|
Book Reviews - Sikhs In Latin America
|
P - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| |
|
Chapter 2 is devoted to 'Travels among the Latin American Sikhs'. The author refers to Singhvi High Level Committee Report prepared by Govt. of India for recording Indian Diaspora in Latin American countries. This is the first official survey conducted by the Govt. of India, but it fails to highlight the Sikh Diaspora and its problems. Why Sikhs chose to go to Latin America needs to be investigated? The author has tried to collect information from Sikh migrants on this aspect. It has been revealed that Latin America was not their destination by choice but by default. Latin American governments were not as hostile to Sikhs as other white dominated countries of USA and Canada. Major part of this chapter is covered by Author's travels diary and travel nuggets.
The author stresses the role of Gurdwara in Sikh Diaspora. The community develops more cohesiveness and closeness with the setting up of a Gurdwara. Some Sindhi migrants supplied a copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib for setting up the Gurdwara.
Chapter 3 is the most elaborate and illustrated with photographs of Sikh Diaspora in Argentina. The author gives some interesting accounts based on his interviews with Diaspora Sikhs. He writes, "The Sikhs in Argentina have been substantially assimilated into the local society and the third and even second generations may not call themselves Sikhs. But emotional bonds exist and a Gurdwara was commissioned in the early 1990s. Fresh immigrants keep coming in small numbers, but turbaned Sikhs are a rarity."
The author met a wide spectrum of Argentinean Sikhs during his sojourn. The names of second-generation Sikhs are usually local, e.g., Leandra, Dante, Carmen, Nora, Esther, etc. The author found them very friendly, and they wished to know about their Sikh heritage and Punjab culture. Case studies of Sikh Diaspora by the author are interesting as these record trials and tribulations of Sikh migrants to Argentina. The story of Dan Singh and the harrowing tale of Sikh migration in 1911 via Fiji is a most adventurous and heart-rending account of the exploitation of illiterate Punjabis.
|
 |
 |