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A kara, or kada (Punjabi: ਕੜਾ (Gurmukhi), کڑا (Shahmukhi) कड़ा (Devanagari)), is a steel or cast iron bangle worn by Sikhs and sometimes Indian people of other religions.[1][2] Sikhism preaches the importance of equality and having reverence for God at all times, which is represented through the five Ks—ceremonial items worn or used by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa, of which kara is one.[3]
History
[edit]The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar, in 1699.[4] It is a symbol of unbreakable attachment and commitment to God.[5][6]
Meaning and usage
[edit]
Sikhs
[edit]The kara is a symbol of unbreakable attachment and commitment to God.[7][8]
Non-Sikhs
[edit]The kara is also worn by many ethnic Punjabis and other non-Punjabi Hindu families across states in the north, northwest, and west of India (such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra).[9]
Controversies
[edit]India
[edit]In 2022, a female Sikh candidate, Manharleen Kaur, was barred from taking a competitive examination by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) until she removed her kara.[10] Kaur later filed a case against the DSSSB at the Delhi High Court. The DSSSB later stated that Sikh candidates would be permitted to appear in examinations with a kara or kirpan, subject to their reaching the centre at least one hour before the reporting time.[11]
United Kingdom
[edit]In November 2007, a 14-year-old Sikh girl, Sarika Singh, was excluded from Aberdare Girls' School in Wales for wearing a kara, as the "school has banned students from wearing any jewellery other than plain ear studs and wrist watches".[12] In July 2008, Judge Stephen Silber of the High Court of England and Wales stated that "the bangle — known as the kara — was a symbol of her Sikh faith and not a piece of jewellery". He further said that "the school is guilty of indirect discrimination under race relations and equality laws", and Singh was allowed to return to school wearing her kara in September 2008.[13]
In 2017, eight-year-old Kaiden Singh was banned from wearing a kara to school in Tipton, England.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Traditional Jewellery of India". University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Lodha, Shri Chanchal Mal Sa. History of Oswals. iprakashan. p. 346.
- ^ "BBC – Religions – Sikhism: The Five Ks". BBC.co.uk. BBC Online. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ in the Dasam Granth, page 1350
- ^ Old Sikh Glossary sikhnet.com Retrieved 12 May 2023
- ^ Guru Gobind Singh. Dasam Granth. p. 1350.
- ^ Guru Granth Sahib. p. 76.
- ^ Kabir. Guru Granth Sahib. p. 1376.
- ^ Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj (25 August 2003). Where are you from?: middle-class migrants in the modern world. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520928671. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
Individual Sikhs and Hindus share symbols and practices of body inscription (such as wearing a kara and women keeping their hair long).
- ^ "Sikhs wearing kara/kirpan to be allowed to take DSSSB exam if they reach 1 hr before time, HC told". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 7 October 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Sikh woman prevented from appearing in exam for wearing kara". Telegraph India. Press Trust of India. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ MacLeod, Donald (23 January 2008). "Excluded Sikh pupil goes to court over religious bangle ban". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "UK: Sikh girls wins legal battle". Rediff.com. Press Trust of India. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "British Sikh Boy Banned from Wearing Kara to School". NDTV.com. Press Trust of India. 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Kara (Sikhism) at Wikimedia Commons