikh Corps provided half the attacking force at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, France. The Sikhs again took heavy losses at the Battle of Loos, France in September. After the bloody battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915, the Sikh regiments had lost 80 per cent of their men. The battle of Gallipoli was fought to capture Constantinople so as to reach the Turkish land. AN INTERESTING WAR STORY

www.mirror.co.uk, news. 10 June 2018 Pushing a badly-wounded captain in a wheelbarrow under heavy fire through no man’s land, the brave lieutenant risked his life to save his superior. The British assault in the 1915 Battle of Neuve-Chapelle in France ended disastrously, like so many in the First World War, when the reinforced Germans counterattacked. Mercifully George Henderson, the injured captain, recovered and survived the war. His saviour did not. Shot in the leg during the daring rescue, amputation couldn’t save a hero who died of blood poisoning and gangrene a few weeks later despite evacuation to a Brighton hospital. Subedar Manta Singh, of 2nd Sikh Royal Infantry, was a turbaned Sikh from the Punjab in India, one of 83,000 killed fighting in the service of Great Britain during two world wars. More than 100,000 Sikhs were wounded.

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WORLD WAR II A company of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps was part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 campaign which ended in the evacuation from Dunkirk (France). Divisions of the British Indian Army fought in the Western Desert, in the Middle East, in Eritrea, Ethiopia, they fought in Italy at Cassino, Florence, Forli, Ravena, Sangro River and took part in the liberation of Greece. Of course, the British Indian Army played its greatest role against Japan in the East. Sikhs fought in Forli (1943-5) in 1st, 2nd, 8th, 11th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiment, Nabha Akal Infantry, 1st Sikh Engineers, 11 Sikh Regiment, 12th and 13th Frontier Force Rifles, Indian Pioneer Corps and English Regiments with Sikhs like King George V’s. Own Bengal Sappers and Miners, 1st Duke of York Own Cavalry (Skinner’s Horse), 6th Duke of Cannaught’s Own Lancers (Watson Horse), Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry and Royal Indian Army Services Corps. 352 Sikhs died here out of 800 British Indian Soldiers according to Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. For the liberation of Italy, 5,773 British Indian Soldiers died in Italy, mostly Sikhs, along with the Allied forces. Besides Forly, Sikhs also fought in Cassino, Florence, Ravana and Sangro River during World War II.

SIKHS OF EUROPE SEEK THEIR DUE FOR SACRIFICES MADE

Mr. Henderson, a former Commonwealth war graves commissioner, says: ‘It wasn’t really the Sikhs’ war but they were loyal.’ General Sir Frank Messervy (KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO) in Foreword to the book: The Sikh Regiment in the Second World War by Colonel F.T. Bird Wood OBE, published in Great Britain by Jarrold and Sons Ltd., Norwich, says: ‘In the last two world wars 83,005 turban wearing Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded. They all died or were wounded for the freedom of Britain and the world, and during shell fire, with no other protection but the turban, the symbol of their faith.’ The Sikhs came forward and had helped the Europeans at

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the time of grave crisis of World Wars I and II and gave their lives in thousands and in return the Sikhs of Europe are only asking the free world to come forward and give due respect to their community and to their symbols of faith, e.g. with respect to essentiality of wearing a turban. Only then the sacrifices of our great forefathers, given for the freedom of mankind, will be worthwhile. MEMORIALS AND CELEBRATIONS

The recorded history of British Indian soldiers who died in both wars is: World War I (1914-18) = 80,482 World War II (1939-45) = 89,218 Total = 169,700 Besides this, more than quarter of a million were wounded, ill, or taken prisoners of war. Besides India, there are six major war memorials in Europe for Indian soldiers that show their immense courage around the globe. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Chattri, Brighton, UK. Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery, Germany. Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial, France. Pieta Military Cemetery, Malta. Forli, Italy. Ypres (Iepers), Belgium.

Engraved on the graves of Sikh soldiers is ‘Ik Oankar Siri Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh Sanskare Gaye’ in Gurmukhi. Sepoy number, full name, name of the regiment, and date of death are all printed in block letters in English. BELGIUM

The Menon Gate in Ypres has the name of 15 casualties from the 47 Sikh Regiment while alone on 27 April 1915 (during

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the 2nd Battle of Ieper) out of 444 men, 348 did not come back. They are nowhere else commemorated. Between 24 April and May 1915, the Lahore Division had lost 3,889 men, or 30 per cent of the troops it had employed. In 14 months, the Indian Corps had lost 34,252 men (dead, wounded, ill, or prisoners of war) on the Western Front. A news item: To honour 300 years of Khalsa and the sacrifice of Sikh soldiers during World Wars, the city of Ieper together with the European Sikh Community organized a Celebration of Peace on Sunday 4 April 1999 at Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium. Flt. Lt. Mohinder Singh Pujji, a pilot of Royal Air Force who took part in the European campaign was honoured along with several living soldiers of World War II by Governor Paul Brijne of Inflanders Province. A tradition has been set up that every year on 11 November (Armistice Day 11 November 1918), hundreds of Sikhs come from throughout Europe to Ieper to take part in the Poppy parade and pay homage at Menon Gate, the national monument of World War I in Belgium and at Hollebeke where a monument has been built by Belgium Government and inaugurated by Panj Pyare in memory of the Sikh soldiers to mark the celebration of peace on 2-4 April 1999 dedicated to the 300 years of the birth of the Khalsa. Official invitations are being sent to gurdwaras of Belgium, Holland and France every year. Last year a delegation of Sikhs working for the British Police also visited this place. Free meal (langer) is also served on this occasion. Graves (Samaads) are visited by the families of these soldiers from Punjab, Europe, Canada, USA, and Great Britain. Since 1999, on 4 May, the liberation day of Holland, a strong delegation of Sikhs also pays respect in Amsterdam at the National Monument of World War II at Dam square.

ITALY

Sikhs of Europe inaugurate for the first Sikh Military Monument in Forli, Italy on 13 August 2011. Press Release by Bhupinder Singh, Holland Press Release: Forli, Italy, 13 August 2011.

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On Saturday 13 August 2011 thousands of Sikhs from all over the World, mainly from Europe (Italy, United kingdom, Holland, France and Switzerland) gathered at Forli Indian Army War Cemetery in Italy in an inauguration ceremony to reveal the first Sikh military monument dedicated to the Sikh warriors who laid their lives in World War II for the freedom of Europe. For the liberation of Italy, 5,773 British Indian Soldiers have died in Italy, mostly Sikhs, along with the Allied forces. Besides Forly, Sikhs have also fought in Cassino, Florence, Ravana and Sangro River during World War II. Montecchio Precalcino Communal Cemetery and Taranto Town Cemetery Extention have also Samaads of 1 Sikh soldier of World War I each. The event was organized by the World Sikh Saheed (Martyrs) Military Memorial Committee, Italy, with assistance from all the Sikh Sangat and Gurdwaras of Italy and with the kind cooperation of the Town Hall of Forli. Present Governor of West Vlanderen Mr. Paul Breyne in whose province Sikhs have fought twice during World War I, Present Mayor of Ypres Mr. Luc Dehaene whose City was defended by the Sikhs and Chemical Gas Chlorine was used against them in April 1915, David Symons, Director of Communication & Information, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who mantains all the memorials and Cemeteries of World War I & II in 50 countries has send messages of goodwill and congratulations to the Sikh Nation for the inaguaration of the Forly Sikh Monument and were read to Sangat (gathering). Mr Stefan Popdimitrov, sculptor, who created the first military monument dedicated to the Sikh warriors who fell in World War II in Europe attended the ceremony with his wife. His brilliant art/sculptor work on the monument is very detailed and represents the true spirit of the Sikh soldiers. A religious Diwan (gathering) was held to cater for hundreds of Sikh devotees in a nearby marquee to the Forli Cemetery. Mayor of Forly was honored for his tireless services to Sikh community. This first Sikh military monument of World War II will provide continuous inspiration to the upcoming Sikh generations as they will grow with their heads held high among the Italians and European countries as proud citizens of their respected nations. The Sikhs all over the world are very proud of the initiative taken by the Italian Sikhs to bring our military history to the forefront. The monument reflects and may provide a better understanding to the Western authorities in Europe regarding the importance of the turban for the Sikhs. The plaque on the monument placed by the Sikh community,

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Italy states the quotation of Sir Winston Churchill as ‘We are today able to live with honour, dignity and independence. In the war, they fought and died for us, wearing the turbans’. Though the recent research on the contribution of Sikh soldiers during World Wars reveals the figure much higher but Ieper and Forly Sikh Monuments will always remind the world of their great sacrifices for the freedom of mankind.

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CHAPTER 20

ILLEGALS

Illegal migration is so rampant that Immigration Department in India especially in Delhi tend to doubt bonafide of both arriving and departing passengers especially Punjabis. In my own case when I arrived from USA in December 2017, the immigration officer in Delhi looked at my passport and then at me three times. When queried as to what the problem was, he asked whether it was my passport as according to him I didn’t look 80 years old. He smilingly explained how passports are forged and hence his doubt. I, of course, thanked him for his compliment. In talking with immigrants abroad many expressed the difficulties they face when exiting Delhi where Immigration Personnel harass even genuine travellers. The process of illegal travel for migration is termed ‘Donkeying’. EXTENT OF ILLEGAL MIGRATION AND PUNJABI FASCINATION TO GO ABROAD

A couplet from my first book, Sikhs in Latin America aptly describes the current mood of Punjabi youth: Punjab is our nation. Girls are our meditation. Drinking is our profession. Every day is our celebration. To hell with education. Canada is our destination. The following has been excerpted from K.C. Saha (CARIM India Research Report 2012/28), titled, ‘Irregular migration from India to the EU: Punjab & Haryana Case Study’. Saha

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has covered the subject of illegal migration fairly comprehensively. USA has the largest numbers followed by the European Union (estimated at 4-8 million). All European countries (EU and non-EU) experience illegal migration. France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece have a large number of illegals. Although undocumented migration has always been part of the wider migration flows towards Europe, including during the post-war labour migration waves, it has become critical in European public discourse since the 1990s. The increased movement outwards has been accompanied by an unfortunate increase in irregular migration especially from Punjab. Punjabi fascination for alien shores translates into a fanatical mania bordering on suicidal desperation, tragic tales of illegal immigration, of unrequited ambition, of dreams turning sour, of precious lives lost, are written and re-written. Even today an average Punjabi youth would go to any lengths, bear any cost and adopt any means—legal or illegal— to cross the seven seas and start a new life in a new country. They are ready to brave anything, hide as stowaways in tankers, trek for several days at a stretch, bear frostbites, lose limbs, starve, risk falling into the hands of the authorities, serve jail terms. A substantial number of irregular migrants could stay on irregularly for more than 7 years in Germany, Italy and UK. Many could continue for 3 to 7 years in these countries. It implies that while all efforts are made in destination countries to deport irregular migrants but many amongst them do manage to stay on. The ones who have managed to come back narrate how, in every transit country, they are detained and let off after a few days with a warning to leave the country. They move on to the next country and are again detained and let off. Many drown while being transported on cheap boats. Undocumented migration, no doubt, is one of the fastest-growing forms of migration in the world. Many irregular migrants from India were refused entry in different countries in Europe. Most of them then try to submit asylum applications to avoid immediate deportation. The large volume of irregulars can be gauged from the fact that in Italy alone, a total of 44,110 Indian nationals have regularized their status through one of the general amnesties that occurred in the years 1990, 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2009. Undocumented Indian migrants constitute roughly 30 per cent of the estimated Indian population of 170,000 in Italy. The number of irregular migrants from India in Germany today

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amounts to several thousand people. Estimates of undocumented immigrants from India in the Netherlands range from 3,000 to 4,000. The number of apprehensions and arrests in various countries over the years could be as high as half a lakh over the years.

PROFILE OF AN ILLEGAL The majority of irregular migrants are in the age group of 21-30, followed by the age group of 31-40. Irregular migration of women is estimated to be less than 10 per cent. Level of education of irregulars is generally low, majority having studied up to class XII or lower. Thus most of the irregular migrants are young and low skilled. However, it has been noticed that some of the professionally qualified persons such as engineering and management graduates also resorted to irregular migration. A substantial number of irregular migrants had previous history of irregular migration. Irregular migration from Punjab and Haryana continues to be high. On an average about 84 per cent of the irregular migrants are from rural areas and 16 per cent from urban areas. The majority of irregular migrants in rural areas were from agricultural families who could mobilize resources to meet the high cost of irregular migration. REASONS FOR MIGRATION Reasons for irregular migration are economic, social and cultural. As the option of legal migration for most potential migrants is ruled out because of limited opportunities for unskilled workers, they resort to irregular migration. The phenomenon of irregular migration is not a stigma amongst the families of the migrants, provided it is successful. Youths in rural areas in Punjab are not interested in studies. The majority manage to complete education up to matriculation level. They are simply unemployable in India with this poor education. But they have other attributes such as good health,

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drive, initiative, courage, adaptability, capacity to work hard and dream to make it big in life. They consider migration as their best option. Income from agricultural land is not sufficient for big families. Often it is decided amongst brothers that while one would stay in the village to manage cultivation, the others would migrate to other countries to supplement family income. Parents fear unemployed youth would take to drugs and alcohol. They therefore, do not mind family members attempting irregular migration. Apart from the push factors; the pull factors are as important in encouraging irregular migration. Demand for labour exists in several sectors of economy in different countries in Europe. The root of this irresistible attraction lies in economic compulsions. Punjab may be hailed as a prosperous state but very few jobs are available, especially for rural semi-educated youth (who form bulk of irregular migrants). Add to this, corruption and nepotism in the job market and the situation becomes grimmer. So the concerned parents would rather have their children gainfully employed in foreign lands than let them fall prey to depression due to unemployment. MODUS OPERANDI AND ROLE OF AGENTS Indians pay astronomical sums of money to immigration agents also known as ‘kabootarbaazi’ in order to migrate to continental Europe irregularly. The fees by the agents range from 10,000-25,000 Euros for Italy and other continental European countries, and are even higher for the UK, the US and Canada. The modus operandi of agents include jacket substitution, photo substitution in Indian passports and foreign passports, use of forged Indian and foreign passports, re-stitching of passports, tampering with passports; use of forged and stolen visas; use of forged residence permits; use of forged employment visas; use of forged cadet discharge certificate of ship (CDC); use of forged stamps; exchange of boarding cards in security areas at airports; facilitating illegal entry; tutoring to claim asylum and encouraging overstay of tourist visas.

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Passports of even dead persons have been used. In fact, a dead person’s passport is a very valuable document! MIGRATION ROUTES Irregular migrants have attempted to go to different countries. Various destination countries in Europe include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and UK. Amongst these destination countries, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Turkey are likely to be the transit countries for onward travel to prosperous countries in Western Europe. Apart from these transit countries the other transit countries/places are Bahrain, Qatar (Doha), UAE (Dubai), Guatemala, Kuwait, Malaysia and Thailand. UK followed by Italy appears to be the preferred destination for irregular migrants in Europe because of the existing Indian community and the belief that they will be able to find work. The routes for irregular migration (called ‘donkeying’) are numerous and varied, a few of these are described below: Routes to countries in the Western Europe via Russia and countries in the East Europe are the traditional routes. Others enter Germany and Austria via land route from Russia. Entry to Western Europe via Greece has been continuing for many years and it still continues to be popular. Georgia has become another entry point as from there it is easy to obtain a multiple-entry, year-long visa to Turkey and from there to Greece, due to porousness of the Turkish/Greek border and weak control on the Greek side of the border. Another common migration route is to travel by air to Russia (Moscow) usually with a legitimate visa, and then travel by land to Italy via Ukraine and Hungary and Slovakia. Russia continues to be an important transit country for irregular migration to Western Europe.

