Doubts and questions

Gurbani Kaur and Japjeet Kaur both say no, from their own experience of Amrit (Sikh initiation). Gurbani Kaur says she cried because she felt unworthy, and asked another Sikh when she would be ready. As she tells it, he replied that nobody ever feels ready: all she could do was go to the next ceremony, ask, and accept the answer. Japjeet Kaur’s advice to people who contact her is: “Don’t think you need to be perfect”. She adds that you should still come committed.

Haneet Kaur did not want to rush. She says she lived as a Sikh for about three years and went when she felt ready.

• Gurbani Kaur on never feeling ready at 59:59
• Japjeet Kaur on not needing to be perfect at 1:14:53
• Haneet Kaur on waiting three years

Gurbani Kaur says yes, and that understanding came to her later. In her words: “it doesn’t matter if you can’t understand it, everybody should read or listen to Gurbani” (the Guru’s words). She says nobody explained the meaning to her and she never read a translation; while listening to Kirtan (the singing of Gurbani) she found, all of a sudden, that she had started to understand.

Ram Kaur could not follow anything on her first visit to a Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship), and says she still wanted to stay sitting there. On programme days she could read the translations put up on a screen.

• Gurbani Kaur on understanding coming later at 25:39
• Ram Kaur on sitting without understanding

Bishan Singh and Ram Kaur both did. Bishan Singh taught himself the letters of Gurmukhi (the script Gurbani is written in) by writing each one a hundred times, then took online lessons with a teacher, known as Santhya. He says it is not that hard if you are consistent, and that the main obstacle is ego: “you think you’re doing everything right and then you get told you’re doing everything wrong”.

Ram Kaur saw a notice for children’s Punjabi classes at her Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) and asked to join. She sat with small children, exercise book in hand, and says nobody treated her differently.

• Bishan Singh on teaching himself Gurmukhi at 1:06:26
• Ram Kaur on joining a children's class