Sikh Queens

Today we should encourage growth and success amongst the women in our society. We often hear how men are superior to women, but in fact there are so many powerful women that have made their mark in history. In our Sikh religion we have such great role models. Many are women that have fought for our religion or have given so much to our faith that they will always be remembered.

What do you think about when I say motivated, inspirational, selfless, admirable and independent? You may be reading this and still thinking about what they represent, but to me it's easy, they represent many women from hundreds of years ago that questioned the typical ideals of that period of time.

There are three women I can say that stand out in my mind. The first being Bibi Nanaki Ji, the second being Mai Bhago and last, but no means least Mata Khivi. To some people these names may mean very little, but to those who do know of these courageous women, you will share my appreciation that they even existed and challenged a world dominated by men.

Bibi Nanaki was the elder sister of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. She was born in 1464 in Chalal. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born 5 years later, but to his elder sister he wasn't just a younger brother. She was the first person to recognise he had a special quality, that he wasn't just an ordinary man. She was Guru Nanak Dev Ji's first Sikh, his first follower. Bibi Nanaki always knew her brother was nothing less than a Guru

Guru Nanak Dev Ji's parent's initially found it hard to accept his purpose in life and were forced to send him to live with his elder sister and her husband in Sultanpur. It was here that Bibi Nanaki Ji started to bow to Guru Nanak Dev Ji out of respect. He tried to stop her and told her she should not bow down to him as she was older, and she replied

"That is true if you were an ordinary man, but you are more to me, I see God in you".

Bibi Nanaki never lost faith in Guru Nanak Dev Ji and believed he would never leave this world until his mission was completed. Bibi Nanaki should be a great inspiration to all women on this Earth and a reminder that if you have faith and you believe, good things wil happen.

Mai Bhago was another believer and another saint in the eyes of a Sikh. In 1704 she led soldiers and fought against Mughals on the battlefield.

Mai Bhago represented Sikhism like no other woman. She was brave enough to challenge the Mughals after they surrounded Anandpur and demanded every Sikh man and woman declare themselves no longer a Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh JI and their lives will be spared. If they refused to do this they were forced to look death in the face. 40 Sikhs succumbed to the Mughals and told Guru Gobind Singh Ji they were no longer Sikhs and signed a letter confirming this and left for their villages.

When Mai Bhago heard of this she bore arms herself and declared she would go to the Gurus aid if the men weren't man enough to act as true Sikhs.

Upon seeing her bravery and feeling ashamed, the 40 Sikhs had a change of heart and followed Mai Bhago into battle.

The 40 Sikhs caught up with the Mughuls that had been in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and a fierce battle ensued. After the battle all but one of the 40 Sikhs had died and Mahan Singh, the last of the 40 Sikhs, was mortally wounded. He lived long enough to ask for Guru Ji's forgiveness and asked him to tear up the letter. Guru Gobind Singh Ji tore up the letter and blessed the 40 Sikhs as the 40 liberated ones.

It was then that Guru Gobind Singh Ji recognised something special in Mai Bhago and took her on as one of his bodyguards. Mai Bhago managed to stand out in a man's world and protected someone so special that all Sikhs hold close to their hearts. The fact that she was a woman protecting a man and fighting for our faith shows in itself how special she was.

Another woman that brought enlightenment to our culture was Mata Khivi.

She was married to Bhai Lehna for 20 years before he became our 2nd Guru. She enjoyed a life of luxury and was given a great deal of respect. Mata Khivi chose to represent equality for women in a period that again treated women like second class citizens.

Her husband Bhai Lehna was a trusted disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and was eventually bestowed with Guruship. Mata Khivi learnt a lot from her husband and embraced the new faith that Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Lehna were propagating. She had a lot to put up with and also took a bit of taunting from not only men of that time, but the women also. Bhai Lehna now became Guru Angad Dev Ji and from this point onwards the Guru had so many visitors coming and going Mata Khivi now found a new purpose in life.

In our Sikh teachings it states 'One must earn one's living through one's own labour'.

Mata Khivi took this seriously and took it upon herself to reflect this teaching in providing the Langar for visitors. Her hospitality had become the first cultural identity of the Sikhs and to this day still lives on. Mata Khivi is described as good natured, efficient and all round perfect. Her persona lives on today and she is the only one of the Guru's wives that is mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

She never turned her back on anyone and touched everyone that came in contact with her. Mata Khivi represents an essential trait of Sikh culture and this should be celebrated amongst us all.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji describes her as a 'good person', 'affectionate mother' and as 'one who provides shelter and protection to others'.

These women are examples of how strong and giving women are and that we are not inferior to anyone.

The modern woman is just as powerful, strong and courageous so let us celebrate this! If women can singlehandedly change times when only a man's world existed this is a testament to the modern day Sikh woman that times can be changed and it is no longer a man's world.

As a modern day woman we should be challenging the stereotypical ideologies of the man's world. It is surprising how much of an influence women can have in today's society. Don't sit back and follow suit, be a leader because every woman has special qualities that todays community needs and our society is waiting for us to challenge this.

All three women are greatly respected in our religion and are an example to women of today that we are more powerful than we think; we are inspirational to so many people and are courageous in our efforts. Through Bibi Nanaki's, Mai Bhago's and Mata Khivi's motivation and success stories we will be able to find it in ourselves to recognise that we are in fact greatly respected and our skills are essential in the development of our lives, our country and our religion.

If there is anything I have learnt from these women it is to believe, to act on my beliefs and achieve them. If you want to look for guidance on how to be a good modern day role model all you need to do is look back into our history and you will see how the strength of women represented so well in the early days of our religion. Imagine how hard it was hundreds of years ago for a woman to even stand for anything, so if they can do it, any of us women can.

Follow your heart and make a difference where it counts....ladies, stand up and shine!