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But then as the song goes “Sikhan di Ankh anokhi.” So what do you expect? I’m proud of my Sikh heritage, the sacrifices made by the Gurus and their families, and then beyond that by the followers at the time. Through out the inception of the religion through to the creation of the Sikh kingdom and then onto the struggle of independence from the British. A violent history, a sad and tragic one, one that I will get into late. But reading about it, learning about these struggles, the people. It makes me proud to be a Sikh, this is a pride that over rides all else.
One of the things people say to me, or say of me, is that I am a contradiction, and this is true. I’m a liberal conservative, a social capitalist, a traditionalist with a modern leaning. Am I conflicted, no I don’t think so, aspects of my life influence me in different ways, where as one side, the capitalist side of me will do all that needs to be done to succeed, to push the barriers, the traditionalist, my Sikh heritage will temper it some what. I do not believe in charity, but I do seva ( selfless service, work offered to God but for the community, a key aspect in Sikhism).
By taking the best of both the worlds I live in, I believe I can bring a certain perspective to life, a unique view point, that has made me who I am. I was born and bred here, I studied here, and am now working here. The UK, being British is part of me, but equally, being Sikh, being Indian, Being Punjabi is part of me. Are the parts greater than the whole, or do the parts make me stronger. All of this has helped me cope with the world we live in, being a stranger, a foreigner in every land. In the UK I ‘ll always be seen as an “Indian” in India I’ll be seen as being British. A square peg in a round hole, everywhere I am.
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