April is Sikh Heritage Month in Saskatchewan and across Canada. Harwinder Kaur is part of the Sikh community in Weyburn, she says seeing the culture recognized is a “wonderful feeling”.
“We are able to share our traditional music, our heritage, history, literature, and books, especially by the Sikh authors and with the Sikh characters. So it's a very different feeling that I think can't be expressed in words.”
She continues, saying it’s an opportunity for Sikhs to celebrate their culture, as well as share it with others.
“Sikh artists, our food, and more are shared with the people across Canada, especially during this month. It's an awareness month, not only for, you know, Sikhs, but all the non-Sikhs to learn who we are so that they know us better.”
Kaur explains some aspects of the culture, noting it originates from the Punjab region in India, and keeps an emphasis on equality and justice.
“It doesn't matter what race or community they are from. We see everyone equal, and then we share our food, resources with the community, and invite everyone to our place of worship. At our place of worship, we offer free kitchen for everyone. It doesn't matter, especially during the day. Any day, anyone can go have the free meal. If they don't have any money in the pocket, they can go look for a Sikh temple.”
“Sikhs, we are, from our ancestors, are mainly warriors. And then we were upholding justice. Truth and honour is what we all stand for.”
Kaur says she feels being in Canada can make it more challenging to preserve her culture, noting the importance of preserving language, heritage, and food, especially with new generations being brought up.
“That happens with each generation. Things get diluted. So to keep that active, we have to, participate in more cultural events. And when the Canadian government give us a platform where we can express ourselves, especially like Sikh Heritage Month, and then there are different cultural months during the year. It feels really good that we can express ourselves and then we can keep our heritage alive, living thousands of kilometers away from our place.”
She continues saying that its easier for her culture to be negated in smaller communities like Weyburn but thanks the community for their recognition.
“Thank you so much for recognizing Sikhs across Canada and across the world. Thank you so much.”