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Some migrants have entered Greece via Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. A few irregular migrants have entered Spain via North Africa for example via Mali, and Morocco. Another new route is through countries in the Middle East, South-East Asia and of late via China. Some migrants had gone on tourist visas to countries in Africa such as Ghana, Kenya and from there went irregularly to countries in Europe, Canada and USA. Most of the cases of illegal entry into USA via land route had been via Mexico. LAMENT OF AN IMMIGRANT We have talked about how everyone wants to migrate—more so the younger generation. There is, however, the reverse side nostalgia about leaving Punjab/India and how one becomes somewhat of a misfit in new country of adoption. A Pakistani Punjabi has described this aptly in a poem, the first and last stanzas are quoted here. ‘KITHE AA BAITHE HAAN’

MUBARIK SIDDIQI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7NqQmaGfaI)

Dil karda e Europe jayie, Hat te kali ainak payie Peter Robert yaar banayie Pizze burger donner khayie Ethe jaan fassa baithe haan Asi kithe aa bethe haan. Pichle saal bahaana la ke ikk pardesi des nu ja ke kallyan baith ke kabar sirhaane royia mitti seene laa ke heere lok gavaa baithe haan asi kithe aa baithe haan

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CASE STUDIES

SIKHS SABAUDIA, ITALY Punjabi agricultural immigrants: A review Pallavi Aiyar: The Hindu, 29 July 2012 Gurtej Singh, a hulking 40-year-old dressed in a white turban and gold-rimmed dark glasses, told me about the fraught, overland journey he had made from Punjab to Europe after paying an ‘agent’ in India Rs. 3 lakhs. The agent had convinced Gurtej and seven others from his village that the trip would be a cinch. They’d be taken from Delhi to Moscow by plane, before being whisked off straight to Germany in a taxi, they were assured. The reality proved starkly different. The first leg of the trip was indeed by plane to Moscow, but once in Russia they were kept isolated in a windowless room for over a week with little food and no information. Eventually they were joined by small groups of illegals from Vietnam, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They were then taken on foot through the Ukraine and Czech Republic. ‘Madam, it was winter and there was so much snow, sometimes up to our knees,’ Gurtej told me, his voice flat and eyes invisible behind his dark glasses. ‘There was a man in our group who got frostbite and he collapsed. He couldn’t walk anymore. The agent just left him there to die.’ Gurtej eventually reached Germany, his intended destination in Europe, two-and-a-half months after he’d left Punjab. But prospective employers asked him to shave his beard and take off his turban. ‘I refused. Then I heard in Italy they were less strict about these things, so I came here instead.

DALBIR SINGH, ITALY A View of Europe: Perspectives from Indian Immigrants Meenakshi Thapan & Maitrayee Deka (University of Delhi) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279262138 Dalbir Singh, 59 years of age, a welder in a small town in Italy, provides a graphic description of different phases he went through in physical crossing of international borders. He left India when he was 20 years old. First he came down to Kathmandu and stayed there for one week. Then he flew to Yugoslavia via Bangladesh. From Yugoslavia, he took a train to Istanbul and crossed border to Iran by foot (agent took a

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group). It almost took one month to be smuggled to Iran by paying the agent Rs. 10,000 for the journey. He started working in iron welding in Iran as his friends were there. Factory had given him a place to stay; he worked as a contract worker and illegally worked for a year. Then he came back to Turkey. While he was still in Iran, a friend from Italy working in a circus sent him a letter saying that there was work in Italy. When he was 21, he came to Italy without a visa. He felt that Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indians are not given visas easily. After that, he had gone to Bulgaria and another East European. Not getting a visa in both the places, he went to Poland for visa and finally was able to get a tourist visa in Warsaw. He came by train to north east Trieste (Slovenia), from where to Tuscany. He worked there for 7 years in circus (mechanical, welding, driving) along with his friend. Salary was less (22, 23 Euros per week). They cooked on their own; there were also other Indians in Orfei circus which was a family owned circus. From Tuscany, he came to Firenze with puppet circus in 1989 where he could soon get regular papers whereby he could get Italian citizenship and passport. SOME WELL-KNOWN TRAGEDIES CARIM-INDIA

Developing a Knowledge Base for Policymaking on India-EU Migration: Evidence from the Punjab, Viresh Kumar Bhawra CARIM-India Research Report 2013/3 This study has looked at two famous cases of Malta Boat Tragedy of 1997 and Spanish Case of 2004. These provide some chilling details. MALTA BOAT TRAGEDY (1997)

Brief facts: A tragic incident occurred in the Ionian Sea (between Malta and Sicily) on 24-5 December 1996 about 50 km off the coast of Sicily in which 389 persons from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) drowned while travelling in a ship Yohan that capsized in the Mediterranean sea. The drowned persons from Punjab, mostly youth from rural areas,

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were being ferried to Greece for brighter prospects. From India, youths were taken in groups to Alexandria (Egypt) and Istanbul (Turkey) by air, which indicates that they had valid passports and visa for the first leg of journey. They were thereafter taken in small ships to the high seas and were transferred to a big ship. After some days the ship started its journey towards Italy. According to the plan the immigrants were to be transferred to the smaller ships and then to be transported to some destinations. But before that, the ship met a tragic end and most of passengers got drowned. A network controlled by traffickers from Turkey and Kurdistan was suspected to be involved in this tragic incident. Many of the victims were from Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts. As it was a case of illegal migration, death certificates of deceased persons could not be issued for about 10 years. The victims were all males, mostly in the age group of 1732 years who did not have any specialized skills and could have worked as unskilled labour only such as mason, cook or driver. Their family income was meagre as they belonged to low economic strata, owned small landholdings and mostly worked on their agricultural land. Out of total amount of Rs. 5 lakh, part payment of Rs. 4 lakh was to be made in India before departure and rest of the amount was to be paid after reaching Europe. They paid the amount to the agents by either mortgaging or selling their land or by raising personal loan. FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT OF VICTIM FAMILIES

Victim ‘A’, aged 26, had studied till 10th class. One local agent, came in contact with the family members and persuaded them to send ‘A’ to Italy as he would get work easily there. The family agreed and decided to send ‘A’ to Italy for work. The payment of Rs. 2,60,000 was to be paid in 2 instalments Rs. 2,00,000 (before departure) and rest of the amount (after reaching Italy). They were a poor family without much financial status. The amount was paid by selling the 3 acres of land that the family owned. The family paid the initial amount in cash to the agent. In the words of the father of victim, ‘we paid the money to

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the agent by trusting him completely. He assured that my son would get a good job there. But we lost everything. I read in a local newspaper that a ship had sunk in Malta carrying people from Punjab. My son was also in the ship. I lost my son and land both. We did not even get his body.’ Victim ‘B,’ aged 31-2 years at the time of the incident, had done his matriculation. He was married and had 3 children. He worked as a tailor in his village. He came in contact with one local travel agent, from the same district through one of his customers. The agent promised him that he would send him to Italy and also make arrangement for his work there. The agent took Rs. 1,50,000 from him. Then he took him to Delhi and introduced him to a Delhi-based agent. The Delhi-based agent also charged Rs. 1,50,000 from him. Economic status of the family was not that good and the money was arranged partly by selling land and partly by taking personal loans. In the word of elder brother of the victim and the complainant in this case, ‘I was against his decision of going abroad. But he was firm on his decision to go. He was very much influenced by the words of one of his customers/agents who showed him a bright future abroad. But he never reached Italy and died. We did not find even his dead body. He was earning well here but his desire of going abroad at any cost put his life in danger.

SPANISH CASE (2004)

Brief Facts: A total of 37 youth (mostly from Punjab) had reportedly left India towards end of the year 2004 for Spain via African countries including Mali and Morocco. They did not reach their destination and no intimation was received by their family members about their safe arrival. The case went up to the High Court but Police investigations could not provide any leads. The victims were all males, mostly in the age group of 1732 years (barring 3 who were in their 40s and 50s). They were not much educated and were mostly school drop outs and matriculates. Economic status—their family income was meagre as they belonged to low economic strata, owned small landholdings and mostly worked on their agricultural land.

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Out of total amount of Rs 5.5 lakh, part payment of Rs. 4 lakh was to be made in India before departure and rest of the amount was to be paid after reaching Spain. They paid the amount to the agents by either mortgaging or selling their land or by raising personal loan. Victim ‘C’, aged 32 years, was married and had two sons. He had studied till 8th standard. The agent promised to send him to Spain for a sum of Rs. 5.5 lakh where he would earn good amount of money. ‘C’ agreed, mortgaged his land and paid Rs. 4 lakh to the agent. In the words of the mother of the victim, who is the complainant in this case, ‘C’ said he wanted money to go abroad so, ‘I should sell my land but I refused initially’. But he was so willing to go to Spain that I had to mortgage my land and finally the amount was paid. But we did not hear from him after he left. The agent is the culprit who forced my son to go. C’s two sons work in the fields and earn their living. Victim ‘D’, aged around 50 years was a school dropout. He had earlier lived and worked in England for 18 years. One agent promised to send him to Spain for a sum of Rs. 6.5 lakh. The agent called him to Delhi and introduced him to one of his relatives who was also an agent. The amount was paid. Some of the payment was made by borrowing from the relatives. In the words of the nephew of the victim, He had earlier spent 18 years in England. This time he wanted to go to Spain. He paid the amount to the agents in good faith; we received his phone call when he reached Mali. But no contact was made by him after that. Two agents went to Mali after the incident but could not find anyone.

SOME RETURNEES

FROM

FAILED VENTURES

Excerpted from Smuggling of Migrants from India to Europe and in Particular to UK: A Study on Punjab & Haryana 2009, by K.C. Saha, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. Interviews with irregular migrants/family members.

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MR. X

X r/o Nawanshahr, District Nawanshahr. Age 24. Occupation Agent r/o Kukra, PS Garhshankar. He was taken first to Abidjan and then to Mali and then to Morocco. From Morocco, he entered the Spanish enclave of Melilla. He was pushed back. For survival, he lived in a desert area in Morocco and survived by begging. He contacted his home. His father contacted Mr Ramoowalia, President of Lok Bhalai party who through the Indian Embassy could ensure his return. There were 5 other boys all from Punjab who went with him from Delhi. In Mali the agent in Delhi had his representative. His journey took several months. The representative of the agent took charge for 2 months. The rest he had to manage with the money he was carrying. There were about 60 migrants in Morocco of different nationalities. Some were from Punjab. He had earlier attempted illegal migration to Australia. The route followed by the agent then was Delhi-Singapore-Turkey-Cyprus-TurkeyAustralia. He was sent back to Turkey from Australia and he was in jail in Turkey for 17 days. Two of his brothers had successfully migrated illegally with the help of agents; one has been in Portugal since 2001 and the other in Greece since 2003. They have since repaid all the loans they had taken from the bank. MR. Y Y r/o Ghataron, District Nawan Shahar. He along with 8 other boys was met in a hotel in Paharganj in Delhi by the agent. From Delhi they were taken to Algeria. They stayed in Algeria for about a month and half. There were about 60 migrants in all. Some of them were from Pakistan and Bangladesh. From Algeria they were asked to cross over to Morocco in the night. From Morocco they attempted to cross to Spain by boat but the boat ran into trouble. They came back to Morocco. In Morocco the agents used to beat them. They had to get money from home. They were given bread only once a day. He was put in the boot of a car and dropped into the Spanish enclave of Melilla. He fainted in the boot of the car. He was rescued and given first-aid by Spanish authorities. He was subsequently deported by the Spanish authorities.

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MR. Z Z r/o Lohia Khas, District Jalandhar. Aged 29. The family has about 10 acres of agricultural land. He studied up to matriculation level. His other two brothers are settled in Austria. The elder brother went abroad irregularly, through an agent 14 years back. He legalized his status by marriage in Austria. The second brother went on a tourist visa and continued thereafter. He has also regularized his status through a fake marriage in Austria. Z went to the Netherlands in 1998. The visit was arranged by an agent in Jalandhar for Rs 2.5 lakh. He went on an Air France flight booked for Antigua via Paris. In Antigua, one can get visa on arrival. During transit in Paris, he was allowed to go out of the airport. From Paris, he went to the Netherlands and stayed there for 3 years. He speaks Dutch fluently. He worked in a restaurant owned by a Dutch national of Surinamese origin. There were two other irregular immigrants from India. One was from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and other from Haryana. They all worked in the kitchen. During enforcement action he was caught and deported in 2001. In 2006, he again attempted irregular migration to the Netherlands on a forged resident card sent by a relative settled there. He was deported from Paris. Third time in October 2007, he yet again attempted irregular migration to Italy with a forged Belgian passport. Z sent his photographs to a friend with whom he used to work in the restaurant. His friend, a Dutch citizen of Moroccan origin arranged his forged Belgian passport for which he paid 1,500 Euros. The security features of the forged passport were of such quality that it was near impossible to detect that it was forged. He was prevented to depart by the immigration authority at the international airport in Delhi.

G.

AND

H. SINGHS, BELGIUM

Refer CARIM-India Research Report 2013/3, titled ‘Irregular Migration from India to the EU: Evidence from the Punjab’, by Viresh Kumar Bhawra. G. Singh is a resident of District Jalandhar. He went to Belgium in 2004. He contacted an agent who demanded Rs. 8.50 lakh to help him migrate to Belgium. ‘G’ arranged some portion of the money by selling his land and rest by borrowing from others. He got a tourist visa for three months which the agent said would be extended later. He returned in April 2012. When contacted, ‘G’ said, ‘I reached

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Belgium in 2004. I used to work as a labourer—sometimes I got work and sometimes not. I used to get payment occasionally. I returned because I did not get any regular employment and I felt there was no use of staying there without regular work. I do not wish to go abroad again.’ H. Singh is a resident of Patiala and is a matriculate. He contacted an agent on his own who asked for Rs. 13 lakh for sending him to Belgium. He went to Belgium in April 2011 on a tourist visa for one month. He was arrested for illegal stay on 28 May same year and was deported to India. He arrived back in India on 19 July. When asked for more details about his migration to Belgium, ‘H’ said, ‘I went to Belgium in April on a tourist visa. I paid a total amount of Rs. 13 lakh for my journey. I sold my house and also discontinued the fixed deposit that was in the name of my children. One of my relatives living in Belgium persuaded me to come but did not help me on arrival. The journey was completed in 2 phases. We were taken to Italy by air for which I paid Rs. 10 lakh. After reaching Italy another agent took Rs. 3 lakh. From Italy we were taken in closed vans or trollies without water and food for many days. The agent who sent me has run away to Singapore. Before going to Belgium, I was in the UK for 4 years. I was deported from there for illegal stay and was sent back. LIFE HISTORIES OF UNDOCUMENTED PUNJABI IMMIGRANTS FROM INDIA

RAJIV KUNWAR (http://mighealth.net/de/images/1/10/Life.pdf)

The following text is part of his Master’s thesis: ‘Undocumented Migrants’ Access to Healthcare in Germany—Limitations and Strategies’, submitted on 26 February 2010 and supervised by Prof. Dr. William S. Sax and Dr. Gabriele Alex, Heidelberg University. MANDEEP: FEMALE, ITALY, 25

YEARS

(Somewhat detailed account is being given, being a case of a female illegal) Mandeep eloped with her boyfriend who promised her the earth by painting a rosy picture of life in Italy. She had known him for a long

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time and had no good reason to disbelieve him. She was totally ignorant about his bad intentions. Through a Chandigarh-based agent in Punjab, Mandeep and her prospective husband flew from New Delhi to Italy. However, this could not have happened before Mandeep shelled out a negotiated amount of Rs. 20 lakh for a Schengen visa which belonged to someone else. Her boyfriend supposedly had his own documents. Mandeep spent the first few months with her boyfriend in Italy after they had left India. Much to her dismay, it soon transpired that her boy friend, who had claimed to be working as a mechanic for a wellknown firm in Italy, had been deceiving her. In fact, he was known to be a garbage man amongst his other Indian and Pakistani friends. For some months, Mandeep got carried away by a film-like drama and twist in her life as everything took a back seat to love and sacrifice for her partner. Furthermore, she also realized that it was she that had decided to elope with this man. Her boyfriend’s working as a garbage man was not as disturbing as the sudden change in his behaviour. From the first day onwards, Mandeep was treated more like a maidservant. Besides doing all the household work, she was expected to take the best care of his sexual needs even when he beat her up black and blue, especially when he was heavily drunk. ‘I could not complain with anyone for his bad behaviour because I myself did not have legal papers for my stay in Italy. I had no idea as to what should I do’, she describes her dilemma. She continued to face some more ugly situations when her boy friend invited two of his friends to share the apartment. The only time she felt comfortable was when she was left alone in the kitchen in order to prepare food. When together, the three men would drink non-stop for hours, watch porn movies, and ask her to cook for them. Mandeep was often forced to have sex with them in a manner which by no stretch of imagination can be termed as ‘safe’. At this stage, Mandeep had realized that it was too late for reconciliation, especially as she was all alone fighting a worthless battle. During this ugly phase of her life, she could somehow win the trust of one of the men staying with them who offered to help her. One day, in the wee hours of the morning, Mandeep managed to escape from the clutches of her boy friend and straightaway went to the nearest gurdwara in the city area in order to seek refuge there. Now she was at a place where she could speak freely without fear because the Granthi of the Gurdwara not only listened to her whole story but also promised to bail her out of this trouble. Since the gurdwara was a place not likely to escape police intervention for too long, Mandeep was suggested to

