SURREY, BC, Canada—A group of women wishing to question Baba Hari Singh Randhawa today at Gurdwara Sahib Dukh Niwaran in Surrey led to violence and the police being called. The women had concerns with Baba Randhawa’s views on women being impure while on their periods. A few videos have surfaced on Youtube regarding the events of the day. Baba Hari Singh was scheduled to do Katha at 11:30 AM at Gurdwara Sahib Dukh Niwaran and is scheduled to do katha from June 1st-7th.
The group wishing to question Baba Randhawa was met with opposition from his followers, which led to loud shouting and verbal and physical threats as well as physical confrontation in the Darbar Sahib. The police entered the Darbar Sahib with their shoes on causing much of the Sangat to become upset.
The video in which Baba Randhawa is alleged to have called women impure is provided below, as well as videos from the Gurdwara Sahib.
The shabad being referred to by Baba Hari Singh Randhawa has main theme of falsehood as shown below:
ਜਿਉ ਜੋਰੂ ਸਿਰਨਾਵਣੀ ਆਵੈ ਵਾਰੋ ਵਾਰ॥
As a woman has her periods, month after month,
ਜੂਠੇ ਜੂਠਾ ਮੁਖਿ ਵਸੈ ਨਿਤ ਨਿਤ ਹੋਇ ਖੁਆਰੁ ॥
so does falsehood dwell in the mouth of the false; they suffer forever, again and again.
The idea of ਅਪਵਿਤ੍ਰਤਾ (impurity) of menstruation is being introduced by Baba Hari Singh Randhawa in his interpretation of the text when the original only emphasizes that as while period comes every month, falsehood from the mouth is far worse as it is always there. I suspect Baba Hari Singh Randhawa is influenced by Brahmanical thinking than Gurmat. Gurmat does not condone ideas of impurity based on pollution and it does not support women as unequal as Baba Randhawa indicates in various online katha.
Baba Hari Singh Randhawa is associated with Sant Samaj, which is a union of sants, babas and deras modeled after Arya Samaj. Some representatives of the organization are Amritdhari but most members have Brahminical or Sanatinist beliefs and have close association with Arya Samajists and RSS. For this reason, Sant Mat created their own Rehat Maryada in late 1990s. They also opposed the Nanakshahi calendar favouring the old Hindu or Bikrami calendar.
Members of Sant Samaj also oppose, as does Baba Hari Singh Randhawa, Sikh women from performing seva within Sri Darbar Sahib. The use of women’s menstruation or period and tying it to “uncleaniness” or ਅਪਵਿਤ੍ਰਤਾ is a way to bar Sikh women from full participation in Sikh rites. This is contrary to the equality given to women by Sikh Gurus and a way to bring Sikhs into Brahmanism with an emphasis on ritual purity instead of purity of the heart.
Baba Hari Singh Randhawa is using Sangat’s fear and ignorance to plant ideas that women are secondary to men in the Sikh religion. Many of these ideas of women being ritually polluted were criticized in Gurbani but Baba Hari Singh Randhawa, a member of Sant Samaj, wants to bring Brahmin ideas back by arguing that women’s status is less due to menstruation. For this reason, they cannot serve as granthis, perform various rites or become part of Panj Pyare in the future. While the world is moving forward in equality, Sant Samaj members including this Baba want to take us backward.
Kari Singh rand jaws go back
Send baba back to India. He deserve it. What he has done is ridiculous
Explain what he has done wrong? He is a Scholar with deep meaning and years of experience. He said nothing wrong. Intellect takes years to grow.
Really the issue is cops entering the gurudwara with shoes on (which would be mandatory) or why in the heck is there fighting in the gurudwara, corrupt greedy and uneducated idiots have high jacked a religion which once was peaceful that was created by baba nanak, you all need to go away!! NOW!! I could sit here and use some deragotory words to express how I feel but I won’t! Your guys time will come!
Satsri akal iji
to the media
listen with all open ears
Hari Singh Randhawa never said nothing wrong
with his Kathavachik I am very upset of with one of the woman said
that was not good thing what she said why is she following him for if she does not like his kathavachik don’t listen to him from roops
Who called the police for this issue? The real culprit is the person who called the police without trying to resolve the internal issue of Sikh sangat. Canadian police obviously will work in their protocol. They don’t know the maryada of removing shoes in darbar sahib.
Disagree – if I was in fear of my presence then I need protecting by the law. Since when can we Sikhs resolve things internally? Just watch the videos.