Mordern Singhni!!

urm.. for those who r reading this for the first time, i am a sikh. and i have taken up amrit.. that means i carry the five K's everywhere..

Now.. this evening, i had gone to the Gurudwara for the daily class.. There was some path going on in the gurudwara main hall.. so i just went there to ake the blessings before carrying on to the class. On the door, there were two aunties... when i came out of the hall, they stopped me and one of them exclaimed, "oh! so u r a mordern sikhni?!!"
i was taken aback and could only mutter, "err.. i guess u can call me that.. but why do u ask??!"
"Because u r wearing a kirpan with jeans and a t-shirt.. R u coming from college?!"
"No. French class."
"OH!! so u r also learning FRENCH!?! Thats great! So why are you wearing a kirpan? Are you training to be a priest or something??"
"Well, No. i have taken up Amrit because i believe in the principles of my religion and because i want to be a part of the Khalsa Panth."
"Oh My! that is great!"
"Achcha aunty ji, waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguruji ki Fateh."

Such comments r a part and parcel of my life now.. But nevertheless they get me thinking.. Why is it that not being normal is taken as being ABnormal and not Different?! Why does society make life difficult for all those who want to be different?!

i might seem immodest.. But i can't help saying that i have definitely unintentionally chosen to be different in all respects.. Coming from a family of Science background, i have deliberately chosen to pursue my hobby and taken up Arts.. At the same time, i have taken up amrit and by the rules, i keep my head covered at all times and cant cut my hair... something that doesnt bother me, but horrifies all my friends..

But such comments have been a part of my life ever since i was 13 years old. that was when i had taken up amrit.. Still in school, my friends and random students would come upto me and ask me if i were a christian.. and ask me why i kept my head covered. though they did not bother me, what made life worse in the intial years were the comments from my Teachers..

Well yeah.. Teachers r supposed to support their students.. but there was this one ma'am who used to teach me Economics.. One day she asked me why i kept my head covered. i told her it was because of my faith in my religion. She was taken aback and she told me that she did not expect such orthodox ideas from a mordern girl! she tried her best to convince me that though necessary once, these outward experiences held no importance in today's world and i am an idiot to believe in them. she even said that the whole community was now waking up to this fact,a nd as a result we had mordern sardarnis. In this competitive world, she said, you need to keep up your image.

At that time, my mom advised me and i was saved from delflecting from my promise.. But I always wonder why people can't tolerate those who want to be different. None of my school teachers r ready to meet me with the same enthusiasm as before. In their eyes, i have shown my weakness by taking arts.. Each to his own, i say.
But they stop whole generations of students from pursuing their dreams..

That is what saddens me the most.