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live with a certain family consisting of people of Italian and German origin. Following the recommendation of one elderly Indian couple with good rapport with local people in that city, Mandeep could come in contact with the aforementioned family. Advised to undergo a complete change of hairstyle and to underline her natural resemblance to Italian women, Mandeep adopted an entirely new get-up. With her limited English language skills, she could baby-sit two small children in the family. In return, she would get a little money, a small room to live and the most important thing—safety, at least for some time. By then, this family was also aware of her undocumented status. Hardly was Mandeep beginning to feel comfortable, when one day, she experienced unbearable pain in and around her abdomen. She knew that if she was taken to a hospital, she could be in trouble due to her illegality. Since Mandeep was still in touch with the people she had met at the gurdwara, she got to hear of a distant cousin residing somewhere in South Germany. All she could find out was that her cousin owned a small grocery store there. Haunted by the possibility of being identified and arrested in Italy, Mandeep decided to visit her cousin in Germany. The family with whom she was living volunteered to drop her somewhere near her destination. They also gave her the address of one German family associated with an NGO working for the cause of illegal immigrants under the famous slogan ‘Kein Mensch ist illegal’ in Cologne. Mandeep has not yet forgotten the kind of abdomen pain she experienced while travelling to Germany with this Italian family. Even the pain-killers proved ineffective but Mandeep tried to endure her anguish as she did not want to bother this kind and helpful couple. On reaching Germany, Mandeep called her cousin who was more than shocked to know that she had come so far from India with fake travel documents. Initially reluctant to meet her immediately, he finally asked her to come to one South Asian store in the hub of the city. As directed, she went to the agreed meeting point and anxiously waited for him for two long hours. Finally, her cousin came, and after listening to her woeful story he was ready to help her. To begin with, Mandeep’s cousin was very supportive especially in assisting her with seeking medical attendance with respect to her frequent abdomen pain. The doctor who used to treat Mandeep under the medical insurance coverage of her cousin confirmed that she was suffering from a sexually transmitted disease called Chlamydia. Mandeep’s condition was nothing less than alarming or even lifethreatening. Mandeep was faced with the dilemma of deciding whether

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to be a burden on her cousin any further or to just move out looking for some other refuge, possibly at the German couple’s place in Cologne. Her quandary increased after her cousin learnt about her medical condition through the treating physician. Riding on her good rapport with the Italian family, Mandeep resolved upon taking the help of this Cologne couple whose contact details had been given to her. As expected, they volunteered to assist Mandeep with all possible medical treatment. Mandeep says that she has no idea how things were arranged for her, but soon she could start receiving proper medical treatment under the watchful eyes of this couple. During her treatment process, she could get a chance to see several other women of African origin benefiting from this voluntary medical care. Mandeep’s health returned to normalcy after a regular treatment of two to three months. During the period of her treatment, she stayed in an old building with other undocumented immigrants of different nationalities. ‘The place was like an ashram where I never felt loneliness. There were lots of people with whom I used to chit-chat. I felt quite comfortable there’, she remembers. After Mandeep’s treatment had been completed, she was visited by the couple from Cologne who offered her shelter in their residential apartment. She was more than happy to go with them. Since then, Mandeep has been living with this family. Now, after more than five years under their guardianship, Mandeep takes care of all the household work and is treated like a family member. Lately, some sort of application related to the legalization of her stay in Germany has also been filed by this couple. She earns a reasonable amount of money baby-sitting for various families in the nearby vicinity, but not without the recommendation and influence of the people she is staying with. If Mandeep has finally been able to find peace, it is all due to some good luck and the selfless behaviour of others. Currently living with an aged German couple near Frankfurt, Mandeep’s best mantra to remain least suspicious and circumspect is to dress nicely, walk confidently and, if possible, never be in the company of fellow-citizens especially if they have a dubious reputation in the eyes of the police and immigration authorities.

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CONCLUSION

The book has covered seventeen countries from Iceland to Northern, Central, and Southern European countries besides Poland and Russia. The main observations are: Sikhs started to migrate to Continental Europe in the 1960s because of restrictions on free migration to UK by erstwhile colonies’ citizens. Migration picked up somewhat in the 1970s but the major push came in 1980s and 1990s. A major impetus was to seek asylum because of the political turmoil in Punjab in 1980s and especially because of Sikh agony due to the Operation Blue Star in summer of 1984. Post Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other places contributed to a total disenchantment amongst the Sikh community. Punjab was a prosperous part of India due to the Green Revolution in agriculture but beginning 1980s, the economic situation has substantially deteriorated. The industrial development of the state has been dismal. This has resulted in widespread disenchantment amongst the youth due to unemployment and the resultant drug addiction which is widespread. The youth find going abroad as the only salvation. Sikh migration is still continuing, both in legal and illegal ways. People are willing to pay any price, withstand any difficulty, and take enormous risks to leave India to look for better prospects abroad. Up till the first decade of this century some countries, e.g. Spain and Portugal were regularizing the status of illegals through general amnesty which provided opportunities for migration. As someone aptly described, ‘wages are low in Portugal and Spain but passport (getting residence status) is easy; in Germany and other Northern countries wages are higher but

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passport is difficult’. There are very few cases of marriage with locals for love but there are several instances of convenient marriages. Sikh immigrant numbers in absolute terms have increased in Continental Europe from a few thousands in early 1970s to about a quarter million now. Italy has the largest numbers followed by Germany followed by Spain and Greece. Sikhs are in majority amongst Indians in Italy followed by Norway and Greece and perhaps Netherlands. Overall about 10-15 per cent of Sikhs would be turbaned. Earlier migration was male dominated but increasingly the families are joining where immigrants are able to regularize their residence status or get local passports. There is now a good presence of second generation of Sikhs who will play increasing role in determining the future direction of the diaspora in Europe. They are educated and are entering various professions. Their linkage with India and Punjab is less but are interacting with the young Sikhs in other countries which have large Sikh populations e.g. UK, Canada and USA and who are running various institutions such as Sikh youth camps. Sikhism as a distinct religion is not fully recognized in several countries. Gurdwaras have proliferated in all countries and are a great institution for religious and social get-togethers. One wonders as to how the community could build so many of them with limited population. It shows their sense of devotion to this institution as a symbol of Sikh presence anywhere and everywhere. In many gurdwaras Punjabi language classes are held. As always ‘langar’ is generously and enthusiastically served in all gurdwaras and in all functions at home or at community centres. Festivals such as ‘Baisakhi’, ‘gurpurbs’ and social gatherings are celebrated with great fervour. On important occasions, ‘nagar kirtan’ and processions are organized with exemplary discipline. ‘Bhangra’ is very popular. A new feature in several countries is organizing of ‘Turban Day’ when local populace is introduced to significance of turban for the Sikhs and an opportunity for them to have turban tied for them.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe

Comments have been made earlier on regarding the prolific building of gurdwaras by Sikhs in their places of settlement anywhere on the globe. In case of Europe the setting up of around 140 gurdwaras for a population of less than quarter million is a significant and unique feature of Sikh diaspora. The gurdwaras are invariably a first stop for a new immigrants where they can get information on all aspects of their new life including job opportunities through dialogue with the ‘sangat’. This helps the new immigrants in settling down in their new places of settlement. For the existing immigrants it provides religious anchor and social cohesion. COUNTRY WISE HIGHLIGHTS

AUSTRIA: Until the early 1980s, the only Sikhs were students and odd businessmen and a small contingent of refugees from Uganda. From 1984 onwards immigration increased and substantially so in 1990s which included some refugees from Afghanistan. Earlier immigration was males only but from 1992 onwards family reunification was allowed. So there is now a second generation of Sikhs. Earlier immigrants were by and large working in low-skill, low-pay jobs but the second generation are moving up-market. Case study of a turbaned Sikh doctor who first migrated in 1955 is of interest. BELGIUM: Sikhs first came in 1980s and worked on farms. Even today Saturday ‘Farmers Market’ would have many Sikhs selling their wares. However the major business at present is textile retailing. They are also into what is called ‘Night Shops’ which are open from 6 p.m. till morning. The earliest immigrants came from Uganda in 1972. In early 1980s a few more arrived and a concentrated population grew in Hesbaye region which is fruit growing—Sint-Truiden being the main town of the area. Although the Government did not support or encourage giving asylum, the farmers were welcoming cheaper labour. In 1999, Belgian Government realized that their asylum

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procedures were failing and inadequate. So in 2000 they regularized existing immigrants, thereby helping many Sikhs get Permanent Residence and later on Belgian Passports. We had the privilege during our visit of being escorted by two young scholars, Sara Cosemans and Quincey Cloet. We even stayed with Sara’s family. DENMARK: A small number of Sikh immigrants did arrive in 1960s as labour. The country was somewhat more liberal in reuniting families which helped many immigrants to go back to get married. 1980s onwards migration increased due to influx of refugees from Punjab. There has been some influx of highly qualified Sikhs in this century. There is a significant second generation who are getting employment as professionals. Interestingly, there is even a small third generation. The first gurdwara had some unfortunate divisions and now there are two gurdwaras. The Sikh religion received Government recognition in 1985. Case study of a turbaned Sikh Diplomat in Ministry of Foreign Affairs is of interest. FINLAND: Most immigration has been as job-seekers. The Sikh immigration started to increase substantially only in 1990s. Initially the job openings were in restaurants and pubs to begin with for cleaning, dish-washing, and as kitchen helpers as no language skills were needed. In due course of time many of them bought out the enterprises and now there are many Sikh-owned eating places, bars and discotheques (called ‘ravintola’). Some Sikhs are bus drivers and others run retail shops, etc. The gurdwara operates in the afternoons on Sundays due late night timings of Sikh establishments of bars, discotheques, etc. ‘Nishan Sahib’ cannot be displayed outside the gurdwara. FRANCE: Early Sikh migrants moved to France from other European countries, e.g. Belgium or Germany. Illegal migration was legalized in 1981-2 by the Socialist Government. From mid 1980s migration followed the pattern like other European

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countries as asylum seeking males followed by family reunification. Most immigrants work in informal sectors especially clothing, catering and construction industries. The Bobigny gurdwara is a large custom designed building with a large ‘sangat’ on Sundays and other important days. There was a large presence of Sikh soldiers as a part of British Indian Army in WW I. Turban continues to be an issue as ID cards photo has to be without turban and students in public schools cannot wear religious symbols such as turban. Baisakhi is publicly celebrated with procession and ‘gatka’ demonstration. GERMANY: It is one of the important countries of Europe for Sikh migration not only because of large presence both of Sikhs and gurdwaras but also because Sikhs started migrating there from 1960s as students or as employees or for setting up businesses. Of course, the numbers were minuscule up to early 1970s. Many immigrants to Europe in earlier times first headed for Germany from where they moved to other countries thereafter. The Sikh presence in Germany in terms of numbers is second only to Italy in the Continental Europe but so far as the number of gurdwaras (39 nos) is concerned, it is ahead of Italy. GREECE: Sikh soldiers fought in the country during WW II as a part of British Indian Army—Thessaloniki War Memorial. The Indian migration to Greece began in the last quarter of the twentieth century. The Sikhs from Punjab constitute the most dominant group among the Indian immigrants in Greece. In earlier days Punjabis signed up on Greek vessels and subsequently jumped the ships when in a European port. A large majority of Sikhs live in the countryside and work in the agricultural sector and fisheries. Gurdwaras (technically) are registered as cultural associations but perform all the functions associated with a gurdwara. ‘Nagar kirtans’ are held in some towns to celebrate Baisakhi. ICELAND: I could not locate a Sikh and hence Ari Singh, an Icelandic citizen flew over from UK where he resides presently to meet with me in Reykjavik. So he seems to have

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been the only Icelandic Singh. He was originally from Kenya and through marriage he acquired Iceland citizenship where he was required to change his first name to an Icelandic name and hence Manjit Singh became Ari Singh. I believe there is a small presence of 3HO Sikhs. ITALY: A very important country for Sikh migration having the largest numbers in Continental Europe. Sikhs are a dominant part of total Indian immigrants in the country. During WW II Sikh soldiers took part in the various battles under the British Indian Army and there are several memorials. The Forli Memorial has a bronze statue of a Sikh soldier at the entrance. Since 2007 there is annual celebration with full Sikh traditions. The early immigrants came as circus employees as these jobs were considered of specialist nature. Majority of the Punjabis work in the agricultural sector especially in the Lombardy and other regions of Northern Italy. Other popular profession where the Sikhs are occupying almost monopoly status is milking and looking after cows (bergamini) in running the dairies. Sikhs have almost monopolized this sector. The famous cheese industry of Italy is now very dependent on Sikhs. The internet including YouTube has a number of videos on the subject. The gurdwaras are well attended and on Sundays when visiting a gurdwara, one feels one is not away from Punjab. ‘Nagar kirtans’ are a regular feature in many towns. NETHERLANDS: Sikhs form a significant portion of Indian immigrant population (excluding PIOs from Surinam). There were odd Sikh immigrants beginning 1950s and 1960s but majority Sikhs came from 1970s and 1980s onwards. There are eight gurdwaras. The Sikh connection with Surinamese Hindustanis is an interesting feature. An episode relating to Sikhs in Netherlands was the voyage in 1987 of a small freighter from Rotterdam to Halifax in Canada—a repeat of sorts of the famous failed voyage of Komagata Maru. 3HO Sikhs (Followers of Yogi Bhajan) established the Guru Ramdas Ashram Gurdwara in Amsterdam in 1973, a first in Continental Europe.

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NORWAY: Some Sikhs came as agricultural labourers beginning 1970s but the migration picked up in 1980s and 1990s. Originally the immigrants worked in agriculture but now they have diversified into other fields. The second generation are well educated and have entered various professions. The second generation have organized themselves under the Unge Sikher (Young Sikhs) who besides other activities, organize Turban Day and participate in the ‘Nagar kirtan’ on Baisakhi. Harinder Singh Khalsa, first Secretary in the Indian Embassy in Oslo had resigned post Blue Star Operation and sought asylum in the country. We had the privilege of staying with and being escorted by Lill Vramo, a scholar of Sikhs Studies in Norway. POLAND: Amongst the East European countries, Poland is the only country where there is some significant Sikh presence and a gurdwara. Sikh migration to Poland is a more recent phenomenon. Before the collapse of Communism in 1989, some Sikhs had come as a part of exchange programme some of whom stayed back and started small businesses. Until 1990s Poland was used as a transit point for going to Europe but thereafter some asylum seekers started coming in who got naturalized through marriage or business. The new immigrants are mostly from middle-class or well-to-do families, educated and business oriented. The setting up of a gurdwara is an added attraction for Sikhs to settle in Poland. We enjoyed home hospitality of Prof. Anna Sieklukia for 3 nights. PORTUGAL: Portugal joined European Union in 1986 and the Schengen area in 1995. Portugal opened immigration in 1996 when the first rush of Sikh immigrants came to the country mainly from other European countries to get ‘papers’, i.e. work permit. Immigration opened during following years, each time for about three years at a time under differing regulations. In Portugal if one has lived for 5 years one is entitled to get Portuguese passport which is a big positive. Portugal seems

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to be immigrant friendly. The 1990s construction boom to improve the infrastructure created a great demand for unskilled labour providing opportunity for Sikh immigration. To start with most of them were able to get jobs on construction sites. In due course of time they moved to other jobs and even opened their own businesses and restaurants. Portugal has witnessed an increase of irregular migrants over the past decades. RUSSIA: There is a small Sikh community in the country. Refugees from Afghanistan form a substantial part of the Sikh diaspora. There is a gurdwara in Moscow. During 195080, some Sikh students and political immigrants came. From 1990s onwards the migration comprised mainly of business men. SPAIN: Spain opened immigration several times beginning 1991 and again in 2000 and 2005. The older immigrants are from 1980s and newer ones are only a few years old. Many of them have moved from other West European countries because of ease of getting residence status. Three-year residence can entitle immigrants to get work permit. However, wages are low in Spain and many want to move north after getting residence status. The main population concentration is in Catalonia Province which includes Barcelona and suburbs, and Gerona especially Olot. Popular professions are restaurants, construction and agriculture. Presently a large number of the immigrants are out of job because of economic meltdown since last 3-4 years. They are apprehensive of their future and those who can are migrating preferably to Canada and North European countries. SWEDEN: A small presence of Sikhs in the country. Lund University under the guidance of Prof. Kristina Myrvold had been actively pursuing the Sikh diaspora studies in Europe. They were holding seminars every three years where scholars from various countries participated. Unfortunately the programme has been discontinued due to lack of financial sup-

