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Sikh Parade in Carteret sends
message about faith’s strength
WSN Network
CARTERET:
The
gritty, working-class enclave of Ukrainian, Polish, Hungarian and
German immigrants, Carteret, clearly came out as the cultural
epicenter for Sikhism — the world’s fifth-largest religion — when
turbaned throngs of Sikhs lined its streets on a recent Saturday and
teenagers displayed their skills in the Sikh martial art, gatka.
As the gleaming
swords clashed and a proud Sikh community told everyone how its
motto was Sarbat Da Bhala, the second annual Sikh Day Parade,
featuring floats from many local gurdwaras told the populace about
the rich traditions and legacy of the burgeoning religious community
in the borough.
As New Jersey is
host to some 25,000 Sikhs, Carteret has emerged as a magnet for the
community, with an estimated 1,000 Sikhs among the borough’s 22,000
residents. Amardeep Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition,
a civil rights group in New York City,
was widely quoted in the local media narrating a Sikh’s essential
values.
Hardyal Singh
Johal, who in the early 1970s was among the first Sikhs to move to
the borough and is now chairman of
Carteret’s
planning board, termed it as “the luckiest place for Sikhs.”
Interestingly,
and somewhat amusingly, Johal, and many other Sikhs, attach
significance to the name “Carteret” since it bears a tonal
similarity to “Kartarpur”, the holy place in
Punjab
connected with the founder of Sikhism.
The Sikhs see
the creation of the Sikh Day Parade in Carteret as the formal
announcement of the community’s presence for those who were
oblivious to the gradual changes in the borough. It’s also the only
Sikh parade in New Jersey.
Normally, Sikhs
hold a Parade (Nagar Kirtan) on special days when the Sikh
population in a certain area reached a critical mass.
The Dashmesh
Darbar Gurdwara on Port Reading Avenue, the Gurdwara Singh Sabha a
mile away on the same street and the Sikh Parade are the signs of a
community that has arrived. Many Sikhs in
Carteret
have relocated from
Queens in New
York, which has a sizable Sikh community but has become
overcrowded.
Lack of
knowledge about the Sikh traditions and culture has at times led to
certain situations. for example, a Sikh woman wearing a kirpan
caused alarm several years ago while picking up her child at Minue
Elementary School, and the incident had led to a town hall meeting
between about 200 angry residents and local Sikhs.
Events like
the Sikh Parade go a long way in spreading the message about the
community.
30
April 2008
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