E-Paper
Kaurs: The voice of global Sikh women
Gurmukh Singh catches up with Toronto-based Roma Kaur, the brain behind Kaurs, the first magazine of its kind on the Punjabi diaspora.
The Indo-Canadian community has been making news for some time for its so-called NRI marriages where `phoren' Punjabi boys land in Punjab, marry local girls, collect their ``dowry'' and disappear, leaving these poor brides in the lurch. Many of these women who manage to land in Canada are subjected to all sorts of violence.
Finally, these hapless women have found a voice. And the mouthpiece for their voice is the Kaurs, the first magazine of its kind on the Punjabi diaspora.
The Kaurs is the brainchild of Toronto-based Roma Kaur. Born and raised in Jaipur, Roma Kaur is a post-graduate in French literature from Panjab University. She has taught in France and worked as a producer with OMNI television in Canada.
How will she fulfil her mission? "My brief internship with the United Nations in New York helped me formalize the idea of Kaurs magazine. I've worked very closely with the Punjabi community in different countries and this allowed me to develop an international network that further facilitated the work of the magazine. We need to work towards the strengthening of the girl child of our community and this magazine should be able to play a great role in the process,'' says Roma in an interview with www.hindustantimes.com
Excerpts:
What made you launch Kaurs magazine?
Having worked in the media, I was quite convinced that Punjabi women needed a platform to strengthen themselves and preserve their identity and such a platform, only print media could provide.
Isn't it a daunting mission?
This international magazine will highlight achievers, exhibit existing talent and cultivate room for more, portray women issues and enable the exchange of solutions. Acting as a guide for all those girls or women who occasionally seek friendly advice, this magazine will feature informative articles as well as nurture the intellectual's spirit by featuring fictional and literary excerpts.
The magazine will encourage these women to rediscover themselves in the light of the glorious heritage and current meritorious achievements of the Sikh community by following the illustrious principles as enshrined in the holy Granth Sahib.
It will strive to uphold the Sikh principles of gender equality and assertiveness of women while reflecting upon the basic responsibilities and tasks that a Sikh woman fulfils during her lifetime.
The magazine will also endeavour to create a basic standard for community journalism whereby Sikh women from the South Asian region will be encouraged to participate in this international exchange of culture and philosophy and thereby help bridge the gap between the women of Punjab and the diaspora.
To begin with, we are targeting Sikh women internationally but the content will appeal to women of all backgrounds and not just Sikhs.
How long have you been publication?
We launched the magazine in November 2004 in Toronto. I have been working on it since December 2004.
What is the response? How is the magazine circulated?
The response is overwhelming. We have people subscribing on our website as well as through cash or cheques. The magazine is circulated by post as well as available in Toronto at major Asian grocery stores.
What kind of issues have you taken up so far? Have you done something on fraud marriages in which NRIs come to Punjab to marry girls only to abandon them later? How about the issue of rampant violence against women in Indo-Canadian homes? Then there have been some cases of ``honour killings' when some Indo-Canadian girls have married against the wishes of their parents/relatives? Are you addressing these issues?
We have started the magazine on a very positive note providing a little bit of everything that most women can relate to. We shall certainly be addressing all kinds of social and economic issues of our community that affect the lives of the womenfolk directly. Also, we try to create awareness of all the positive roles that women can play in society.
What are the most pressing issues facing Sikh women around the world?
Identity crisis.
Has the community backed you financially?
Well, this is a business venture since we want the magazine to be a self-sustaining venture. So, we haven't received any kind of funding per se. However, with some Sikh businesses advertising with us, we are able to print such high quality magazine. We have a lot of volunteers helping us out.
About the future?
Well, we would like Kaurs magazine to emerge as the progressive Sikh woman's magazine so that she can help carve an identity for herself in society and preserve the positive attributes along with the disseminating the same.
When I conceived the idea, I approached other people from our community to join hands and launch this venture. I got a lot of cooperation from the Sikh community in Toronto and that is why, we formed the company in Canada and launched the magazine from Toronto. Later, seeing the interest that the Indian Sikh community as well as the Sikh businesses in India demonstrated towards the magazine, we have to hit India as well. Otherwise, the Sikhs in US and France have also shown a keen interest towards the magazine.