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port. Sikhs first came to Sweden in early 1970s, many of them as refugees from Kenya, Uganda, and Afghanistan and later on from India. There are four gurdwaras in Sweden. J.S. Banga of the Indian Embassy had resigned and sought asylum post Operation Blue Star. SWITZERLAND: A small population most of whom came in mid-1980s or 1990s. In the early 1990s there were about 3-4,000 Sikhs seeking amnesty but only 15 were granted asylum. Rest went to other countries. The only opportunity to immigrate was to come on tourist visa and get married locally or get a job which was not so easy. Besides some Sikhs working in U.N or other international organizations, there are a small number of Sikh professionals who are well settled. THE EAST (ORIENT) vs. THE WEST DIFFERENCES IN MIGRATION PROFILE

(Excerpted from my book: Sikhs in Asia Pacific: Travels from Yangon to Kobe, 2016, Manohar, New Delhi). While visiting various countries, a question cropped up in my mind: Is the Sikh migration to the Orient (now sometimes called the East) and the West different? It is worth examining if there are indeed differences in Sikh migration to the Orient as against the Western countries. This comparison cannot be complete unless migration to all English speaking countries is included which is regrettably not a part of my focus. However some preliminary observations can be made. In the East, the first generation retained Indian passport but second and later generations have acquired local citizenship. In the West, immigrants are keen to give up Indian passport and become local citizens. Indian passport is seen as a disadvantage. Immigrants have, at present, no interest in being a sojourner as they see distinct advantage in acquiring Western citizenship. From almost total assimilation of the Sikhs into local society, say in South America, thereby losing touch with their inheritance, to retaining strong Sikh identity and professing religious practices in South-

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East Asian countries, provides an interesting contrast. One thing is clear—numbers in a country become important for retaining identity. Sikh migration to Europe, which is more recent falls in a different category where the new settlers are still finding their bearings. There is increasing evidence that the first generation after settling down tend to return to Sikh fold and restart tying turbans and keeping unshorn hair. The second generation may not retain the turban but are keen to discover their Sikh roots and religion. They are in touch with their compatriots in other countries especially UK and Canada. They have active organisations to share their experiences and actively take part in say ‘Turban’ days, youth camps and other religious initiatives. Prior to decolonization of the countries in Asia, migration was in much larger numbers to the Orient. The West, although a preferred target destination had put up barriers for Indian immigrants. Over the last few decades and presently, the majority migration of Sikhs is to the West. There is a general attractiveness and preference to migrate to the later countries because of higher wage structure and better standard of living promising better prospects especially for their siblings. Presently new migration to the Orient is not significant. It is becoming evident that the Sikhs in the West will play increasingly dominant role in setting trend patterns for the global Sikh diaspora. According to my observations, cultural and social acceptance of the Sikhs is better in the Orient. In the earlier days, there was the common emotional factor of being ruled by the European powers. Was there a cultural divide of ‘us’, the colonized vs. ‘them’, the colonizers which resulted in some empathy for Indians settled in these countries? As a side observation, social acceptance of Sikhs is becoming somewhat indifferent by the Chinese in countries where they are in majority such as Hong Kong and Singapore. The Indian cultural, social and religious practices have similarities with Oriental practices but which are different from those of the West. As a simplistic example, covering the head and taking off the shoes for religious observances is common to India and the East. In the West it is just the reverse. Many in the East are followers of Buddhism and in a few places Hinduism which helps provide an important emotional and cultural linkage with India. Travelling amongst the Indian and Sikh diasporas in various countries, I get the feel that Indians seem more settled, contended and socially better accepted, and integrated in Asia. They feel less strange in their new settings in Asia. It is hoped that scholars will debate this issue in more detail.

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For most Sikhs whether in Asia, Europe or South America, their El Dorado is still North America. One used to hear in India the slogan ‘Yankee go home’ but now they add ‘But take my son along!’ Recent political movements such as Khalistan were discouraged and in fact summarily curbed in South-East Asia. However in the Western countries support for such movements was more prevalent. There are a large number of religious and political asylum seekers in the West whose existence is closely tied up with these issues. In fact some of the Western countries such as Canada might be considered by some as both consumers and producers of Sikh nationalist ideologies. Will the future generations get assimilated and the Sikh identity just fades away? There is no doubt that there would be tremendous pressures. As the experience of South America indicates, initial changes take place soon after arrival but these become more significant in the second generation. The third generation tends to have less linkage with India but more with their country of residence. How much of Sikh population is of first, second and third generation or even fourth in some cases in a country determines the overall profile. While the Western countries are increasingly accepting Sikhs with their turbans in various professions including the Army and Police, there are still many restrictions and reservations. Prejudices both at Governmental and societal levels do exist. Issues such as admission of children in public schools in France and getting passports and Driving Licences with photos wearing turban are problematic not only in many countries of Europe but even in South America. Any Sikh visiting Ecuador needs a visa even if other citizens from the same country are exempt from this requirement. Keeping the Sikh identity does mean relatively stronger alignment with Indian roots. The unfortunate changes taking place in Punjab with regard to Sikh identity are having an adverse impact on Sikhs globally. Illegal migration which is basically to Western countries invariably necessitates removing the turban. Numbers involved are large (Myrvold and Jacobsen estimate this to be about 20,000 annually citing data from UN Office on Drugs and Crime Report of 2009). This development has created an impression among the Sikh youth that going abroad is synonymous with compromising identity. As Dusenbery says, ‘The historical maturity of Sikh communities in Southeast Asia, now into their fourth and fifth local generation, means that Sikhs elsewhere may now only be reckoning with identity issues with which Sikhs in Southeast Asia have already been dealing

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for some time. In Singapore Sikhs form 7 per cent of Indian community (mainly Tamils) who are themselves 7 per cent of Singapore population, Sikhs have been able to get recognition as a ‘distinct race’ (as well as ‘religion’) and get support for Sikh initiative projects in language, education, welfare, and heritage. On the other hand in Canada where Sikhs are more than 1.5 per cent of local population and majority amongst Indians, the state bodies have largely resisted claims by Sikh organisations to represent a distinct ethno cultural group with its own agenda. They have based their refusal on the grounds that Sikhs are but a sub sect of the larger community of Indo-Canadians.’ However this is rapidly changing as Sikhs have a significant presence in the Canadian Parliament and Cabinet including turbaned Sikhs. I have tried to tabulate the profile of Sikhs in the East against the West so as to highlight what has been stated above.

CHART: EAST Features History

Demographic Profile

Prosperity

Professions

Social Acceptance

Marriages

V/S.

The West New migration with major thrust post India independence and in 1980s and 1990s. Some inter-country movement especially in Europe. Mainly dominated by first and second generations. Population Increasing-natural growth & continuing new immigration. Trying to establish themselves with some upward movement. Some in second generation have done very well in North America and UK. Some immigration of Professionals. Others as family members who have to struggle. New immigrants in Europe start as labour, or get into retailing, vendors, catering industry, dairying. Well established in English speaking countries. Somewhat struggling to establish in Europe but making progress. Scope to get married within Indian/Sikh community living overseas. A few marriages to locals – some genuine for love and others for convenience of getting Residence status especially in Europe.

WEST The East Old migration with continuing additions till decolonisation. Exoduses from China, Burma & Fiji. Some new migration mainly to Philippines, S. Korea and Japan. Presence of third and fourth generations. Population stable; Some natural increase; some outward migration.

Have progressed substantially. Well established and accepted.

Have moved to the professions especially second, third & fourth generations.

Well settled in all respects.

Most marriages within community. Some married to locals mostly for love. In Japan, Korea and Philippines a few new immigrants get married to locals to get Resident status. Contd.

Contd. Features Linkage with Punjab

Gurdwaras

Sikh Religion, Identity and Turban

Illegals Attractiveness Immigrants

Religion & Turban Acceptance protection on discrimination is an issue

The West Extensive linkage because migration is more recent. Helped by modern facilities of telephone, internet, You tube, Skype etc. Large number of Gurdwaras – well attended. Important gathering point, essential for bonding by the new immigrants. Gurpurb & other celebrations including ‘Nagar kirtans’ organized. Sikh identity followers are becoming a minority. Turban can be an issue for Identity cards, admission to schools and airport security checks. ‘Dharam Parchar’ and Punjabi language are now being introduced. Major issue Preferred – priority destination. North America still the El-Dorado. Pressure to conform. Less acceptability of turban. Legal developing in Islamic Countries – ‘Bhumiputras’ Laws.

The East Were closely linked. Considerable efforts being made in maintaining affinity with religion & culture for third & fourth generations. Several and well established. Exemplary following of Sikhi in Burma. Enlightened leadership & well organised in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand. Women granthis in Burma. Substantial following of Sikhi. Turbans still popular – in some cases even more than in Punjab. Youth camps, ‘Dharam Parchar’ and Punjabi language teaching a regular feature in Gurdwaras. Some but not widely prevalent Only professionals or entrepreneurs. Some immigration as transit stays before moving on to western destinations. Historically turban & religion well accepted some pressure.

Source: Swarn Singh Kahlon, Sikhs in Asia Pacific, New Delhi, Manohar, 2016.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

Global Sikh Migration Chronology

AFGHANISTAN—GURUS TIMES Most of Sikh migration is post Maharaja Ranjit Singh. 1849 1850 1850s 1867 1870s 1880s 1890s 1897 1897 1898 1890s 1900

Maharaja Duleep Singh to UK and later France Singapore – Bhai Maharaj Singh (exile) Burma, China Hong Kong (small presence of Sikhs at British flag raising in 1841) Malaya followed in later years to Indonesia Fiji Australia and New Zealand Kenya & Uganda. Canada USA Argentina Iran

APPENDIX 2 EUROPE CONTINENT INDIAN AND SIKH POPULATION Country

NRI

PIOs

Total Indian Population1

Sikh Population2

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece3 Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland

13,000 11,202 8,100 5,159 19,000 1,08,965 12,015 1,72,301 35,000 7,718 4,000 7,244 28,610 35,308 15,349 17,403

18,000 8,000 3,100 6,616 90,000 37,128 485 25,000 2,00,000 12,300 600 66,000 1,950 20,000 10,370 7,164

31,000 19,202 11,200 11,775 1,09,000 1,46,093 12,500 1,97,301 2,35,000 20,018 4,600 73,244 30,560 55,308 25,719 24,567

10,000 10,000 2,000 500 15,000 30,000 15,000 80,000 12,000 5,000 500 5,000 700 20,000 3,500 500

Total

5,00,374

5,06,713

10,07,087

2,09,700

Notes: 1. Total Indian Population: Population of Overseas Indian (compiled in December 2018). Govt. of India. Source: Indian population https :/mea.gov.in 2. Sikh Population: SSK estimates. 3. Anomaly between Indian and Sikh figures.

APPENDIX 3 EUROPE CONTINENT SIKH POPULATION Country Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland Total

Sikhiwiki1

Brill Ency 2

SSK Estimates

2,794 9,000 700 500 8,000 40,000 1,000 90,000 12,000 5,000 700 9,000 NA 10,000 1,500 500

NA NA NA NA 15,000 35,000 20,000 80,000 NA NA NA NA NA 15,000 NA NA

10,000 10,000 2,000 500 15,000 30,000 15,000 80,000 12,000 5,000 200 5,000 700 20,000 3,500 500

1,90,694

1,88,000

2,09,700

Notes: 1. Sikhiwiki (Accessed 8 October 2016). 2. Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism. Figures for countries (NA) lumped together 23,000.

APPENDIX 4 SIKH POPULATION AND GURDWARAS Country

Sikh Gurdwaras Population*

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Italy Netherlands

10,000 10,000 2,000 500 15,000 30,000 15,000 80,000 12,000

7 5 2 1 4 39 15 30 6

Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain

5,000 500 5,000 1,000 20,000

3 1 1 1 15

3,500 500

4 3

2,09,700

137

Sweden Switzerland Total

Note: *Sikh population, SSK estimates.

First Gurdwara 2002, Vienna 1993, Sint-Truiden 1980, Copenhagen 2005, Helsinki 1989, Bobigny 1979, Frankfurt 1993, Marathona and Poro 1991, Reggio Emilia 1981, Rotterdam . 1973, Ramdas Ashram Amsterdam 1993, Drammen 2007, Warsaw 1998, Lisbon 2000, Moscow 1998, Barcelona (Possibly 22 Gurdwaras) 1997, Stockholm. 2006, Langenthal

APPENDIX 5

War Memorials: World Wars I & II War Memorials where British Indian Army Soldier’s names appear

WORLD WAR I BELGIUM The Eiper (Menen Gate) Memorial Register Part XI. Arth Communal Cemetery. Bradford Cemetery. New Irish Farm Cemetery. FRANCE Anzin-St. Aubin British Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Authuile Military Cemetery—Somme. Ayette Indian and Chinese Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Bailleul Communal Cemetery (Nord)—Nord. Bethune Town Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Bronfay Farm Military Cemetery, Bray-Sur-Somme. Bruay Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais. Bucquoy Road Cemetery, Ficheux—Pas de Calais. Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez—Pas de Calais. Charmes Military Cemetery, Essegney—Vosges. Corbie Communal Cemetery—Somme. Daours Communal Cemetery Extension—Somme. Dunkirk Town Cemetery—Nord. Estaires Communal Cemetery—Nord. Etaples Military Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Faubourg D’amiens Cemetery Arras—Pas de Calais. Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle—Somme. Gorre British and Indian Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Grevillers British Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Hargicourt British Cemetery—Aisne. Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery—Nord. La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery, Peronne—Somme.

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La Targette British Cemetery,Neuville—St. Vaast. Lillers Communal Cemetery—Pas de Calais. London Cemetery and Extension Longueval—Somme. Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Mazargues War Cemetery, Marseilles—Bouches-du-Rhone. Meerut Military Cemetery, St. Martin—Les-Boulogne—Pas de Calais. Merville Communal Cemetery—Nord. Morlancourt British Cemetery No. 1—Somme. Neuve-Chapelle (Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery) Memorial—Pas de Calais. Neuve-Chapelle Memorial—Pas de Calais. Neuville-Sous-Montreuil Indian Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Orleans Main Cemetery—Loiret. Pernes British Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetry—La Gorgue. Quatre-Vents Military Cemetery, Estree Cauchy—Pas de Calais. Rue-David Military Cemetery Fleurbaix—Pas de Calais. Rue-Du-Bacquerot No. 1 Military Cemetery Laventie—Pas de Calais. St. Hilaire Cemetery Frevent—Pas de Calais. St. Ouen Communal Cemetery—Somme. St. Riquier British Cemetery—Somme. St. Riquier British Cemetery—Somme. St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen—Seine. St.Vaast Post Military Cemetery, Richebourg—L’avoue-Pas de Calais. St. Venant Communal Cemetery—Pas de Calais. Tincourt New British Cemetery—Somme. Unicorn Cemetry, Vend’Huile—Aisne. Vadencourt British Cemetry, Maissemy—Aisne. Valenciennes (St. Roch) Communal Cemetery—Nord. Vieille Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture—Pas de Calais. Villeret Old Churchyard—Aisne. Warlus Churchyard—Somme. Y Farm Military Cemetry, Bois Grenier—Nord. Zelobes Indian Cemetery,Lacouture-Pas de Calai. Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Memorial Register ITALY MontecchioPrecalcino Communal Cemetery Extension Taranto Town Cemetery Extension.

Appendix 5 WORLD WAR II ITALY Cassino Memorial & War Cemetry. Florence War Cemetery. Forli Cremation Memorial. Ravenna War Cemetery. Sango River Cremation Memorial. Sango River War Cemetery. FRANCE Champenoux Communal Cemetery—Meurthe-et-Moselle. Charmes Military Cemetery, Essegney—Vosges. Epinal French National Cemetery—Vosges. Nancy Southern Cemetery— Meurthe-et-Moselle. Neuve-Chapelle Cremation Memorial—Pas de Calais. Rennes Eastern Cmmunal Cemetery—Ille-et-Vilaine.

UK Golders Green Crematorium. Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton. Runnymede Memorial.

G ERMANY Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery. Berlin South Western Cemetery. Cologne Southern Cemetery. Durnbach Cremation Memorial. Gottingen Military Cemetery. Hanover War Cemetery. Zehersdorf Indian Cemetery.

GREECE Athens Memorial. Phaleron Cremation Memorial. Monastir Road Indian Cemetery.

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MALTA Pieta Military Cemetery.

