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Geeta Virdi

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Geeta

Geeta Report 9 Jun 2007 12:29

Kaur, (meaning:'princess') in Punjabi, is widely used as a name by female Sikhs. Within the Sikh religion Kaur means Princess whereas, Singh is derived from the word 'Simha' meaning lion. It is believed to be a derivative of the word 'Kanwar' meaning Prince (in Sanskrit). The tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, made it mandatory for Sikh females to use the second-name Kaur and for Sikh males to use the second-name Singh. The Guru said, 'You are my beloved princesses, my daughters. You must be respected. How can this world be without you?'. Kaur provides Sikh women with equal respect to men. The Guru Gobind Singh said, 'You don’t have to take anybody else's name. You are an individual, you are a prince, and you keep Kaur as your last name.” It is encouraged that all those of the Sikh faith should follow one faith and abolish the caste system as this was the whole point of using the surnames 'Singh' and 'Kaur', the other names should be their first name and 'Khalsa', meaning that person belongs to the Khalsa. It is interesting to note, that even Male Sikhs in the past have used (and possibly even today use) 'Kaur' in their names. Dr. Birendra Kaur in her paper, 'Insight and Foresight' exemplifies the role of women as bearing great responsibility. “ Today, we women hold our heads high for the contribution of Sikhism. Women of yore in every sphere, be it service, leadership, or sacrifice. Nowhere else does a woman enjoy such a respectable status as in Sikhi. The Guru has lovingly called us 'Kaur', which means a crown prince - i.e., on whom lies great responsibility.