Eastenders And Sikhs.

[LeonBlank1995]

Watching Eastenders now. I do not think I have ever spoken to a Sikh in my life. Don't know if I have ever seen one in Somerset. They do look a very dignified and handsome people don't they?

My question. Are there any Sikhs in your city, town or village? (Londoners excluded)

[Everhelpful]

We have a Musical Composer and a Sikh.
We play that game Haydn Sikh.

[ummmm]

Yep....Kind and generous people.

[Mamyalynne]

There are Sikhs in my town (Bolton) and quite a few temples too.

I have interacted only with a small few.

[maggiebee]

Yes, have certainly seen them in Dundee but have never spoken to one.

[calmck]

There are many Indians here but wether they are non practicing Sikhs I don't know. There are a few who do wear turbans though. My best friend, in the US did marry a Sikh and he did wear a turban when they lived in NYC but cut his hair and shaved when they moved to Minneapolis. He was a paediatric cardiologist with his own practice

[pastafreak]

Our local independent councillor is a prominent Sikh. He often donated full meals to the drop in when I worked there.

[hellywelly4]

I worked with several in a bank in Nairobi in the mid 60s and they were all lovely. Immaculate white turbans and very ‘gentlemanly’

[Jackdaw33]

A sikh took over our local corner shop which had been run by muslims for years. He is ever so polite and charming, he can't do enough to help you.

[barry1010]

Yes, lots, I grew up with lots of Sikh children at my school, worked with Sikhs and have Sikh friends.

[jourdain2]

I've taught with several Sikhs in and around Bradford. They were good, intelligent people who conformed as much as possible. E.G. one of the 5 Ks (the 'musts' of Sikhism) demanded that they carry a kukri (knife). They happily adapted that to a small, ornamental knife badge pinned in their turbans. The only time I can remember when they argued against normal British law was when helmets for motorcyclists became law. They argued that turbans were essential for them to wear, that they acted protectively and that they did not fit inside a helmet. The law was amended.

The local Muslims did not like them much and there were occasional spats when the houses (or old cinemas) they used for gurdwaras were defaced. It was generally accepted by indigenous locals that 'Sikhs are OK". They were never a problem.

I don't watch Eastenders, so don't really know about how they were portrayed. No, we have no Sikhs in our village, but if a Sikh family arrived I would not be concerned.

[douglas9401]

My only interaction with that community was at school.
A family arrived from darkest England and I was charged with getting their son used to the ways of the Blue People. Now as luck would have it there was a fancy dress party for fourth year pupils and I thought it would be a great opportunity for my new friend to sample the social whirl of a failing mining area in the central belt so we arranged to meet up at 7 that night, ready to mingle and sparkle.

I got there a few minutes early and was passing the time with various soldiers, sailors, pirates etc whan a vision appeared at the end of the road, a tall,, dark lad covered from head to toe in brightly coloured feathers and screeching as loud as he could.

Yes, dear reader, my friend was Sikh, as a parrot.

[Zacs-Master]

The only Sikh I’ve met (as far as I know) is Tony Singh the restrauteur, when he used to own a restaurant in Edinburgh (Oloroso).

[Zacs-Master]

That’s terrible, Dooogie.

[barry1010]

Many of the homeless in Birmingham do a circuit of the Sikh temples as they always get fed regardless of skin colour or religious beliefs.

Younger Sikh men often wear a rumal (similar to a bandana) instead of turbans except for more formal occasions such as weddings where a turban is expected; younger boys often wear a patka to cover their hair. It is not unusual for Sikh men to cut their hair these days - it is an acceptable choice within their faith.

I vividly remember the first time a boy told me he was a Sikh, I was 5 or 6. I don't know why but I had never heard of Sikhs but I did know about sheiks (I thought I did) so was in awe of this little boy believing him to be a prince. No idea why I had heard of sheiks - maybe in a book or panto - and I was very proud to tell my mom that my friend at school was royalty and was going to be King of Arabia. She soon worked it out and put me right :D

[rowanwitch]

Loads in Brum, worked with quite a few and met loads I have liked a lot. Word of advice though. Don't go out drinking with one, it's unlikely you will keep up. ( They seem to own most of the off licences, and their corner shops al seem to have off licences incorporated) They were great fun on nights out. Another thing is they seem a charitable bunch doing a great deal for the poorest in the city regardless of background.