CYPRESS Nicosia Cremation Memorial. ROMANIA Slobozia Military Cemetery

APPENDIX 6

Sikhs and the Italian Cheese Industry

REFERENCES 1. ‘Curry-flavoured Parmesan: Sikh Workers Rescue Italy’s Famous Cheese Industry Under Threat of Extinction’. Tribune, 21 November 2011. 2. Sikhs Rescue Italy’s Ailing Parmesan Industry. By Sonia Logre/ AFP, Zibello, Italy. 3. Dairy workers from Punjab Keep Italy’s Parmesan Industry Going Ishani Dutta Gupta, ET Bureau 22 January 2012. 4. The Sikh Stamp on Italian Cheese: Khushwant Singh, Chandigarh, Punjab. 5. Sikh Farmers Keeping Cheese Industry Alive in Italy.https:// www.sbs. com.au/.../punjabi/.../sikh-farmers 23 February 2016. 6. The Sikhs Who Saved Parmesan—BBC News—BBC.com www. bbc.com/news/magazine-33149580 7. Sikh Formaggio, Cities of Migration: citiesofmigration.ca 8. The Sikh Stamp on Italian Cheese, Brunch, Hindustan Times, 18 October 2018. https://www.hindustantimes.com/ 9. How Sikh Immigrants Saved the Italian Cheese Industry: www.sikh entrepreneur.com 10. In Italian Heartland, Indians Keep the Cheese Coming—The New York Times.www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08ihtitaly08.htm 11. The Sikh Migrants Keeping Italy’s Mozzarella Industry Alive— Newsweek. www.newsweek.com/italymozzarellabuffalofarm cheese. 12. Parmesan Cheese is made by Punjabi Sikhs—60,000 of whom live. . . https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/.../parmesan-cheese-is-madeby-punjabi-sikhs-6000. 13. In Italian Heartland, Indians Keep the Cheese Coming By Elisabeth Povoledo, International Herald Tribune, 7 September 2011.

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS 1. The Sikh immigrants Behind ‘Italian’ Cheese. 2. The Sikhs who make Italy’s famous Grana Padano cheese. 3. The Sikh Immigrants Behind ‘Italian’ Cheese—YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyRLuuYWT-Y. 4. Video: The Sikhs who make Italy’s famous Grana Padano cheese https://scroll.in 5. Italy’s Sikh Cheese Producers, Sikh24.com www.sikh24.com

APPENDIX 7

Sikh History in French Riviera

SARIKA SHARMA, THE TRIBUNE, 21OCTOBER 2018 A descendent of Maharaja’s general wants Punjab and France’s ties to be boosted. He gave orders in French, but learnt Punjabi to talk to his soldiers. He married a Hindu princess from the Chamba hills, but sent her to France for he feared she would commit Sati if he died in the battlefield. He settled her in St Tropez, but told his kids to not talk in French, but their mother tongue. Punjab was his ‘karmbhoomi’ and he was Punjab’s last Sikh Maharaja, Ranjit Singh’s first ‘firang’ general. General Jean François Allard’s great grandson Henri Prevost Allard wants this connection to be celebrated, both here and at St Tropez city in France. Henri, deputy mayor of St Tropez, who is also in charge of tourism, and Ranjit G Singh, a representative of the Sikh Council of France, spent the last week meeting officials and ministers, including the chief minister, in Punjab to discuss the possibility of a celebration in the French Riviera next summer. St Tropez is sparsely populated but turns into a busy seaside resort in summer with the number of inhabitants swelling to 60,000 from 6,000 in winter. A place famously frequented by the American and European jet set, it is known for both its ‘culture fix’ and ‘fun in the sun’. A quiet municipal park here celebrates its 200-year-old link with Punjab. For, here lie the busts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, along with those of his wife Bannu Pan Dei and General Allard. The Sikh Maharaja’s bust was gifted to the town by the Punjab Government in 2016. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army was an amalgamation of generals from various countries. Of them, Allard, who had worked in Napoleon’s army, was the most trusted. He raised the ‘Fauj-i-Khalsa’, a model brigade on the lines of Napoleon’s army, for the last Sikh Maharaja. The brigade won them the first Anglo-Sikh war. Henri, who has authored a book on his great grandfather, says General Allard and the Maharaja became really thick friends. The Maharaja asked Allard to learn Punjabi to be able to speak not just to him, but to the soldiers as well. However, the

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orders in ‘Fauj-i-Khalsa’ were always given in French, a tactic that helped them during battles, the major ones being fought between the Afghans and the Sikhs at the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan. But Punjab’s connect with St Tropez doesn’t just begin and end with General Allard. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had got the mercenary married to a princess from Chamba, Bannu Pan Deï, in 1822. The couple had seven children together, of whom five survived. H.P. Allard is a descendent. He says Maharaja Ranjit Singh wanted the General to have a strong bond with the country and arranged the match. The couple spent a few years together here, after which something forced Allard to send her to France. ‘One day, he saw a woman jump into the pyre of one of his colleagues who had died during a war. He feared Pan Deï would be obliged to commit Sati if he dies in the battlefield too. He did not want her to meet the same fate and decided to take her to France,’ tells Henri. The family made the journey to France in 1835. Henri says the General returned in January 1837 and brought along with him guns, swords, ammunition, metal jackets, cannon models among other things. He died in Peshawar in January 1839 owing to a kidney ailment. Pan Dei was to know of it only four months later. She announced: ‘I will join him after my death’. Pan Deï and Allard’s wedding was solemnized to bolster the latter’s relationship with Punjab and Henri says it did exactly that. ‘General Allard asked her to learn French to maintain the privacy of communication. And when she wrote to him, he asked her to write in Persian. He also asked his children to speak in Persian and Punjabi because French was not their mother tongue,’ he told them. After his death, Pan Deï converted to Christianity. Ranjit says it was probably her way of realizing Sati. Pan Dei Palais, their residence, is an ode to their love story. The 12-room house is now a boutique hotel, often frequented by tourists who gush over their love story. The Allard family doesn’t own the palace any longer. However, Henri and Ranjit want common Punjabis, who visit France so often, to know of this link and celebrate it. ‘An annual summer festival around the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh could be a beginning,’ they suggest. THE OTHER GENERALS General Allard wasn’t the only foreign general around in those days. Lt-Gen Baljit Singh (retd) says Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army alone had

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two more Frenchmen and an Italian general working for him. Of these, the latter, Jean Baptiste Ventura, was one of the most influential. He says many generals from Napoleon’s army landed in India at the time when the Sikh Maharaja was consolidating power.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe APPENDIX 8

Jassa Singh, Sweden Full Interview Transcript

TRAVELS IN INDIA OF A SWEDE SIKH

MATS JASSA SINGH An interesting story as to how Europeans especially Swedish young people take life as they are growing up based on interview in Stockholm on 24 June 2013. ‘I was born in 1959 in Stockholm and was given the name of Mats Erik Hogstrom. I had studied economics post high school for two years in what is called gymnasium in Sweden. As soon as I finished school in 1977 at age 18, I was ready to travel and the first foray was to be to India’. Asked why he chose India, he said: ‘I read in papers that everybody was going to Goa, which I thought was in the West Indies. It is ridiculous but I mixed it up with west of India with West Indies. I travelled with a Finnish girl (not girlfriend) who was my classmate. We did not know anything and had only been to Denmark so far. So far as India is concerned the only thing we knew was that hippies are going there. The plan was to go to Istanbul by buying an inter rail student pass for one month of travel in Europe. Arriving in Amsterdam, we saw a poster about a bus collecting passengers to go to India. Unfortunately it had left two days earlier. So we decided to go somewhere else beginning with Munich where we met some friends. We then went to Greece where I stayed for a month. In the meantime my Finnish friend found a companion - a Cypriot guy. I just hung around. Soon I realized that I was to go to India and as to what I was doing in Greece. We decided to go our separate ways but possibly meet in India/Goa at some future date. I then took a train to Istanbul and met an Indian on train. Funnily I was carrying a ‘jungle’ book and we talked about wild animals. In Istanbul, a Finnish guy with Swedish bus who had been to Afghanistan about eleven times but never ventured further to India (Tapani Tours). We took three weeks to reach India stopping en-route at Ankara, Massad, Teheran,

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Kandahar, Lahore and finally Amritsar. Our bus was not allowed into India and it had to be left behind at the border. Second Trip to India: I worked for a year before I went to India again for 3-4 months. This time the Russians had moved into Afghanistan. So from Teheran, I had to take a southern route via Quetta, Lahore and onto Amritsar and finally Delhi. During this trip, I went to Ladakh and Kashmir. On return, I decided to settle down in Stockholm and started working till 1984. I was a caretaker in a kindergarten looking after 1-12 yrs old boys. In 1984 I saw in the newspapers what was happening to Sikhs in India and read about operation Blue Star and killings post Indira Gandhi’s assassination. I did not like Indira Gandhi and the politics she stood for. I saw a picture of Bhinderanwale who had stood up to her. I developed an interest in Sikhs without any previous thought process. Besides Amritsar, I had met and interacted with Sikhs who impressed me in Delhi, Darjeeling and Kashmir—that’s all. Third Trip to India: I went to India for three months with a girl from Sweden. She wanted to have a soft start to our Indian visit beginning with Goa. During 1984 Sikh riots, we were in Goa: I was impacted by what I read. We returned after a year when I got in touch with a Swedish newspaper to go to India to write about the aftermath of 1984 Sikh riots. There was also a huge strike in Bombay by the labour unions. This time when I came to India, I started to read about the Sikhs and developed an interest in them. I got hold of a translation of SGGS. In Stockholm in 1986, I met the ‘sangat’ in an exhibition in a museum. There were about 300-400 Sikhs. One Sikh from England talked about Sikhi in English. Many Sikhs who had cut hair started to take ‘amrit’.’ According to Jassa, Sikhs started migrating to Sweden in 1970s. He had met a turbaned Sikh Gurkirpal Singh with a Swedish wife who was running a restaurant. Now there would be about 2,000 Sikhs in Sweden, 4-500 of them with turbans. More than half of the total Sikh population live in Stockholm area. In Norway there would be more than5,000 Sikhs. The main inflows were in 1980s. Post-Taliban problems, the Afghani Sikhs came in—may be 200 of them. ‘In 1987, Bhai Rajinder Singh (organizer of the exhibition), a missionary from UK was going to Malaysia. I wanted to go with him but could not get leave from the job I was doing. However in 1989, I quit work and went to Malaysia with Bhai Rajinder’s brother to learn ‘keertan’, learn a bit of Punjabi and may be marry a Sikh girl: I did not want to marry a Swedish girl. His objective was to use me as a propaganda

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material claiming that how a Swedish looks at Sikhi. I was already wearing a turban’. When asked why he chose to go to Malaysia, he replied ‘because Sikhs there are more westernized’. ‘We travelled around in Malaysia, Singapore and then went to Australia where I met Daya Singh’s Malaysian wife (DS was away). We also went to New Zealand, and Fiji visiting gurdwaras in each country. On return to Malaysia, I met Susheel Ji. On seeing her with ‘dastar’, my curiosity lead me to inquire about her from the ‘sangat’. One of my Sikh friends knew her. Susheel travelled with us for a week visiting various gurdwaras in and around KL. I went to Malaysia again in 1990 when we also visited Thailand and Indonesia. During this trip I discussed with Bhai Rajinder Singh about our marriage. On return to Malaysia, we got married in 1990. On return to Sweden, my parents asked me as to when I was getting married. I told them that I was already married’. Asked about his parent’s reaction to wearing a turban in 1986, he said ‘Parents told me to walk five metres ahead or behind them and not to walk along with them. However, after a year they were bragging about me being their son as a Sikh! I have two brothers. My parents knew a little about Sikhs that they are honest and hardworking people. As a Swedish Sikh it was more difficult to get a job. A Sikh could not drive a tram because of turban, it was a 1986 episode. Again in 1987 a turban wearing Sikh was not allowed to sell tickets on the metro. Both the cases were taken to courts where Sikhs won. Post our marriage, Susheel stayed with Kuldeep Singh, brother of Rajinder Singh, in Birmingham, UK. For getting a permit to reside in Sweden, she had to be in a country other than Sweden. There was however no problem in getting the permit. In following years we went on some trips to European countries with Bhai Rajinder Singh Ji. I worked for a couple of years at the kindergarten where kids loved me with my turban, a job I had to leave again as I went to India. We soon settled down in Sweden and I got a steady job working as a sweeper. Susheel is a receptionist. I soon started to study again. My parents were delighted to see that becoming a Sikh has given me some purpose in life other than travelling. I am now a qualified nurse working in a hospital. I am also the Secretary of the local gurdwara. We have two children; Manjodh Singh 16 yrs, and Harjeevan Kaur 9 yrs. Manjodh wears turban when he visits Malaysia but not in Sweden where he keeps a ‘gut’. Describing his conversion to Sikhism, he replied: ‘I wanted to take ‘amrit’ in Europe but it was much politicized environ then in Europe’.

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I had written to ‘Akal Takht’ for ‘amrit’ but got no response. I then went to Pakistan, Nankana Sahib where Sikh families took great care of me. I had gone there during ‘Baisakhi’ when all the ‘sangat’ was in Punja Sahib’. Finally I was able to take ‘amrit in 1988 in Sisgunj Gurdwara, Delhi on my fourth visit to India. I had started tying a turban in 1986 (got a turban in Sweden from the Sangat)’. I can understand Punjabi and can even speak a little bit. Sikh Scene: I am sometimes called ‘Bin Laden’ despite being Swedish— turban is good enough to be identified with Taliban. Most of the Sikhs are doing petty business; some are driving buses, taxis (now no restrictions because of turban). Passport has Jassa’s photo with turban.

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Sikhs in Continental Europe APPENDIX 9

Lund Conferences

RESEARCH ON SIKHS IN EUROPE As a first step in the direction of bringing together researchers in Sikh studies on Europe, Kristina Myrvold, Assistant Professor of History of Religion in Sweden, organized a one-day workshop in Sikh and Punjab studies at Lund University in March 2005.This was followed by three more conferences in 2008, 2010 and 2013. Unfortunately the programme has since been discontinued. 2005: ‘Workshop on Sikh and Punjab Studies’, 19 March 2005. Invited speakers were five renowned experts from Germany, Sweden, UK and the US. 2008: ‘The Sikhs in Europe: History, Religion and Representation’, 13-14 June 2008. Fifteen scholars from eight European countries participated in a twoday long exploratory workshop. 2010: ‘Migration, Identity & Trans-local Practices’, 16-18 June 2010. As the largest event ever to be held on the Sikhs in a European University, the conference attracted 35 junior and senior researchers from 15 countries in addition to the local Sikhs. 2013: ‘Young Sikhs in a Global World Negotiating Identity, Tradition and Authority’, 18-19 June 2013. Close to 40 doctoral students and researchers from 15 countries participated in the event. SIKH SCHOLARS Participants at Lund University. Conferences on Sikhs in Europe. 2005 PARTICIPANTS 1. Kristina Myrvold, Lund University, Sweden. 2. Gurinder Singh Mann, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA.

Appendix 9 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Shinder Thandi, Coventry University, UK. Constance Elsberg, Northern Virginia College, USA. Michael Nijhawan, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Catarina Kinnvall, Lund University.

2008 PARTICIPANTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Dr. Kristina Myrvold. Prof. Olle Qvarnström. Prof. Shinder Thandi, Coventry University. Prof. David Omissi, University of Hull. Christine Moliner, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, PhD student. Prof. Gurinder Singh Mann, University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Michael Nijhawan, York University. Alexandra Irene Larsen, Oslo University, MA student. Helene Ilkjær, Copenhagen University, MA student. Dr. Barbara Bertolani, Universitàdegli Studidel Molise, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies. Prof. Eleanor Nesbitt, University of Warwick. Jasjit Singh, University of Leeds, PhD student. Laura Schwöbel, University of Jyväskylä, PhD student. Dr. Jürgen Offermanns, Lund University.

2010 PARTICIPANTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Barbara Bertolani, University of Molise. Halldis Breidlid, Oslo University College. Ka-kin Cheuk, University of Oxford. Federica Ferraris, University of Sussex. Kaveri Harriss, University of Sussex. Michael Hawley, Mount Royal University. Laura Hirvi, University of Jyväskylä. Zbigniew Igielski, Warsaw University. Helene Ilkjaer, University of Copenhagen. Doris Jakobsh, University of Waterloo. Knut A. Jacobsen, University of Bergen. Barbora Jombikova, Slovak Academy of Sciences. Alexandra Irene Larsen, University of Agder. Gurpreet S. Lehal, Punjabi University, Patiala. Kathryn Lum, European University Institute.

344 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.

