Khushwant Singh | TNN
Chandigarh: An Australian woman who was denied entry into the sanctum
sanctorum of the Golden Temple just because she wore clinically
approved bandages on her feet has embarrassed the Sikh community,
especially diaspora Sikhs, and set off a heated debate on whether the
holy place is friendly towards the disabled.
The incident took place last week and became public after Tom
Simpson, the husband of Beverly, wrote a personal letter to Sikh
minstrel in Australia Dya Singh and narrated his "grief, shock and
anger" at the episode.
According to the letter, a sevadar (person manning entry)
apparently told Beverly that according to Sikh tenets only a person
with bare feet could enter the sanctum sanctorum and she had to stay
out because she had bandages on, so what if it was due to a crippling
illness.
Incidentally, Elizabeth, England's queen, was during her visit to
the Golden Temple in 1997 given special permission by the SGPC to
enter the sanctorum with her socks on.
In his letter Tom, who decided to visit the Golden Temple inspired
by Dya Singh's narratives on the shrine, wrote: "My wife and I, after
hearing a number of your concerts and your views on your faith,
decided to firstly research Sikhism and then decided, on impulse, to
visit the Golden Temple on a pilgrimage last month. Beverley suffers
from weak veins in her legs and feet. She has to bandage her feet,
otherwise the lack of blood flow leads to swollen feet and great pain.
But Beverley was stopped from entering. This is probably only a small
matter to you, but to us, it was like being cheated of paying our
obeisance at one of the most sacred places on this planet."
Dya Singh initiates a debate
Chandigarh: Dya Singh, in his e-mail response, now part of many Sikh
websites, flayed the authorities and initiated a debate on whether
Sikh shrines are friendly to physically challenged.
There was a feeling that the Beverly case could have been handled
with more sensitivity. Kiranjot Kaur, former Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive member, said, "We must make
provisions for such cases, so that they are not repeated."
Avtar Singh Makkar, president SGPC, said though sanctity of the
Guru was of prime concern, a physically challenged person could not be
denied the right to pay obeisance. "A solution could have been worked
out," he added.
--
Khushwant Singh