9 Europe Sikhs in Appendix Continental

Gurinder S. Mann, University of California, SB. Christine Moliner, Ecole des Hautes Et. en Soc. Sc. Kristina Myrvold, Lund University. Eleanor Nesbitt, University of Warwick. Niki Papageorgiou, Aristotle University. Sandra Santos, University of Barcelona. Ajit S. Sikand, Goethe University of Frankfurt. Jasjit Singh, University of Leeds. Kamalroop Singh, University of Birmingham. Satwinder Singh, Dublin Institute of Technology. Opinderjit K. Takhar, University of Wolverhampton. Shinder Thandi, Coventry University. Julie Vig, University of British Columbia. Lill Margrethe Vramo, University of Oslo.

OTHER PARTICIPANTS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Swarn Singh Kahlon, www.sikhglobalvillage.com Johanne Linstad, student at Lund University. Vilde Reichelt, The Church City Mission, Norway. Harpreet Singh, student at Lund University. Khushwant Singh, director of the film Musafir. Members of the Sikh congregation.

2013 PARTICIPANTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Vanessa Azzeruoli, University of Padova, Italy. Bobby Singh Bansal, Film Director, UK. Barbara Bertolani, University of Padova, Italy. Anna Bochkovskaya, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. Alexander Bochkovskiy, Russia. Bikram Singh Brar, University of Bradford. Naindeep Chann, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Ka-Kin Cheuk, Oxford University, US. Sara Cosemans, Colombia University, US. Jiazhi Fengjian, Chin. Peder Gedda, University of British Columbia, Canada. Rosy Hastir, University of Delhi, India. Michael Hawley, Mount Royal University, Canada. Laura Hirvi, University of Helsinki, Finlan. Knut A. Jacobsen, University of Bergen, Norway.

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16. Doris Jakobsh, University of Waterloo, Canada. 17. Gurbachan Singh Jandu, St. Marys University College. 18. Surinder S. Jodhka, Jawaharlal Nehru University/Lund University, India/Sweden. 19. Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, University of Birmingham. 20. Livleen Kahlon, Chandigarh, India. 21. Swarn Singh Kahlon, Sikh Global Village, India. 22. Ravinder Kaur, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 23. Ram Krishan, UK. 24. Gurinder Singh Mann, University of California, Santa Barbara. 25. Gurinder Singh Mann, De-Montfort University. 26. Amit Kumar Mishra, University of Hyderabad, India. 27. Christine Moliner, Centre d’Etudes de l’Indeet de l’Asie du Sud, EHESS, France. 28. Nicola Mooney, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada. 29. Kristina Myrvold, Lund University/Linnaeus University, Sweden. 30. Eleanor Nesbitt, University of Warwick, UK. 31. Ayaz Ahmed Qureshi, UK. 32. Kaveri Qureshi, Oxford University, UK. 33. Anjali Gera Roy, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. 34. Gibb Schreffler, Pomona College, USA. 35. Harpreet Singh, Lund University, Sweden. 36. Jasjit Singh, University of Leeds, UK. 37. Kamalroop Singh, Birmingham University, UK. 38. Satnam Singh, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 39. Hanna Snellman, University of Helsinki, Finland. 40. Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, University of Wolverhampton, UK. 41. Shinder Thandi, Coventry University, UK. 42. Meenakshi Thapan, University of Delhi, India. 43. Lill Margre the Vramo, University of Oslo, Norway. 44. John Warneke, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.

APPENDIX 10

Research Scholars of Sikh Studies Continental Europe

Some scholars who have studied Sikhs in various countries are given below (These contacts are based mainly on interaction with ‘Sikhs in Europe—Lund Group’). Norway: Knut A. Jacobsen; Lill Margrethe Vramo. Sweden: Krystina Myrvold; Karolina £ukasiewicz. Finland: Laura Hirvi. Denmark: Helene Ilkjaer. Germany: Ajit Singh Sikand. Poland: Zbigniew Igielski. Russia: Anna Bochkovskaya. Italy: Barbara Bertolani; Vanessa Azzeruoli. Greece: Niki Papageorgiou. Spain: Kathryn Lum; Sandra Santos. France: Christine Moliner. Belgium: Sara Cosemans; Quincy Cloet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS AND ESSAYS

Aiyar, Pallavi, Punjabi Parmesan, Penguin, New Delhi, 2013. Bansal, Bobby Singh, The Lion’s Firanghis: Europeans at the court of Lahore, Coronet House Publishing, London, 2010. Bertolani, Barbara, Ferraris Federica and Perocco Fabio (Italy), ‘Mirror Games: A Fresco of Sikh Settlements among Italian Local Societies’. Bird Wood, Colonel F.T. OBE, The Sikh Regiment in the Second World War, Jarrold and Sons Ltd., Norwich (Foreword by General Sir Frank Messervy). Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Brill: Boston and Leiden, 2017 (relevant Chapters). Hutter, Manfred—‘Austria’. Cosemans, Sara—‘Belgium’. Ilkjaer, Helene—‘Denmark’. Hirvi, Laura and Timonen Joonas—‘Finland’. Moliner, Christine—‘France’. Stephanus, Robert—‘Germany’. Papageorgiou, Niki—‘Greece’. Bertolani, Barbara—‘Italy’. Nugteren, Albertina—‘Netherland’. Jacobsen, Kunt A.—‘Norway’. Zbigniew, Igielski—‘Poland’. Lourenco, Ines—‘Portugal’. Bochkovskaya, Anna—‘Russia’. Santos, Sandra—‘Spain’. Myrvold, Kristina—‘Sweden’. Baumann, Christoph Peter—‘Switzerland’. Weigler, Elizabeth Ann—Sikhs and the World Wars. Gill, Romeo Singh, Harjeet, Forlaget, Norway, 2008. ——, Young Man in a New Land: Ung mann I nytt land, Forlaget, Norway, 2010.

348

Bibliography

Holland, Bhupinder Singh, How Europe is indebted to the Sikhs, Sikh University Press, 2005. ——, The Dutch Sikhs (A Belgium History), Sikh University Press, Waremme, Beligum, 2009. Hirvi Laura (Finland), ‘Sikhs in Finland: Migration Histories and Work in the Restaurant Sector’. Igielski, Zbigniew (Poland), ‘The Sikhs in Poland: A Short History of Migration and Settlement’. Ilkjaer Helene, Denmark, ‘The Sikh Community in Denmark: Balancing between Cooperation and Conflict’. Jacobsen, Knut A. and Kristina Myrvold, Sikhs in Europe: Migration, Identities and Representations, Ashgate, New York, 2011. ——, Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs, London, New York, 2012. Jacobsen, Knut A., Gurinder Singh Mann, Myrvold Kristina, Eleanor Nesbitt, Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Brill, Boston and Leiden, 2017. Jacobsen, Knut A. (Norway), ‘Institutionalization of Sikhism in Norway: Community Growth and Generational Transfer’. Kahlon, Swarn Singh, Sikhs in Latin America: Travels among the Sikh Diaspora, Manohar, New Delhi, 2012. ——, Sikhs in Asia Pacific: Travels among the Sikh Diaspora from Yangon to Kobe, Manohar, New Delhi, 2016. Kunwar, Rajiv, ‘Undocumented Migrants’, Master’s thesis submitted on 26 February 2010, supervised by Prof. Dr. William S. Sax and Dr. Gabriele Alex, Heidelberg University, Germany. Lum, Kathryn (Spain), ‘Caste, Religion and Community Assertion: A Case Study of the Ravidasias in Spain’. Moliner, Christine (France), ‘Did You Get Papers? Sikh Migrants in France’. Myrvold, Kristina (Sweden), ‘The Swedish Sikh: Community Building, Represntation and Generational Change’. Niki Papageorgion, ‘Sikh Immigrants in Greece: On the Road to Integration’. Omissi, D., Indian Voices of the Great War: Soldiers Letters 1914-18, Penguin Books, New Delhi, 2014. Puri, Sham Lal, The Illegals, Har Anand, New Delhi, 2014. Rajan S. Irudaya, ‘Sikh Migration to France’, Dynamic of Sikh Migration, Routledge India, New Delhi, 2011. Rajan, S. Irudaya, V.J. Varghese, Aswini Kumar Nanda, Immigration,

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Mobility and Multiple Affiliations, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi, 2015. Report of the High Level Committee on Indian Diaspera, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi, December 2001. Saha, P.K.C., Smuggling of Migrants from India to Europe and in Particular to UK: Study on Punjab & Haryana, A Publication of United Nations Office on Daigs Ocaine, New Delhi, 2009. Sahai, P.S., Krishan Chand and Pawan Kumar, Indian Diaspora: Migration and Development with Focus on the State of Punjab’, CRRID, Chandigarh, 2012. Tandon, Prakash, Punjabi Saga 1857-2000, New Delhi, Rupa, 2000. INDIA: EU MIGRATION, CARIM REPORTS Bal, Ellen, ‘Indian Migration to the Netherland’, CARIM, India Research Report 2012/7. Bhawra, Viresh Kumar, ‘Irregular Migration from India to the EU: Evidence from the Punjab’, CARIM-India Research Report 2013/3 Gottschlich Pierre, ‘German Case Study’, CARIM-India Research Report 2012/3. Lum, Kathryn, ‘Indian Diversities in Italy: A Case Study’, CARIMIndia Research Report 2012/2. ——, ‘The Quiet Indian Revolution in Italy´s Dairy Industry’. CARIM, India Research Report 2012/8. Myrvold, Kristina, ‘Swedish Case Study: Indian Migration and Population in Sweden’, CARIM-India Research Report 2012/6 Saha, K.C. ‘Irregular Migration from India to the EU: Punjab & Haryana Case Study’, CARIM-India Research Report 2012/28. Sahai, Paramjit and Kathryn Dominique Lum, ‘Punjab to Italy in the Dairy Sector: The Quiet India Revolution’, ‘CARIM-India Research Report 2013/10. Websites and Videos www.sikhs.nl. www.sikhglobalvillage.com www.sikhglobalvillagewordpress.com Euro Broad Map. Visions of Europe in the World, Migrants and Borders – India. March 2010.http://www.migreurop.org.

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Gill, Harjant, Documentary, ‘Roots of Love’, Doordarshan & BBC, 18 August 2014. Google: ‘Sikh Sikh Everywhere’. An interview, 17 November 2014. ——, ‘Sikh Channel Swaran Singh Kahlon, Sahit De Ang Sang’, An Interview, 18 March 2019. Kunwar, Rajiv, ‘Live Histories of Undocumented Punjabi Immigrants from India (http://mighealth.net/de/images/1/10/Life.pdf). Singh, Vicky, Sikh Spectrum, Issue no. 7, December 2002, https:// sikhspectrum.com.

SEMINARS: LUND WORKSHOPS

Bertolani, Barbara, University of Molise, ‘Transnational Sikh Families in Italy’. ——, Federica Ferraris, University of Sussex; Fabio Perocco, University of Venice, ‘Mirror Games: A Fresco of Sikh Settlements among Italian Local Societies’. Hirvi, Laura, University of Jyväskylä, ‘Sikh Immigrants Working in Finland: Rising from Rags to Riches’? Igielski, Zbigniew, Warsaw University, ‘Sikh Migration to Poland’. Jacobsen, Knut A., University of Bergen, ‘Institutionalization of Sikhism in Norway’. Lum, Kathryn, European University Institute, ‘The Ravidassia Community and Identity(ies) in Catalonia, Spain’. Moliner, Christine, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. ‘The Stigma of Illegality: Sikh Migrants in Continental Europe’. Myrvold, Kristina Lund University, ‘the Swedish Sikhs: Integration, Representation and Generational Change’. Sikand, Ajit Singh, Goethe University of Frankfurt. ‘Sikhs in Germany: The Gurdwara and Its Social and Religious Importance’. Sikhs in Europe: Migration, Identity and Transnational Practices, 16-18 June 2010, Lund University, Sweden (Relevant Papers). Thapan, Meenakshi, University of Delhi, ‘Mujheazadi se bahutyaarhai’ (I Love My Freedom): Freedom and Autonomy for Punjabi Youth in Northern Italy’. Young Sikhs in a Global World: Negotiating Identity, Tradition, and Authority, 18-19 June 2013, Lund University, Sweden (Relevant Papers).

Bibliography

351

Azzeruoli, Vanessa, University of Padova, ‘Young Sikhs Living in Italy: Building Identities, Changing Traditions’. Bertolani, Barbara, University of Padova. ‘Second Generation Sikhs in Italy: A Plural Presence for an Intergenerational Dialogue’. Bochkovskaya, Anna, Lomonosov Moscow State University. ‘Transformation of the Sikh Community in Post-Soviet Russia’. Hastir, Rosy, University of Delhi. ‘Youth in Northern Italy: InterGeneration Difference: A Study of Sikh Immigrant in Italy’. Hirvi, Laura, University of Helsinki. ‘Meanings of Home: Exploring the Experiences of Young Sikhs in Helsinki, Finland’. Kahlon, Swarn Singh Sikh, Global Village.com. ‘Sikh Diaspora in Three Countries of Three Continents: Argentina, the Netherlands and Burma’. Moliner, Christine, Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud. ‘Discourses about Caste among Young Sikhs in the Diaspora’. Thandi, Shinder, Coventry University. ‘Comparative Experiences of Sikhs in Europe: Reflections on Issues of CulturalTransmission and Identity’. Vramo, Lill Margrethe, University of Oslo, ‘It Hurts to Cut His Hair’: An Exploration of Materiality and Body in Identity Formation Among Young Sikhs in Norway’. OTHER PAPERS (Sikhs in Europe)

Bochkovskaya, Anna, ‘Transformation of the Sikh community in postSoviet Russia’, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Gallo, Ester, ‘Italy is not a good Place for Men: Narratives of Places, Marriage and Masculinity Among Malayali Migrants’, Dipartimento ‘Uomo & Territorio’, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via della Pernice 11. Researchgate.net/229697138 ——, ‘Creating Gurdwara, Narrating Histories: Perspective on the Sikh Diasporain Italy’. Hieber, Thomas, ‘Bhangra, Cows and Parmesan Cheese: Glimpses from the South Asian Diaspora in Europe’. The Lausanne Global Conversation. Lukasiewicz, Karolina, ‘Between Two Worlds: A Study of Sikh Communities in Stockholm and London: Adaptation, Integration, and Emergence of Social Identity’, Department of Social Anthropology, Jagiellonian University. Meenakashi, Thapan, ‘Indian Migration to Italy: A View of Europe: A Perspective from Indian Immigrants’.

352

Bibliography

——, ‘Understanding Constructions of ‘Otherness’: The Case of Indian Immigrants in Northern Italy’. Myrvold, Kristina, ‘The Swedish Sikhs: Integration, Representation and Generational Change’. Nachatter Singh, Garha, ‘Sikh Diaspora to Spain seen through Generations: A Socio-demographic Perspective’. Andreu Domingo Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics, UAB, Barcelona.

Index

Aam Aadmi Party 183 Abdul Kalam 105 Addis Ababa 167 Aden Port 53 Advani, Lal Krishna 105 Afghan 223 Afghanistan 24, 25, 28, 43, 61, 115, 118, 199, 224, 231, 249, 251, 297, 315, 316 Africa 14, 20, 94, 212, 233, 234 Agha Khan 95 Agra 53 Ajay Goyal 223 Akali Dal 183 Akhand Path 144 Alarcon (Ahlsrom) 57 Albanians 129, 154 Algarve 214 Algeria 94, 96 Algiers, 167 All India Allard Square of St Tropez in France 99 Allard, Henri Prevost 99 Allard, Jean Franquis 99 Almere (Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib) 173 Amandeep 79 Amar Singh 257 Amarinder Singh 164 Amarjeet Singh 121-3 Amarjit Kaur 71 Amarjit Singh 209 Amarjit Singh Taj 159 Ambala 100 America 28, 42, 263, 272 American School 259 Americans 26 Amritdhari Sikhs 279

Amritsar 41, 57, 121, 193, 210, 255, 261 Amsterdam 168, 177 An India Study Centre 65 Anandpur Sahib 111, 227 Angelino 156 Anglo-Indians 26 Angola 18, 212 Anita 80, 81 Anita Mira Singh 122 Ankara 261 Antoniyo 242 Antwerp 64-6; India Association 65 Arabs 129 Arason, Kristján Johann Singh 145 Argentina 23, 26, 43, 62 Argolidab 130 Argosaronikos Islands 130 Ari (Manjit) Singh 143, 145, 312, 313 Aridóttir, Anita Margret 145 Arievna, Angelikha Singh 145 Arjan Singh 26, 62 Armenians 157 Army 13, 20 Arya Samaj Mandir 208 Asia 212 Asia Pacific 42 Associations in France 95 Asu, Maria 91 Athens 128, 134, 141, 175 Athens gurdwara 40, 136 Athens Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara 40 Athens Olympics 137 Atlantic Ocean 211 Australasia 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 23, 38, 43, 49, 84, 241

354

Index

Austria 7, 30, 47-51, 55-8, 59, 62, 77, 148, 261 Avalon 139 Avtar Singh 66, 134 Avtar Singh Rana 163, 165 Baba Ranjit Singh 61, 106 Baba Singh Jhinjan 61 Bachchan, Amitabh 52 Badalona 239, 240 Baden 266 Baghdad 77 Bahama 90 ‘Baisakhi’ festivals 66 Balbir Singh 49, 118, 139, 159 Baldev Singh 247 Balearic Islands 233 Baljit Singh 40 Balkan Peninsula 128 Balwinder Kaur 185 Balwinder Singh 220-1 Banana plantations 23 Banga, J.S. 249, 258 Bangkok 56, 103, 229; gurdwara 56 Bangla Sahib 263 Bangladesh 96, 297 Barcelona 41, 145, 167, 233, 234, 239, 247, 260, 315 Basel 266-9, 271 Basra 77 Bassersdorf 268 Beajnolet 107 Beant Singh 170, 178, 207 Beijing 56 Beirut 107 Belarus 203 Belgian 40 Belgian Police Raid Gurdwara 68 Belgium 5, 19, 24, 26, 30, 36, 40, 45, 63, 65-7, 69, 70, 71, 93, 94, 164, 243, 284, 285, 311 Belgium gurdwaras 41 Belgrade 56, 62, 166 Berlin 122, 126, 127 Bern 266, 267, 270 BFG 119

Bhaduri, Debashish 113 Bhagwant Singh 89 Bhai Darshan Singh 258 Bhai Harjinder Singh Ji 267 Bhai Rajinder Singh 256 Bhajan 177 Bhakra Dam 121 Bhangra 88 Bharatiya Samaj 65 Bhindranwale, Jarnail Singh 278 Bhubaneswar 228 Bhutan 228 Bhutto, Benazir 269 Billa, Jatinder Singh 137, 138, 139 Birmingham 27, 256 ‘birsanthokhana’ 29 Bobby Singh 100 Bobigny 97, 105, 106, 107 Boiotia 130 Bolivia, 23, 79, 176 Bombay 53, 276 Bonn 122 Borgloon 68 Bratislava 243 Brazil 62, 212 Breccia gurdwara 62 Bremen 141 Brescia 151, 156, 166 Britain 63 British 18, 19; Asian town 27 British Columbia 23 British East Africa 23 British Indian Army 14, 26, 284 Brussels 40, 41, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72 Bucharest 56 Budapest 107, 243 Buenos Aires 23 Bulgaria 62, 77, 89, 140, 145, 210, 261 Burgenland 53 Burma 18, 20, 21, 29, 43, 228, 274 Butalia 110 Calcutta 228, 276 California 21, 146, 231 Canada 15-17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 38, 41,

Index 43, 58, 75, 81, 89, 168, 172, 190, 192, 209, 231, 235, 239, 241, 261-4, 318 Canary Islands 233, 235 Caribbean countries 17, 18; Islands 14 CARIM-India Research Report 65 Caritas 40 Carlos, King Juan 234 Carmagnola 161 Casa de Goa (Goa House) 214 Castel Gomberto in Vincenza 151 Catalonia 233, 236, 315 Catherine 110 Central Greece 130 Chain Singh 178 Chalakudi 145 Chandanvir 91 Chandigarh 14, 77, 101, 127, 141, 160, 162, 163, 166, 186, 201, 244, 248, 270, 271, 305 Chandranagore 95 Charanjit 51 Chaudhary, Khazaan Singh 118 Chavan, Shankar Rao 111 Cheema, Manjot Singh 271, 272 Chicago 41 China 15, 18, 20, 21, 29, 43, 56, 104, 231, 284, 297 Citibank 231 Coimbra 214 Coldiretti (a leading organization of farmers at national and European level) 153-4 College, Ludhiana 121 Cologne 115, 117, 119, 125, 247 Colombia 177 Commerz Bank 118-20 Connaught Place, New Delhi 77 Conseil Representatif Des Sikhs De Conseild’Etat 70 Continental Europe 8, 9, 13, 19, 24, 29, 38, 43, 112, 115, 147, 150 Copenhagen 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 218, 219; Business School 79

355

Council of Sikhs France 99 Cremation Memorial 150 Crete 130 Cypress 26 Cyprus 145 , 248 Czechoslovakia 59, 243 Dalbir Singh 297 Dalip Singh 269 Daljit Singh 118 Daman 212 Damascus 175 Daniken 270 Danish Consulate 78 Danish Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh 79 Darbar Sahib 227 Darjeeling 255 Darshan Singh 181, 244 Dartmouth 82 Das Gupta (Indian ambassador) 122 Datta-Ray, K. 14 DAV College 53 Davinder Singh 189; in Mumbai 230 Daya Singh 256 De Bobigny, Mairie 103 Debut and Danish World Music Award 80 Deepalaxmi 15 Dehra Dun 52, 53, 126 Delhi 13, 59, 89, 91, 109, 111, 118, 119, 137, 153, 160, 175, 177, 188, 189, 191, 194-7, 208, 209, 228, 230, 232, 242, 255, 257, 270 Deminwirtschaft Bank (DFT) 119 Den Haag (The Hague): Denmark 77 Denmark 19, 30, 38, 45, 73, 74, 75, 79, 82 DESS at Sorbonne 270 Dev S. Banga of Delhi 260 Devinder Singh 122 Dhanbad 122 Dharmvir 105 Diu 212

356

Index

Doaba College, Jalandhar 229 Doha 118 Dr. Darshan Singh 170 Dr. Duggal 119, 120 Dr. Satwinder Kumar (Congress ‘Pardhan’) 138 Dr. Seth, Rajinder Singh Raaji 55 Dr. Taranjeet Singh1 93 Dubai 77, 204 Duggal-Hari Leela 120 Duleep Singh (son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh), 93 Dusseldorf 121, 196 Dutch 18 East Africa 17, 18, 24, 28, 29, 146 East Asia 20, 33 Ecuador 177 Egypt 284 Eisenerz 47 Eltra 81 Englishmen 26 Esperenza 26 Essen 118 EU countries 18 Europe 14, 19, 24, 28, 29, 31, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 47, 48, 81, 87, 233 European Court of Justice 35 European Sikh Council 38 Far East 21 Faroe Islands 81 Fategarh 139 Fatehgarh Sahib 137, 183 Federal Republic of Germany 114 Ferozepore 20 Fiji 14, 16, 17, 43, 263 Finland 19, 30, 31, 87, 89, 92, 261 First World War 65, 130, 284, 285 Forchtenstein 54 Forli Indian Army Cremation Memorial 150 France 4, 26, 30, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43, 45, 63, 67, 72, 75, 93, 95, 96,

101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 148, 178, 247, 284, 285, 311; Representative Council of Sikhs in 103 Frankfurt 52, 58, 107, 115-17, 120, 121, 219, 243, 247, 307 French 18, 26 G. Singh 98 Gagandeep Kaur 134, 135 Galicija 50 da Gama, Vasco 212 Gandhi Restaurant 219 Gandhi, Indira 252, 255, 273, 308 Gandhi, Mahatma 114 Gandhi, Sonia 165 Garcha, Arvinder Singh 161 General Francisco Franco 234 General Hospital in Generation in Action 67 Geneva 266, 270 Genoa 53, 149 Georgia 42, 133, 135, 264 German Democratic Republic 114 German Engineering Company, AEG, in Rourkela 121 Germans 26 Germany 14, 17, 19, 26, 30, 38, 39, 42, 45, 52, 56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 71, 77, 78, 81, 85, 89, 94, 103, 104, 106, 112, 113, 115, 117-20, 122-6, 134, 140, 141, 194, 196, 218-20, 246, 247, 261, 266, 270, 272, 306, 308, 311, 312 Gerona 233, 315 ‘Ghadar’ movement 21 Ghana 24, 198 Ghent 64 Giacomo Puccini 159 Giani Rajinder Singh 176 Gill, Romeo Singh 198 Gill, Sukhdarshan Singh 87 Gill, Sukhnavdeep Singh 87 Girdih, Bihar 232 Girona 236

Index Goa 122, 211, 212, 214 Gobind Singh College 259 Goldy Singh 158 Golstrup 80 Gordon, Lieutenant Colonel P. 20 Granthi 219 Gratz 47 Gratz, Galicija 50 Graz 49, 57, 58, 60 Great Britain 41, 142, 239 Greece 15, 19, 26, 30, 42, 45, 89, 140, 141, 209, 210 Greek 103 Green Revolution 308 Greenland 81, 142 Grewal, Darshan Singh 182 Grim Future 40 Group—‘Sikhs in Europe’ 14 Guadeloupe 95 Guarda 214, 215 Guatemala 176 Guinea 14 Gujarat 51, 64, 213 Gujranwala 228 Gulf countries 194 Gunar Muhlmann 80 ‘Gurbani Kirtan’ 117 ‘Gurbani’ 37 Gurdaspur 106 Gurdeep Singh Gurdev Singh 77 Gurdial Singh 106, 127 Gurdwara 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 39, 41, 49, 51, 54, 61, 65, 67, 68, 75, 83, 86, 91, 97, 103, 105, 109, 112, 118, 122, 137, 160, 162, 163, 165, 166, 171, 214, 219-20, 227, 231, 237, 245, 247, 258, 261, 264, 309, 310, 311, 312 Gurdwara at Falero near Brescia 156 Gurdwara at Montova 166 Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lubana 97 Gurdwara Bibi Nanaki Sahib 253

357

Gurdwara Bobigny 97 Gurdwara Committee 272 Gurdwara Copenhagen 79 Gurdwara Copenhagen, Ballerup 76 Gurdwara Guru Nanak Prakash, Luik/Liège 68 Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib 40 Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib, Vilvoorde, Brussels 68 Gurdwara Guru Teg Bahadur Sabib 97 Gurdwara Gurusar 91 Gurdwara Gurusar Vantaa 86 Gurdwara in Bobigny 93 Gurdwara in Germany 119 Gurdwara in Lagenthal 265 Gurdwara in Linz 50 Gurdwara in Moscow 222 Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib 50 Gurdwara in Portugal 217 Gurdwara in Sabaudia 157 Gurdwara Klagenfurt 50 Gurdwara Nanak Dev Ji 134 Gurdwara Nanak Parkash 50, 57 Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee 223 Gurdwara Sahib 268 Gurdwara Sahib Switzerland, Daniken 268 Gurdwara Sangat Sahib 68, 71, 253 Gurdwara Sangat Sahib, Sint-Truiden 41 Gurdwara Sanjhiwal Singh Sabha 50 Gurdwara Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha 97 Gurdwara Singh Sabha 50, 57, 97, 102, 205 Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Vanløse 76 Gurdwara Vereninging 173 Gurdwaras in Belguim 68 Gurdwaras in Brussels 71 Gurdwaras in Germany 116 Gurdwaras in Klagenfurt and Salzburg 57 Gurdwaras of Brescia and Reggio Emillia 147

358 Gurkha War Cremation Memorial 150 Gurkirpal Singh 257 Gurmail Singh 189, 218, 219 ‘Gurmat’ 276, 277 Gurmeet Singh 207, 231 Gurmeet Singh Bhogal 61 Gurmel Singh 81 Gurpal Singh 136 ‘Gurpurab’ 225 Gursangat Singh 122 Gurtej 137, 157 Guru Das Singh 226 Guru Granth Sahib in Iceland 144 ‘Guru ka langar’ 29 Guru Manak Dev 41, 52, 79, 122, 158, 159, 181, 239 Guru Nanak Parkaash 41, 55 Guru Ramdas Ashram Gurdwara in Amsterdam Frankfurt, Germany 276 Guru Ravidas 50 Guyana 16 Gyanpeeth 127 Habsburg dynasty 48 Hague 171 Halifax 168 Hamburg 89, 116, 118, 115, 247 Hanover, and Stuttgart 116 Hans Sandhu 51 Hanspal, Ramneek G. 82 Harbans Singh 146 Harbhajan 71, 157 Harbhajan Singh 156 Hardeep 51 Hari Leela 120 Harinder Singh 184 Harjant Gill 33 Harjinder Singh 230, 245 Harjit Singh 158 Harkamal Singh 146 Harpreet 241 Haryana 51, 246 Hasselt (Limburg) 66

Index Helsinki 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 258, 262; Gurdwara, Nishan Sahib 277 Herr Kraft 119 Hiekkaharju 87 Himachal Pradesh 80 Hindu 17, 32 Hirvi, Laura 84 Hoepertingen 66 Holland 261 Holland, Bhupinder Singh 26, 172 Hong Kong 20, 29, 43, 120, 168, 172, 207, 260, 317 Hoshiarpur 80, 82, 119, 121, 176, 189, 198, 246, 248 HSBC Bank 231 Human Rights Commission of the UN 106 Iberian Peninsula 211, 233 Iceland 142, 143 Idesbald Goddeeris 65 Idi Amin 17, 24, 65 INA 207 India 18, 89, 96; in 1947 21 Indian Cultural Centre 114 ‘Indiavision’ 74 Indo-China 18 Indonesia 43,172 Innsbruck 52 INS Hooghly 262 Institute of Statistics 96 Iqbal Singh 123 Iqbal Singh Bhatti 101 Iran 24, 25, 43, 115, 118, 284 Iranian port 263 Iraq 77, 194, 284 Iserlohn 122 Island of Crete 128 Istanbul 57, 58, 62, 77 Italian 26, 31 Italy 14, 19, 26, 30, 42, 45, 62, 93, 99, 115, 137 Jacobsen 13, 19, 31, 129 Jacobsen, Prof. Knut A. 180

Index Jagdeep Singh 195 Jaggi Lamba 231 Jagjitpur 136 Jagparvesh 140 Jagtar Singh 57 Jakarta 182 Jalandhar 57, 80, 103, 107, 185, 191, 230, 261 Jammu 127 Jamshedpur 121 Janakpuri in Delhi 259 Jang Singh 139 Japan 81, 172 Jasma Singh 109 Jasmeet Singh 16 Jaspal Singh (Pali) 121 Jaspal Singh 254 Jaspreet 137 Jasvir Singh 105, 219, 220 Jaswant Singh 257 Jawahar Jyoti Singh 208 Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre 223 Jesuit College 52 Jitinder Singh 172 Joginder Singh 119 Jorawar Singh 248 Justin Trudeau 16 Kahlon, Swarn Singh 117, 118, 194 ‘Kabaddi’ tournaments 116 Kabul 57, 261, 262 Kalka 122 Kamboz, Amarjit Singh 181 Kanpur 228 Kapurthala 55, 105, 117, 127, 156, 165, 195, 206, 246 Karachi 53, 57 Karaikal 95 Karamvir 105 Karl Marx 127 Karlskrona 254 Karnal 61, 109 Karolina Lukasiewicz 250, 251 Käser, Hans Jürg 267 Kashmir 19, 45, 255; War 52

359

Kathmandu 259 Kaur, Harjeevan 257 Kaur, Ivneet 232 Kaur, Jasmeet 257, 260 Kaur, Mejinderpal, United Sikhs Legal Director 69 Kaur, Palwinder 66 Kaur, Puneet 232 Kaur, Prabhjot Singh 271 Kaur, Surjit 146, 237 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 88 Kenya 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 43, 79, 145, 200, 249 Kerala 48, 113, 114, 145 Khalistan 51, 278 Khalsa schools 24 Khalsa, Dalip Singh 268 Khalsa, Hari Kaur 227 Khalsa, Harinder Singh 179, 314 Khalsa, Manjit Kaur 227 Kharagpur in West Bengal 229 Khushminder Singh 163 Khushwant Singh 33, 117 Kiel 117, 218, 219 Kirpal Singh 122 Klagenfurt 49, 50, 57 Koeflach 47 Komagata Maru 23, 168, 170, 172 Korea 246 Krinidi 136-8 Kuala Lumpur 257 Kukreja, Reena 128 Kuldeep Singh 256 Kullu Valley 80 Kulwant Kaur 189, 190 Kulwant Singh 244 Kundalini Yoga 226 Kuwait 263 La Paz 79 Lacourneueve Gurdwara 107 Laden, Osama bin 35, 36, 257, 260 Lady Mayor 54 Lahore 99, 119, 121 Lal Singh 139

360 Langar at Parliament of World’s Religions, Spain 41 Langenthal gurdwara 267, 270 Langobarden Strasse 50 Lanka in 1948 21 Late Harvinder Singh 230 Latin America 14, 17 Latin Crusaders 129 Latina 158 Lausanne 266 Lazio 152 Lebanon 129, 137, 139, 209 Lee Kuan Yu 229 Leipzig 243 Leiria 214 Libya 96 Liege 64, 66, 243 Lier 180 Lima 62 Linn 187, 188 Linz 49, 57 Lions Club Burg Forchtenstein 54 Lisbon 213, 218-20 ‘Little Punjab’ 27 Lodi Chakpind 146 Logani 120 Lok Bhalai Party 133 Lombardia 152, 158 London 27, 79, 144 Loos 285 Los Alcazares, Murcia 238 Louisiana 16 Luce-Celler Act of 1946 23 Lucknow 53 Ludhiana 139, 140, 161, 192, 182, 194, 243, 246, 284; Sikhs 20 Lund Conference 223 Lund Group 13, 14 Lund University 249 Luxembourg 64 Macau 21, 211 Macedonia 40 Madagascar 18, 95 Madras Coastal Battery 262

Index Madrid 234, 241 Maelbeek 41, 71 Mahaan Singh 92, 119 Maharaja Ranjit Singh 19, 25, 26, 43, 110 Maharaja Yadvindra Singh of Maharashtra 213 Mahe 95 Maison, Anne Marie 110 Majorca 247 Malaga 234 Malawi 24 Malaya 14, 21, 43 Malaysia 17, 19, 20, 29, 38, 64, 134, 194, 247, 256, 257, 258, 261 Mali 43, 167 Malta 26, 107, 137 Malvinder Kaur 111 Managua, 79 Mandeep 305, 306, 307 Mandip Singh 248 Mangat, Jasbir Singh 55, 57 Mangat, Jaspal Singh 166 Mangat, Late Jasbir Singh 57 Mangla dam 45 Manikaran 80 Manjinder Singh 195 Manjit Kaur in Delhi 230 Manjit Singh 91, 226, 243, 313 Manjodh Singh 257 Manmohan Singh 25, 105, 244 Mann, Prof. Gurinder Singh 180 Mann, Shingara Singh 105 Mansarovar 119 Maputo 79 Marathon 131 Marco Omizzolo 158 Marco Polo 149 Maribor 56 Masuta, Ranjit Singh 71 Mauritius 14, 16, 17, 18, 24, 95 Medical Colleges 53 Mediterranean 233; Sea 148 Medizinalrat (Medical Council) 54 Meeting of Indian People 138

Index Meinz University 121 Mejindarpal Kaur, International Legal Director of United Sikhs 70 Melbourne 23 Menon Gate 287 Mesopotamia 284 Mexico 62,164, 176 Michael Rudel 110 Middle East 44 Milan 149, 150 Mining Society 47 Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi 259 Minoans 129 Mirpur 45 Miss Manners 41 Miss Scandinavia 82 Mitterrand, Frédéric 102 Modi, Narendra 25 Moga 207 Mohali 190 Mohan Singh 119, 189 Mombasa 146 Mondovì 161 Mongolia 56 Montreal 58 Morocco 43, 96, 167 Moscow 25, 56, 61, 83, 122, 223-30, 247, 315 Moscow Country Club 229 Moscow Gurdwara Committee 225 Moscow Sikh Cultural Society 231 Mozambique 17, 18, 79, 212 Mumbai, 103, 159 Munich 58, 77, 78, 103, 118, 120 Muscat 77 Mussolini, Benito 148 Myrvold 13, 129, 249; and Jacobsen 275, 318 Myrvold, Kristina 215, 250, 315 Myrvold, Prof. Kristina 180 ‘nagar kirtan’ 37, 66, 67, 86, 128 Nagara and Crete Gurdwaras 136

361

Nairobi 79, 146 Nanak Parkaash, Liege 71 Nand Singh 146 Nankana Sahib 257 Naples 53, 149 Napoleon 26, 64 Naresh Pal Singh 109 Naresh Singh 109 Narinder Singh 55 Narsihma Rao 259 NATO 202 Naujoks, Daniel 15 Navdeep 79 Navkiran Singh 82 Nawa Shahar 71, 104, 105, 175 Nazi Germany 48 Nesbitt, Prof. Eleanor 180 Netherland 6, 30 17, 26, 38, 45, 63, 65, 67 New Delhi 77, 79, 161, 229 New Jersey 14 New Mexico 144 New York 210 New Zealand 15, 17, 20, 23, 38, 43, 256 Nicaragua 79 Nigeria 24 Nikki Haley 16 Nilokheri 110 Nirmal Singh 41 Nishan Sahib 277 ‘Nishan Sahib’ 31, 83, 265, 267, 277, 275 (also Guru Ram Das Ashram of 3HO) 173 (also Shri Guru Ravidas Temple) 173 Noorpur 237 North Africa 43 North America 14, 19, 23, 25, 36, 37, 41 north-east Italy 152 Northern America 16 Norway 3, 14, 19, 30, 45, 77, 87 , 117 Nottingham 55 Novellara 155

362

Index

NRI female Nuremberg 219, 263 Nurpur Bedi 110 Obote, Milton 24 Odessa 145 Oinofyta 134, 136 Olive Oil Mill 137 Olot 235 Olympic Games in Athens 130 Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination 252 Onkar Singh 55, 56 Onkar Singh, gurdwara ‘Granthi 155 Operation Blue Star 182, 255, 259, 308, 316 Orbassano 161, 165 Orissa 141 Oslo 180, 184, 185, 193, 194, 197, 198 Oulu 84, 91 Pacific islands 20 Pakistan 25, 44, 96, 228, 257 Pal Singh 105 Palanpur 64 Palestine in Gallipoli 284 Pallavi Aiyar 155, 158 Palmas 234 Palvinder Singh 219 Panama 23, 176 Pancalieri 161 Pandit, Ms Vijay Laxmi 120 Panj Pyaras 122, 267 Paramjeet Singh in London 230 Paramjit 81, 82 Paris 13, 39, 93, 95, 97, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 167, 220, 270 Parliament of the World’s Religions 41 Parmar, Inderjit Singh 253 Parpatia, Sumit Singh 197 Parsa 127 Path 69 Pathankot 100 Patiala 89, 120, 134, 170, 245

‘Perestroika’ 230 Persian Gulf 15 Peru 62 Peru, Ecuador, Colombia 176 Phagwara 136, 262 Philippines 19, 207 Piedmont 161 Pieter Lagae 70 Pingvellir 142 Piraeus Port 141 Poland 30, 67, 103, 203, 210, 261; gurdwara 206, 209 Pondicherry 95 Pontinha 217 Port Dickson 38 Portland 21 Porto 214 Portugal 1, 17, 27, 30, 31, 99, 178, 212-15, 219-21, 241, 247 Portugal Gurdwara Sikh Sangat Sahib 217 Portuguese 18, 211 Post Perestroika 225 Pothohar 25 Prabhat Rai 100 Prague 243 Prakash Tandon 251 President of Gurdwara 55 Pride of ‘Raagi’ 12 ‘Pride of India Radio’ 74 Professional Nordic 81 Provinssirock, 88 Punja Sahib 257 Punjab & Sindh Bank 119 Punjab 19, 21, 26, 31, 32, 48, 50, 51, 65, 74, 77, 80, 81, 85, 89, 99, 101, 102, 105, 110, 111, 117, 134, 139, 149, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, 166, 171, 172, 180, 188, 190-2, 200, 205, 207, 209, 213, 214, 227, 229, 235, 241, 242, 244, 252, 263, 266, 270, 272, 273, 293, 305, 308, 311 Punjabi Music Award 80

Index Purdaging Power Parity 112 Putin, Vladimir 222 Qatar 77 Queensland 23 R. Gujjula 113 Rabinder Singh 146 Raikot 139 Rajinder Singh 102 Rajinder Singh Sethi 227 Rajiv Kunwar 304 Rajput, Rattan Singh 80 Rajvinder Singh 127 Ramjeet 92 Randhawa, Hardev Singh 55 Rangoon 274 Rani Jindan 43 Ranjit G. Singh 103 Ranjit Singh 13, 80, 99, 219, 245 Raungla 134 Ravidas Gurdwara 57, 107 Rawalpindi 119, 120, 160 Refugees 40 Reggio Emillia 151 Resham Singh 246, 262 Rio Saliceto 155 Ripudaman Singh 76 Rob Kerby 37 Roman Catholic Keralites 31 Romania 26, 56, 157 Romano Prodi 156 Romans 129 Rome 37, 149, 157, 158, 159, 164 Roorki 126 Ropar 111 Rothschild Group, Geneva 270 Rotterdam (Gurdwara Shri Nanak Dev) 173 Rotterdam 168, 171 Rourkela 121 Royal Indian Army Service Corps 286 Rudel, Darshan Singh 110, 111 Russia 26, 30, 56, 42, 203, 228, 229

363

S. Africa 24 Sabaudia 163, 164 ‘Sabrang Radio’ 74 Sadhna 79 ‘Sahib Path’ 231 Sahib, Lisbon 217 Saluzzo 161 Salzburg 49, 57 San Francisco 21 Sandeep 123, 126 Sandeep Singh of Talwandi 241 Sandhu 90 Sandhu, Gurpreet Singh 186 Sandhu, Pardhan Sukhwinder Singh 135 ‘Sangat’ 29, 61-2, 134, 138-40, 145, 226, 257-9 Sanjit Sandhu 51 Sant Kirpal Singh 52 Sant Niranjan Das 50 Santa Claus 88 Sao Paulo 176 Sara Cosemans 65 Sarabjit Singh 146 ‘Sarbat da Bhala Gurdwara’ 138 Sarbpreet Kaur 197 Sartaj Singh 157 Sarup Singh Mahon 41 ‘Sat Siri Akal’ 43 Satbir Kaur 242 Satinder Kaur 259 Satkoha 205 Satpal Singh 242 Satsang in Gurdwaras 134 Saturday ‘Farmers Market’ 67 Satyog Kaur 242 Saudi Arabia 16 Sauna 88 Saund, Dalip Singh 23 Schallmooser Hauptstrasse Salzburg 50 Schengen 27, 113, 134, 204, 216, 221; agreement (1985) 47, 67, 149 Scot 26 Sebastian Edathy 113

364

Index

Second Anglo-Burma war 20 Second World War 250, 284 Seychelles 95 SGGS 118, 122, 135, 139, 170, 182, 195, 248, 255, 269, 274, 278 SGPC 105, 134, 183 Shamsher Kainth 40 Shanghai 21, 29, 56, 207 Shanti Darshan 65 Sharanjit Singh 70 Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie 133 Shava 87, 88 ‘Sher-e Punjab’ 106, 141 Sher-e-Punjab Kabaddi Club 66 Shri Dashmesh Singh Sabha 119 Shri Guru Nanak Gurdwara Sahib 173 Shri Guru Ravidas Gurdwara in Vienna 50 Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha, Vienna 50 Shri Ram College, Delhi 231 Sidhu, Navtej Singh 159 Sikh Center or gurdwara 225 ‘Sikh Naujawan Sabha’ 38 ‘Sikh Ungdom’ 76 Sikh Youth Camps 38 ‘Sikhi Camp 2009’ 116 Sikhism 129 Sikhs Studies in Norway 314 Sikhs’ European Aid Coordinator 40 Sindh Bank 52 Sindhi temple 118 Sindhis 235 Singapore 17, 19, 21, 228, 229, 246, 248, 256, 276, 317, 319 Singh Sabha in Paris 103 Singh Sokhi 61 Singh, J.J. 209 Singh, K.G. 120 Singh, K.P. 80 Singh, Rana 161 Sint-Truiden (Limburg) 65 Sint-Truiden 66, 67, 71, 310 Sir Winston Churchill 290 Siri Guru Singh Sabha 75

Skol Club in Calcutta 228 Slavs 129 Slovakia 243 Slovenia 148 Snæfellsjökull 142 Sodhi, Dr. Ganda Singh 126 Sodhi, K.S. 126 Sodhi, Kripal Singh 126 Sodhi, Ranbir Singh 86 Sodhi, Sukhdev Singh 86 Sofia 210 Sohan Singh 61 Sokarno 172 Solfanelli 155 Solonika 130 Sood, Anurag 80 Sood, Gurcharan Singh 122 Sorbonne University 106 Sörnäinen 86, 92 South Hall 14, 25, 27 South-East Asia 20, 94 Soviet Union 84, 224, 228 Spain 14, 15, 19, 30, 31, 42, 43, 45 , 99, 145, 212 Spaniards 26 Spanish Civil War of 1936-9 233 Spanish Island 167 Sri Lanka 14, 96, 297 St. Martinique 95 St. Petersberg 223 St. Xaviers School 228 State Bank of India 119 State Treaty (1955) 48 Stella, Maria 160 Stockholm 29 Strasbourg 107 Stuttgart 115, 118, 134 Subedar Manta Singh 285 Sucha Singh 176 Sud Bahnhof 53 Sukhdev Singh 89 Sukhjot Singh 70 Sukhwinder 51 ‘Sunrise Radio’ 74 Surinam 14, 16-18, 169, 170

Index Surjit Singh 70, 71, 206 Susheel Kaur 257 Sweden 25, 30, 38, 45, 84, 85 , 90 Swiss Gurdwara Langenthal 277 Switzerland 30, 54, 148, 265-9, 271, 272, 277 Sylvia 54 Tabanovce 40 Tahsil Khamaanu Kalaan 139 ‘Tahti Ravintola’ (means City Star) 90 Taj Mahal 47 Taliban 25, 115, 257 Tampere Island 91 Tampere Island Maria Asu 84 Tanzania 17, 20, 23 Tarsum 51 Tatas 121 Tebbs, Captain G. 20 Teheran 57, 58, 62, 140, 178 Teji, Tajinder Singh 55, 158 Tejinder Kaur in Moscow 230 Tessendorferstrasse 50 Thailand 19, 103, 228, 242, 247 The Hague 172 The Tver-based Medical Academy 224 The United States 41, 239 Thessaloniki 130 Thierry Mariani 102 Thind, Bhagat Singh 23 Thiva 132, 136 Timisoara 56 Tiwana, Jagpal Singh 82 Torino (Turin ) 165 Trans-Siberia 56 Trier 127 Trinidad 16 Trulli Vittorio 156 Tunisia 96 Turban Day 31, 36, 184, 310, 314 Turin 149 Turkey 42, 57, 89, 114, 135, 140, 141, 284

365

Turkish Heim 62 Turku 84, 91 Tyrol 60 Uganda 17, 20, 23, 24, 27, 43, 249, 251, 252, 316 Ugandan Asian refugees 65 Ukraine 145, 203 U-Matic 81 Umrao Singh 166 UNESCOCAT (the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia) 240 Unified State Register of Legal Entities 225 Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 64 United Arab Emirates 16 United Kingdom 14, 15, 18, 19, 25, 27, 29, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43, 45, 75, 94, 119, 241, 265; and North America 25 United Nations 55 United Sikhs 40 United States 15, 18, 24, 29, 38, 43, 47, 61, 75, 80, 81, 84, 112, 119, 224, 227, 232, 241, 248, 261, 263 University of Jyväskylä 84 Uttam Chand 89 Vajpayee, Atal Behari 25 Valencia 235, 246 Vancouver 168, 172, 192 Vanløse 75 Vantaa 84, 86, 87, 91 Vedanta Centre at Moscow 223 Venetians 129 Veneto Venice 149 Vic 236 Vienna 47-51, 55, 57-61 Vietnam 297 Vietnamese 104 Vilvoorde 41, 69, 71 Vilvoorde gurdwara 70

366 Vilvoorde town 70 ‘Voice of Russia’ 223 Volkswagen 58 Vrsac 56 Walter Act of 1952 23 Waris Shah’s Heer-Ranjha 80 Warsaw 203, 209 Washington, D.C. 15 Wein (Vienna) 50 West London 27 West Yorkshire 27 Wiener Neustadt 53 Wolgoolga 23 World Trade Centre 157 World War I 48, 63, 64, 101, 114, 172, 284, 287; II 26, 48, 83, 84,

Index 94, 101, 114, 115, 148, 150, 151, 202, 203, 234, 287, 289 X Kaur 71 X Singh 218, 219, 269, 272 Yadwinder Singh 205 Yanam 95 Yogi Bhajan 226 Yogi Bhajan Singh 143 Yogi Bhajan’s 3HO 105 Yogi, Harbhajan Singh 242 Yugoslavia 56, 77, 118, 261 Zambia 24 Zaventem 71 Zurich 266, 267, 270